Reviews

I don't feel very much in mood to write review about that guy Emilio Salgari - author and creator of Sandokan. Salgari's legend as explorer, adventurer, and writer knew no bounds. By the 1950s he was the bestselling Italian author worldwide. Dante Alighieri was number 2. Yet critics said that Salgari was mentally deranged. His wife actress Ida Peruzzi got dementia in 1900s and Salgari with his family could hardly meet their ends. By 1910/1911 wife was committed and Salgari himself made suicide. These are facts from his biography while Wikipedia gives inadequate information. Best source on the Net is ROH PRESS at http://www.rohpress.com/salgari.html

Let me try to shuffle this material a bit. We've got here in our country a large array of translations from Italian Emilio Salgari. Those books appeared firstly in the 1920s and 1930s - they were handsomely illustrated and were paragon for adventure literature. For me, as a schoolboy, those hard to find assets were precious. Since Star Wars series were non-existent what else could be opulent for teenager. It was Indian actor Kabir Bedi as Sandokan who gained greatest cinematic fame. He was as popular as Karl May's hero and some other heroes from American Westerns that I couldn't differentiate well. But we were happy and growing up, and those were socialist times clean and uneventful otherwise.

On the parochial side Sandokan's role as cultural phenomenon is limited. If you ask someone from South-East Asia about Sandokan, be it Malaysian or Thai or else, and he had hardly heard of that cult hero. Sandokan appears to be imaginary and fictional creation - a Raja rebel against English and Dutch colonialists in middle of 19th century, sometime between 1849 to 1889. Mompracem, the island-fortress of Sandokan, is non-existent nowadays. On the map, you can see on that latitude the Labuan island which is north offshore Borneo and east of Brunei Sultanate. Now comes the catch, did ever Salgari in his life was seafarer to those places?

Salgari claims in one of his authorized novels that he was there in 1879-1881 for two years. Tremal Naik hired him from Bombay as captain for one of Sandokan's praho (light ship). Salgari willingly served as pirate, he lived with the Tigres of Mompracem and during one of his raids they caught an English ship. On that ship, there was an Englishwoman (called Eva Stevenson, the would be Marianne) that conceded with the pirates and became Salgari's sweetheart. They further continued to live in action but once were tracked in the jungle. Eva died there of tropical fever, while Captain Salgari escaped and was saved by Portugese merchant ship. So it appears that the author himself was prototype for Yanez de Gomera.

It gets too long a story to continue now. You can check in various sources for synopsis of Sandokan novels. I have read those books in confused order but you can make a hubris for oneself. Good luck ...

How about that mess with H. Rider Haggard's heritage! Ayesha or She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed has been filmed several times and none of them comes true to spirit of the original. "She" (1925) is silent movie with extensive budget but parts of script are missing. "She" (1935) goes as far as the North Pole where Leo/Kallikrates stumble on lost city Kor. "She" (1965) is most popular where Horace and Leo travel to lost city of Kuma. Ayesha dies in the Eternal Fire, while Kallikrates becomes immortal and waits for her reincarnation. There comes "Vengeance of She" (1968) as sequel, where Carol - a modern European girls - is taken over by the spirit of mysterious Ayesha. Finally, "She" (2001) is the latest remake which I couldn't obtain and YouTube has ban on it.

Let's get to the meat now. It appears that Ayesha story is four novels serial written by H. Rider Haggard at different time intervals (1886, 1905, 1921 and 1923). You can check in Wikipedia for synopsis but it is still complicated as Maya calendar. So, stay calm until someone gives you digest or otherwise a one page summary plot. Then if you have patience and compliance, you can stop worry or else you start arguing because its in your character. I know people that hold strong executive positions and still haven't read a book in their life. They are just proxy for authority.

H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925) is the most important English writer of adventure fiction. Unfortunately, his novels are not reissued regularly and maybe because there is lack of demand. For instance, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is English Victorian era author who wrote numerous highly acclaimed novels. I would rather read two novels from H. Rider Haggard than one from Charles Dickens. It's not that he is dull, but he is highly unreadable. In our country Haggard has been translated widely in the past 80-90 years. New titles are coming in translation regularly, but I repeat, original Haggard novels are difficult to obtain.

"She: A History of Adventure" and "Ayesha: The Return of She" have appeared recently in double edition. Preface for two books is combined, where the Editor tells the audience how he received a parcel with manuscript. In the parcel, there is attached letter from executives of Horace Holly and his ward Leo Vincey. The manuscript gives a first-person narrative of Ayesha adventures for 2000 years.

Ayesha was borrowed from Arabic, being traditionally one of Mohammed's wives names. What happened in the plot ... ehh, you can start in 500 B.C. when the frame story begin. A threesome story evolves when the Persian king invades Egypt and three people flee away in hidden kingdom of Kor, in Africa. Those are Ayesha (celibate priestess), Kallikrates the Greek (mercenary employed by the Pharaoh), and Egyptian princess (loves Kallikrates and seeks revenge on Ayesha). The story builds on ...

Oops, wait a minute! I didn't know this Movie, so it comes under number seventeen in my Winnetou Collection - sixteen from 1963 to 1968, plus this one produced 30 years later starring Pierre Brice (1929-2015). Winnetous Rückkehr (1998) was produced by the same staff and shot in same locations as the franchise series from 1960s. Coupled with music by Martin Bottcher it renders fine conclusion to Winnetou legacy, a German trademark. I disregard many of the hilarious remarks that I read about this hero. Most of them are written by Americans and allies that have never had respect for Winnetou, and why should they!

Things go further like that. I have just watched a 45 min. TV documentary about Karl May on YouTube - "Das letzte Raetsel" (2016). It develops the thesis that Karl May was a psychotic personality with multiple identity syndrome. Narrator is a respected psychiatrist from Germany who had long time done research with Shatterhand Estate in Radebeul (near Dresden) where Karl May Archive is located. The Archive tend to embrace the voluminous heritage of the Author, i.e., some 90+ separate "Bands" of titles which consist of novels, short and long stories, travel notes and few autobiography books. Truly Nietzschean type of Superman this guy seemed to have been. Most of the presumptions for disorder personality are based on his photo archive, enlisting several big albums with photography shots thought to be forged. And how about his regular sessions at Vila Shatterhand where he presented personal "I" narratives. He even provided at sight the famous "Henry Carbine" with which he never parted during his adventures.

Whether one believes in that matter, did he or did he not traveled, is problem of personal choice. Karl May did not produced his many friends that he described in his novels. Neither his several wives witnessed. He only produced photographs, many letters and the books he wrote. Many materials have been lost in time and two World Wars. In my country, I have some 40+ volumes "Bands" translated and most of them in the period 1977 to 1997. Then there are older translations before 1950s and some of them severely adapted so that you can get lost. All in all, there is good concordance between original Karl May plot and screenplay of the Winnetou franchise series from 1960s. Worth reading the whole Karl May heritage and I am in process of doing it.

Now, my good American friends, why should we argue about the quality of Karl May legacy. You simply haven't read the Author in a way that you have read James Fenimore Cooper, for instance. Or you don't know that his first writing attempts were Ghost and Mystery stories like Edgar Allan Poe's. But he quit because they were such bad written stuff. Karl May became a real celebrity only when Winnetou appeared in his stories, also Kara Ben Nemsi in Africa and Ottoman Empire, also Dr. Karl Sternau in Mexico - Latin America, and also some other series that haven't appeared in Film (from South Pacific, Siberia, etc.) Enjoy your time ...

Let's try to write this review in style. I do not argue whether "Sons of Great Bear" (1966) by DEFA is great Movie or not. It's first in row from Gojko Mitic's franchise in Indian Films based mostly on writings by Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich. You can check in Wikipedia who that woman is. Despite some inconsistencies, she was true German from a beaten generation after the fall of Third Reich in Germany. I wouldn't buy talks that she was Communist because such was reality in those Cold War times. If you don't put your signature under collaborative statement you wouldn't be allowed to travel abroad. Thus you remain peasant and ignorant, period. I myself lived through those times and never was Communist.

Second thing about the Movie. Since I doubt whether Americans or other English speaking people have watched Gojko Mitic's films and I will reiterate again. Very successful spaghetti western with typical German stamina. The hero is Winnetou type undefeatable macho, imaging the noble but dyeing Indian heathen. In the final scene in battle of honor Tokei-Ihto kills his enemy Red Fox (the white, Fred Clark) then liquidates about 20 adversaries with single pistol and escapes. This is typical Karl May scenario and Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich was his staunch student. The chief Tokei-Ihto or "Stone Horn" is imaginary taken from Indian painting by George Catlin. But other Sioux chiefs like Tashunka Witko (Crazy Horse) and Tatanka Yotanka (Sitting Bull) are real personages. They were massacred in Nebraska during Wounded Knee Incident (1890). Sioux tribe was put in Black Hill reservation and a branch D(L)akota lead by Tokei-Ihto fled to Canada (unreliable sources).

Now let's go to the book trilogy by Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich. I wouldn't even imagine say that this was unworthy effort. She studied history and anthropology for 20 years plus before "Die Sohne der Grossen Barin" appeared in 1951. Courtesy to success of the book she wrote two prequels - "Harka, der Sohn des Hauptlings" (1962) and "Top und Harry" (1963) which treat earlier periods of life for Harka / Tokei-Ihto. But "Sons of Great Bear" is finale and could be read alone. In such order they appeared in Bulgarian, a bulk of 1500 pp. and favorite novels for youths. I am not aware whether this great trilogy, rival to Winnetou adventures, is published in English. Probably not, which is a loss.

See, folks, the Indians from Winnetou and Tokei-Ihto series bear German hearts and if you don't understand the undying German spirit you are in great trouble. I talk this to Nationalists all around the world now-a-day. Don't throw Globalization in the garbage bin. Otherwise, you risk standing in position like Jack Nicholson yelling - "You can't handle the truth" - in Few Good Men. See You ...

There are few things to be said here. This international co-production was meant to rival a Sherlock Holmes franchise - "Sherlock Holmes" (2009) and "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows" (2011) with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. The French Film "Arsene Lupin" (2004) had, however, faster post-production period and appeared first on the big screen. So much so, the arsenal that both protagonist use is almost the same and their literary fathers (Conan Doyle and Maurice LeBlanc) share equal popularity among their fans from the beginning of 20th century, before the Great War (World War I). Albeit, Arsen Lupin always ridiculed his adversary Sherlock Holmes and that resulted in court decision which made Maurice LeBlanc change the name to Herlock Sholmes or Holmlock Shears, an anagram and apparent one.

The problematic stuff overall is whether you have read novels from Maurice LeBlanc or none. If you come from non-French speaking country as I do you have a problem. I watched this titular movie on DVD with French language and English subtitles. Presumingly, no English dubbed copy is available or simply I can't find it. Whatever, the Movie is quite watchable with good action pace and 3D effects. Not like the old versions which are theatrical pieces and quite moody. As to the original Maurice LeBlanc's novels you can catch as catch can. Wikipedia provides scanty resource on Arsen Lupin and his literary author - some biography data with summary plot of few novels. You can't even get idea who the principal characters are.

Let's go to my country and review the translated books that I have used for main source. Most translations are from first half of last century, little bit outdated but re-edited and published with new covers. They look beautiful and handy but I doubt whether anyone reads them at all. Maurice LeBlanc is totally forgotten among the criminal establishment of 21st century. Young readers have seldom heard of Arsen Lupin and his author, or say "yes" because they watched the Movie in 2004. So what to comment, in the treasury throve of book collection one can find a gem of ideas where single sentence matters a lot. For instance, a replica on Bulgaria - "Those people are spies, coming from petty German Kingdom on the Balkans". End of quote.

Finishing lines. Take an "Arsene Lupin Omnibus" published by Wordsworth Editions recently, provided with introduction and notes. Read it carefully and make your judgment on the issue. That's my recipe. Until then, beguile. So, so ...

This Movie has not been available in DVD format, at least I watched it from TV download with the whole seven episodes /6h 36min/. Another Movie, "Shackleton" (2002), which comes as continuation to South Pole Race was also released as TV Mini-Series but not circulating as DVD. Both Films are rare cinematographic achievement, shot in Greenland and the vicinity. No special effects are employed and Polar Nature is shot the way it is - unspoiled but alien and menacing. Temperatures are 50 degree below zero, with blizzards, ice breaking, starvation, disorientation, freezing and death. Compromise is impossible between Polar Glaciers and Man. It's battle for survival at the utmost, watch it.

I read the reviews and I am impressed. The IMDb doesn't give more titles dealing with Polar Exploration and whether there are many documentaries built on the same subject is out of scope for this review. Baseline story follows the narrative from Roland Huntford's book "Last Place On Earth" published 1979, with several revised and updated editions. Shackleton's heroism from the second movie is also beyond doubt. It is not clear whether scenario has used another Roland Huntford story. One thing is clear that for 1914-1916 expedition Ernest Shackleton approached the Antarctica continent via Tiera del Fuego of Latin America and then into the Weddell Sea. Scott and Amundsen, on the other hand, made their access from New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania - proceeding way into Ross Sea and then camping in their bases some hundred miles apart, McMurdo Sound and Whales Bay. Details on the whole race with Scott-Amundsen comparison is available in Wikipedia.

Now let's try to make the long story short. Nobody is guilty that Robert Scott and his party of five perished. Scott knew that Amundsen was brewing something in Madeira. He had talked to Nansen, who told him that Amundsen had borrowed his ship "Fram" and intended to attack the Poles. When Scott learned that a rival expedition had come along he lost his nerves. Following events could be traced step-by-step and still the winner is unequivocal. Strongman Amundsen won the race by four weeks. His outward track was safe and he made it to Tasmania. Scott conquered the South Pole but couldn't make it homeward. He and his crew died ice-locked in a tent eleven miles from the nearest depot.

Amundsen was the best explorer from late Age of Discoveries. He represents the ideal Nordic type - a real Viking of Modern Times. Some thought Amundsen was crazy enough to do all these exploits. Look at his biography in the forthcoming 20 years. He first went through the NW passage (1903-1906). He made west-east transit of NE passage with new ship "Maud" where he adopted two Chukchi girls then dismissed them (1918-1920). He reached the North Pole again with airship "Norge", a dirigible constructed by Italian Umberto Nobile (1926). Last, two years later, at age 56 he dashed forward to save his friend Nobile who crashed over the pole with "Norge". Mussolini didn't wanted him to make the rescue flight but Amundsen took a French seaplane for private mission and perished in sky. Nobile and the castaways were saved by Russian ice-breaker "Krasin". Well, that's it ...

I feel "macho" enough to write about Tolkien and his LOTR trilogy. Doing this is for personal complacency, call it "hobby" if you wish. I am not member of any "Lord of the Rings" fan club or other kind of association. It's just a whimzy now and could as well have been another topic such as Martial Arts Film or Bruce Lee Story. So I will try to express myself in shortest possible way such as not to annoy anyone and probably if I repeat someone just have my excuses. Most important, I haven't read the baseline book which in it's academic edition comprises 1300 pages with 134 pages of appendices - including maps, lists of kings, genealogical carts, calendars, alphabets, linguistic notes and historical outline of imaginary Second and Third Ages of Middle Earth covering 6463 years.

So didn't Ian McKellen (Gandalf), who read everything about Tolkien and Middle Earth after he received the principal role. Gandalf is chief advocate and champion of good forces fighting the evil one. He is wizard coming from Far West /i.e., Island of Valinor/ and is messenger sent to contest the power of Evil One (Sauron). The antagonist here is played by actor Christopher Lee, who is long time Master of Macabre, and has been personally acquainted to Sir J. R. R. Tolkien. He has read the book repeatedly for many years before getting the role. Things like that.

I checked in my library for the Bulgarian edition of LOTR. It was first translated in abridged three volumes /1990-1991/ and then by 1999 appeared the full academic edition with appendices. Translation was done by Lyubomir Nikolov. You can check for more in Wikipedia. See, I am Medical Doctor by profession and has never translated a book in my life. I was rather lazy student in the 1980s and used to eavesdrop at foreign embassies, particularly the American Embassy. On the Bulgarian side there was a Sci-fi Association at those times which issued a bi-monthly newspaper called "ABV" /transcribed in Cyrillic/. There was also a colorful library "Galactica" that issued in consecutive numbers most popular sci-fi and fantasy books by local and foreign authors. But the level of debate was low and no popular trend for Sci-fi and Fantasy was established in this country.

It may take a long time reviewing the international literature on Tolkien and his legacy. Christopher Tolkien /b. 1924/ edited and re-edited the numerous manuscripts left unpublished by his father. On the other hand, I have in my personal library more than dozen good references on LOTR. Trying to read them all is impossible in short time period. Maybe the beginner on Tolkien should read Lin Carter's "Tolkien: A Look Behind Lord of the Rings" for good introduction to Epic Fantasy Literature. Good Luck ...

I remember watching this TV serial in the late 1970s. Explicitly, it was outstanding because it relayed adventures in far away countries yet it's heroes were of Slav nationality. The Slav civilization has always been dominated by the Russian Empire, the way it hold sway under Romanov Dynasty. Other nationalities were less important and thus appeared the myth of oppressed Central Europe. Oppressed by whom? Most notably, these were the powers of "European Concert" - i.e., Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia designated as Empires that ruled right till the end of World War I. Turkey, or Ottoman Empire could also be attributed to this list.

This is history in short upon which had developed events in "Vivat, Benyovszky" (1975), where Count Móric de Benyovszky /1746-1786/ is real time adventurer and explorer of distant lands. The Age of Geographic Discoveries materialized new continents and some new cultural entities that bewildered the scholastic European mind of Middle Ages. Those were times where Church and Kingship were omnipotent. Nationalism was thought as sign of rebellion and thus appeared patriots that fought for independence and sovereignty. The processes in Central Europe or "Mitteleuropa" were identical to those in United States of America, who made their "Declaration of Independence" in 1776 against the forces of British Empire. I reckon this clarify the red line of the Movie under comment.

Let me try to shortly debrief the contents of the Film. I will ostensibly imply that it's running plot is somewhat different from the sketch about Móric de Benyovszky in Wikipedia. The nobleman from Slovak-Hungarian-Polish extraction is Hussar from the Habsburg army during the reign of Empress Maria Theresia. He is accused of association with Polish nobles (Szlachta) against Russian occupation of Polish lands. He is arrested by Russian authorities and sent to exile in Siberia - the colony of Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka. There he manages to organize a bounty, catches a Russian corvette and sails away from the Arctic territories. He reaches Madagascar and gets employed as French Lieutenant. There he gets involved in a local skirmish, where two French soldiers rape and kill the Malgashi chief's son and his fiancée. Benyovszky delivers the two perpetrators to Malagasy tribe where an old chief adopts him for his lost son and summons him to become ruler. Benyovszky accepts and starts negotiating with the French but is killed as reprisal. The Film ends with the Malgashi attacking and killing the French colonists.

This is not a tell-tale story but real man adventure. I could easily compare it with Henri Charrière's Papillon story made as Movie. The recent YouTube release of "Vivat, Benyovszky" (1975) in it's total seven episodes is welcome. I don't own a copy of this Movie in DVD. At YouTube I watched it with Slovak soundtrack and though my knowledge of this language is limited I still enjoyed it. The musical score is very good and haunting. There is something that I noticed now. The Film has scenes shot right there on spot in Madagascar. The local people provided supporting staff but obviously some of the Malgashi leaders had to speak Slovak for their roles and those were Czech artists heavily smeared with tar to look black. Funny, isn't it. Enjoy ...

Here is a story I want to tell. Yesterday, a friend of mine vouched that nobody could write a better piracy story than Stevenson's "Treasure Island" - tale of buccaneers and buried gold originally published in 1883. Nope, I replied, I have something at hand that is equally intriguing as plot but remained obscure since publishing date in 1972. You can Google it as "Veseliiat rodzhŭr" but full text is not available online. Plus, it is not written by neither Rafael Sabatini nor Emilio Salgari, etc. that are pioneer storytellers of pirate stories. Author is Georgi Dobrentov and here is resume of plot which I will divide in several subplots for more appropriate understanding.

Subplot, part I - It's year 1683, sometime after Restoration, Charles II is reigning. Sir John Richmond, a hereditary aristocrat, is getting married to Lady Jane Crossword. They are going on wedding trip to Le Havre, France. Their small brigantine is shipwrecked near the coast of Spain where they are attacked by Barbary Coast Pirates. The barbarian leader is called Ali ben Jusef ibn Saada or "GreenEye Beast", but this Muslim proves gentleman and didn't kill the crew while only Lady Jane elopes with him under name "Fatima".

Subplot, part II - Sir John manages to sail back to Portsmouth, South England, on his dilapidated ship but is furious on his wife's adultery. Since he is very rich, he seek vengeance by means of becoming pirate himself. He gets charter by Charles II which gives him right to liberate criminals from Newgate Prison. He engages 300 person by ransom and boards them on three-masted heavy frigate, a vessel specially built for him. His new crew is detached of scoundrels but that's the only way retribution can come. Names here are Don Pedro Quickdeath, Linden Hallelujah, Richard Artichoke and Black Mike. The first three are faithful to their Master, but commander Black Mike is traitor who works for notorious Caribbean Pirate Dick Dack (aleas Richard Misfit).

Subplot, part III - Under Jolly Roger flag, Sir John Bloodthirsty hunts for his adulterous wife. Meanwhile, Muslim pirate Ibn Saada is ambushed first by Dick Dack and then overwhelmed by Sir John and his crew. Before dying Ibn Saada tells him that Lady Jane "Fatima" had further eloped with a Dutchman. When the latter is caught, she is already with a French, then with a Swedish and finally with a Spanish noble that makes the protagonist crisscross the Seven Seas. At last, the Sea Hike has trailed to a desert island in the Caribbean where Pirate Dick Dack has lounged his settlement. The guy alludes to revenge against Sir John and his progenitors because the latter's grandfather had blinded his one eye while Richard Misfit had been working as alchemist at Court. So far, everyone gets ashore where looking for treasures the island explodes into the air and that's it.

Epilogue - Some of the Pirates survive the Alchemist plot and live till old age (Pedro Quickdeath, Linden Hallelujah, Richard Artichoke). Lady Jane is seen last with her lover Black Mike and then with a common sailor. Sir John changes his secular name to Saint Augustine and lives till 80 years of age. Now, if you liked my story I will be perfectly glad. And don't forget "Treasure Island" (1990) with Charlton Heston. Watch it!

Since my family clan has Lore for Piracy, I feel obliged to write this review ... Ha-ha-ha, you got this - it's a joke! My family name is so awkward that wherever I go, they asked me whether I'm a Barbarian or maybe coming from Barbary Coast. Funny thing I didn't changed it for Anglo-Saxon and retained my Armenian denomination. Otherwise, "Pirates of the Caribbean" (2003) is a swell movie but nothing special within the "Swashbuckler" genre. I repeat "Swashbuckler" here, because if we make search with a topical word and we get avalanche of information. Predominantly, from Wikipedia and other sources you get idea for sword and chivalry adventure where an archetype is difficult to choose out of multitude of heroes, from various lands and different historical ages.

Now, where are we - Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew. I presume every kid is aware that this is fantasy movie, not based on real persons or events. It gathers the fame of another Indiana Jones franchise; albeit, Archeology here is substituted with Piracy but no specific location or time is pin-pointed. Seemingly, this was originally a Video Game that was adapted for Big Screen. And since I don't want to look stupid (I am too old for Video Games or any other Sport), let me proceed thus. Johnny Depp cashed this Movie marvelously. He is exactly my age but looks some 10-15 years younger. He retained his acrobatic physical shape that we remember as early as "Benny and Joon" (1993). I wish him luck. So much so for the other cast and director Gore Verbinski.

I want to comment something on Piracy Lore. That task came not to be so easy. Else, there are lot of facts in Internet but you don't have gold on tip of your tongue. As mentioned, I have huge library but things are scattered here and there. Most of my knowledge came from fiction literature - a genre known as adventure novel. Those marvelous assets in my library were gathered carefully and painstakingly, some 40 years from time. Many of those people in Antiquary Business which I collaborated with are now dead or mentally dysfunctional. But their ancestors continued the Job willy-nilly: here a book nicely illustrated, there a cover with colorful picture. We didn't have computers nor graphic design was available. We were self-made men, product of Technology Age that was at brink of Revolution. You don't have to be President to realize this. Plus, young lions were always around ready to devour, ain't they!

Yet, I didn't get to my point and never will. Piracy is Neverland, heroes are like Peter Pan never growing old and living in their dream. Neverland is fantasy world seldom explored. Read the novels from Scottish writer J. M. Barrie and you will find Neverland. It is a world more fantastic than Alice's Wonderland. Have lot of fun ...

P.S. If you want more, you can get access at http://www.roman-daventures.com/. This site is dealing with miscellany of Adventure Novels and their Authors. Sorry, it is in French.

This Film ranks high in Suspense Movies List. It's too sophisticated to understand by Easy Movie goers. It's shot in France, Italy and England - so, it preserves some charm for this part of Europe for times past and long gone. It is, by the way, pure European thriller with local cast and directed by Austrian Fred Zinnemann (1907–1997) who made score of Films for Hollywood studios. Maybe I won't get credit but it resembles a Hitchcock movie by the intricacy of plot and evolving of drama, narrated in documentary style.

The gem of performance is Edward Fox as hired assassin "Jackal". This is anagram for name coming from (Cha)rles (Cal)trop. The Jackal uses forged identity by falsifying birth certificate of dead person (Paul Duggan) and stealing two other passports. He then kills 5-6 people on his way to the Paris Plaza where he misses President De Gaulle by inch and get eliminated by Commissar Lebel (Michael Lonsdale). Two women participate in the Movie - Delphine Seyrig as middle-aged Frenchwoman who is killed after an affair with the Jackal; plus, Olga Georges-Picot as Denise (his link to Algerian terrorists that pay half million dollars for targeting the President). All is based on true story documented by Frederick Forsyth and written as a novel.

I proceed to reminiscences of today, which is 40 years from time. Today, my friends, such a Movie is impossible to procure or even protocol. We live in a World where everything is being watched, filmed, listened to, recorded, tracked, entered on databases and put on lists. Targeted are government and private agencies, big business and ordinary fellows, fraudsters and organized crime. The World is daunting array of electronic gear ... This is citation from book on "Total Surveillance", published by Piatkus in 2000 (author is not mentioned for discretion).

I ask, subsequently, the following question - should people like Julian Assange and Edward Snowden be perceived as villains for publishing secret American documents. After all, their starting point was ECHELON system for intelligence gathering - based on signal interception by radomes (those giant golf balls on Earth landscape). I recede now ...

I read the reviews for this Movie carefully ... very carefully. Since this is the only historical Film made for the Balkans and whole Eastern Europe regarding Ottoman invasion in Europe - i.e., "Time of Violence" (1988) deserves consideration. See, dude, I don't get paid for writing this stuff and could as well have abstained from opinion. But we don't want Third World War with Islam now in the 21st century, don't we!

Besides that bullshit called Brexit in the United Kingdom have shaken everyone deeply. On both sides of Atlantic Ocean NATO doesn't seem to be enough guarantee for world piece. After all, Islamic Turkey is within the military bloc and this country is the primer treat for Western Civilization.

Second, Soviet Union or Russia is without the NATO machinery which poses the question which Christian forces would fight the Turks - symbolically or not, Russia as Slavic State didn't existed when Ottomans invaded the Balkans and Eastern Europe in 15th-16th century. Furthermore, Communist Russia doesn't exist anymore. It is dormant, they say, because former Communists became militant Islamist and now they threaten world piece. Strange logic!

I am not Incarnation of Devil and I read the Bible. Unfortunately, I read the Koran also and think that "God Almighty" is relic from the past. That doesn't mean that Church shouldn't exist, we shouldn't pay alimony to Popes or Monarchy should be abolished. Things like that only lead to more Chaos and ultimately to War. Let the Globalization proceed smoothly and gradually. We'll see whether man evolved evolutionary from Ape or is God's creation capable of Jihad!

The Movie itself is mild cinematography achievement. The Socialist Cinema from late 1980s was pale product compared to Western and American Cinema. For instance, "America, America" (1963) by Elia Kazan and "Mayrig" (1991) by Henri Verneuil depict the avaricious Turk in better and realistic way. Get rid of here ...

P.S. Whether the plot in "Time of Violence" (1988) is fact or fiction becomes an obsolete question. There is enough written literature that indicate who the Turks are - they are Asiatics that came in Europe by means of their fanatic religion Islam. They were well armed and had good military leaders (most of them converted Christians). Everything else is matter of Psychology not Valiance.

Well, let me put it this way - there is still no good movie on British Colonial History in Africa. "Zulu Dawn" (1979) is just a small episode from the British lore in (South) Africa. The Zulu Nation got the prestige as the most warlike African tribe, more so from the novels of Rider H. Haggard than from some documentary or other objective historical account. I see that far away corner of the world as off shot from European history rather than anything else. My childhood imagination and my mind were also irreversibly influenced by the Tarzan stories - for me, as a child, those were the only true criteria for the unrivaled flora and fauna of Africa, everything you want!

How do we get more for the Cinema and Our Civilization from the Black Continent. That's an essential question. Wilbur Smith - God bless him for his talent - has been a wellspring for information on modern South Africa, both historical fiction and international involvement. From the Wikipedia source I will enumerate the Filmography based on Smith's novels: Dark of the Sun (1968), Gold (1974), Shout at the Devil (1976), Covert Assassin (1994), Diamond Hunters (2001). There are more plots from the Author for which I am not aware. You can put here easily the classic "Khartoum" (1966) about defeat of British General Gordon in Sudan against an invading Muslim army led by a religious fanatic, the Mahdi. "Four Feathers" (1939) and (2002) is about the same historical episode. That's all about Africa, take or leave stories such as "Out of Africa" (1985), "Blood Diamond" (2006), etc.

I again come back to the Zulu Wars theme. You can't abstain from South African history, neither being European or American or Cosmopolitan. I have been there on a journey some 15 years ago. It's a bizarre landscape with some 6-7 million Whites and 35 million Blacks/Colored. Until lately this was country of Apartheid - Blacks were not allowed to vote. They were not allowed to have sexual relations with Whites, also. The African National Congress was a former Communist Party banned in the 1960s. It's leader Nelson Mandela was released in 1990s when the system was reversed. The Boers are the strangest ethnic enclave in the world - they are "Afrikaans" from the reformed Dutch Church and Dutch Language. Their total xenophobia helped them create and preserve the South African Republic from middle of 19th century. Thence the Boer Wars 1899-1902 and thence the Union of South Africa from 1910. Enjoy It!

P.S. South Africa is the cradle of humankind, believe it or not. The oldest remains from Hominids are found there some 2-3 million years old. What is more disturbing for the precarious European Ego is that there are also Rock Painting, some as old as 30 000 years, which is indication for continuous Human Evolution older than the Lascaux Caves in France ...

Let me try to systematize this matter on one-to-one basis. The film "Untouchables" (1987) is based on true story. Unlike Mario Puzo's "Godfather" saga which is fictional but alas paragon for gangster history - i.e., here the only true fact is the village Corleone, 35 km from Palermo then, and now suburb of that city in Sicily. On the contrary, the life and times of Al Capone as "notorious figure" in American society from the first half of 20th century has become somewhat blurred. I have watched at least 10 Capone's movies and most of them are hilarious. Conversely, "Untouchables" (1987) keeps value with time.

Starting with David Mamet's brilliant script, suggested by book from Eliot Ness. The latter is real time figure though not highly instrumental in the conviction case against Capone. His profile from Wikipedia reveals a honest FBI official who wouldn't accept "1,000 $ notes on his desk every Monday morning if he turned a blind eye to bootlegging activities ..." Essentially, it was President Herbert Hoover who monitored Capone's trial through Judge James H. Wilkerson and U.S. Attorney George E. Q. Johnson (those are photos from Library of Congress recently published in book format). Capone is flanked by his two lawyers but at end he defended himself alone, carrying law books at the courthouse and knowing things not going well for him. Famous trial was that 1931 case.

On aggregate Al Capone seemed victimized but he was product of the Great Depression. The biggest criminal of America also endorsed election for Chicago's Mayor Bill Thompson in 1927 and organized free soup kitchens in town. He was a huge Sports Fan and attended horse races on regular basis. He was married to Mae Coughlin, deeply religious Catholic, and have one son - Albert Francis "Sonny" Capone. He did have two scars visible on his left cheek, etc.

I wish to tell further the story of organized crime in America but it would take lot of time. Fragmentary periodization outline three main periods:

1/ Outlaws and Bandits after the Civil War. Those work on "the Quick and the Dead" rule being rather marauders and looters. Most died chased from posse or by Pinkerton detectives;

2/ Organized Crime as Strictly Business. This evolved after Great War, mostly ruled by second generation immigrants Italian, Irish and Jewish. Their legacy is infamous and they jacked America as top destination for crime;

3/ After World War II came the Mafia, the Cold War and then the Jihad. This is the story where crime and politics go hand-in-hand right into the 21st century ...

Michael Cimino's gigantic new western and his first film since the Oscar-winning "Deer Hunter", is apparently based on a historical incident that occurred in Johnson County, Wyoming in 1890: with the tacit approval of the state government, the county's wealthy cattle barons banded together in a systematic attempt to murder more than 100 German, Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian settlers who were encroaching on their lands. If one can say nothing else on behalf of "Heaven's Gate", it's probably the first western to celebrate the role played by central and eastern Europeans in the settlement of the American West ...

This excerpt above is on behalf the Criterion Collection Edition of "Heaven's Gate" (found in the Internet). Michael Cimino made 10 movies from 1974 to 1996. All of them are Good. He ain't directing or producing anymore. Certainly, he is most under-appreciated. But I would like to expand on the main theme of the Movie - the way it's reviewed above, as tacit war of State Government vs. Band of Eastern European Settlers. Before I get to the point it's useful to remind that Cimino target the Eastern Europeans in America for second time. In "Deer Hunter" (1978), the trio American soldiers in Vietnam are of Russian Orthodox origin. Maybe that was intentional since it was the height of Cold War.

On "Heaven's Gate", the Movie. I have watched it several times in the last three decades, never undistracted and alone. Until recently I couldn't even catch the plot. Thanks to Internet I read on-line that it's about the Johnson County War (historical event that have several Big Screen interpretations). Lastly, when I browsed the Movie on the computer I heard the settlers speak Russian and other Slav languages on their gatherings. Thus I made a connection that lead to this review. And truly speaking, several Cimino's films have peculiar ethnography - e.g., consider "Year of the Dragon" with China Town plot; "Sicilian" about Partisan Wars in Italy, etc.

Talking of Ethnography and I want to say few words. How American Nation was formed? It's a principal question yet lot of historical matter is involved. Seemingly, the three colonial powers that ruled at different times is not an adequate explanation - Britain, Spain and France hardly give half the Heritage of this vast country. The traditional view should be shattered by many other contributors - Jews (before settlement in Palestine); Germans (before World Wars); Irish and Italians (all the time); People from the Pale (that is, Central and Eastern Europeans), etc. Colored people were there all the time, but that's another story. Muslim ethnos was not evident in American History until that has become fact in the past, say, 50 years. Thank you!

I own the Blu-ray version of this movie and watched it some time ago but can't find it right now. It's somewhere in the closet and I write this review by memory. I don't remember what director Oliver Stone said in his commentary; actor Charlie Sheen made his great debut with "Platoon" (1986) but I don't remember whether he had a featurette in the Blu-ray disk. Hence young generation now-a-days are not prompt to watch Blu-ray, they have everything on-line. Valuable detail from IMDb - the Film was shot at locations in Luzon, Philippines. It's all Jungle there, after all!

Have other things. Me and Charlie Sheen are one and the same age. I know the spirit of 1980s and although I made first step in U.S.A. at year 1990, I can declare that we lived "happy as pigs in those times" /citation not mine/. I have to confess that I didn't stay and came back home, but my brother have a breed in America and my nephew is an American. Those young people have to know, but unfortunately I can't speak to Sam very often.

The Vietnamese population are Buddhist by religion. Almost 90% of those are dumb found. They didn't understood that War Inc. was imposed on them by Great Powers. Soviet Union and Communist China did well in Vietnam, they dragged the Americans for whole 10 years and bleeded them 50 000 troopers. More were lost as P.O.W. and no one can figure the exact number. Total deployment of U.S.A. and Allies were 500 000 soldiers. My personal opinion is that drafting procedure was a total shame - what do you mean by every odd number in Birth Certificate becoming a conscript. Else, many people doved.

A share in documentary literature are the, so called, "Pentagon Papers" on United States Vietnam Relations 1945-1967. Issued by U.S. Department of Defense, commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. Those "Pentagon Papers" became a banned book since revealing Congressional Records. Things like that. Enjoy it!

I have some reminiscences about China and Chinese, but let's first talk about the film. I browsed a long list of some 100 movies on this topic and decided to choose 3 titles - merited because are produced and directed by American European staff, shot on location in China and based historically on true stories. That makes a difficult combination, especially having in mind how little do we, white people, know about Chinese National Psychology during 3000 years of China history and culture. So have the list:

1. Empire of the Sun (1987) - about a lost English boy in Japanese occupied Shanghai during WW II;

2. 55 Days at Peking (1963) - about the Boxer rebellion in 1900. Earliest big budget Hollywood movie shot in China, I presume;

3. Last Emperor (1987) - about the end of Manchu Dynasty in China and ensuing National Democratic Revolution. I guess, film 1 & film 3 were intentionally produced in one and same year to counterpoise directors Spielberg versus Bertolucci.

Seemingly, Chinese cinema devoid of it's martial arts status subsequently lacks much artistic value. Or at least this is my opinion as non-Muslim, non-Communist white spectator. For instance, John Lone and Joan Chen may look different in perspective of the Asiatics because of peculiar outlook (eyes are not slanted and skulls do not protrude) but nevertheless they remain Chinese if estimated by European and American referees. So Yellow Race does exist in the looking glass - how old and culturally viable is matter of United Nations to debate. Period.

I am not an "old cock hanging on its dungs" (anonymous citation). Most of the white people seldom had contacts with Asiatic races, per se. Here in the Balkan countries of Eastern Europe we have few representatives of the Far East. Unlike former Soviet Union, which is Slavic and Orthodox like us, most East Europeans are not acquainted with Asiatic mentality. We have long traditions with dealing the Muslim population of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan). They are good Muslims, with Asiatic faces and no Jihadist inclinations, whatsoever. Thank You!

I have been trying to emulate for some time Alexander Solzhenitsyn and his documentary "Gulag Archipelago". But firstly let me say few words about "Gulag" (1985), based on the reviews from IMDb. The film was obviously shot in Norway and I as a referent from former Socialist Eastern Europe had grasp of it only recently. This movie was even more censored than "Caligula" with the same actor (British star Malcolm McDowell) which was pure pornography. Unlike Erotic Cinema and being it's little sister, Underground Cinema and Political Art are fake. Not many Directors and Actors dare reveal the whole truth and only the truth.

This movie is an attempt to be as much convincing as "Midnight Express" (1978) - which is about an Englishman trying to escape from Turkish Prison System. While America and it's West Europe partners have been favoring Turkey's membership in NATO for very long time, it is nowadays that the system backfire. See, there is a new Soviet Union that now encompass Russia, Turkey and their satellites. Consider what would happen if those New Soviets (never mind whether Communist or Islamist) get hold of modern warfare technology blueprints. Enough is enough.

Secondly, about that man Solzhenitsyn and his secret dossier with both KGB and FBI. Obviously, he was another loud mouth and both double and triple agent. Consider his troubled life both in the Soviet Union and as exile in Vermont, USA. He looks like a semi-deranged hermit and never appears in public unless specifically prearranged. His "questions-and-answers" interviews are structured beforehand and even after several corrected proofs are difficult to read. Solzhenitsyn never learned proper English and always used translators. Thus, a book titled "Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956" appeared for the Western public in the period 1973-1978. Personally, I don't know how many people both from Russia and abroad contributed for this book. The number of upliftings is considerable and catharsis is enormous. But tribute goes to Alexander Solzhenitsyn!

Get more insights for modern barbed wire and forced labor from the bestsellers of Hedrick Smith - "Russians" (1976) and "New Russians" (1991). They are indispensable. Enjoy it!

Since stakes are high and beef is already on the table, I will try to relay brief. I browsed the IMDb and then browsed the Wikipedia source, so it seems there to be good concordance between hush admiration and secret appraisal of raw facts. But my point lies elsewhere: while not being resident American, I have been there some 20 years ago as exchange student in the California desert (much similar to New Mexico where the plot of the Film develops). Then I had a driving license and made some traveling. Subsequently, I flunked my studies and get engaged in other things. No interconnection with the review!

Now let me get to the point. I rate this Movie highest as a Western genre and since Hollywood was made by Patent based on Westerns and less so on Workers cinema (as some critiques try to imply). I feel sorry for Charlie Chaplin, though he is great actor, he really is not my type. I as a kid was fascinated firstly by Westerns and this Film was my favorite. Maybe it should share with "Magnificent Seven" (1960) but gold is here, anyway.

What else to say? I looked here and there, and found a small book in my library - Bill Yenne's "Lost Treasures Guide". A whole chapter is devoted to the Lost Adams Diggings and the material is presented slightly different. Bill Yenne describes himself as gold prospector in the first place and then as Carlos Castaneda fan. Courtesy of the author and I want to comment on his presentation. Obviously, Will Henry's novel is cold turkey if not for the Movie release or because of it. Then some of the Mexican terminology I didn't met in Wikipedia - canyon is "bien escondido" (well hidden), mountain tops are "El Morro Messa" (now National Monument), wagon trail is "el malpais" (leading to the fort), Sno-ta-hay is Z shaped (in Chiricahua Apaches language), Chief Nana and company are berserkers, etc. More indulgence to anyone who could consult the sources.

To be more precise, I have some knowledge of anthropology (have studied Anatomy). By and large the Apache Indians and many other tribal entities are depicted in Cinema since at least from the 1900s. The overwhelming impression is their stupid Mongoloid faces. Let us be more tolerant, per se. They were savages but not so much. Latest genetic research reveals three main linkage types - Pima, Maya and Columbia. The Pima type were tallest and propagated along the Pacific shores down to Patagonia. The Columbia type were firstly met by Columbus, short and stocky but cannibalistic, along the Caribbean zone and inland. The Maya type were most civilized.

I finish here with some general remarks on the Movie credits. The cast is brilliant, most of the male staff is dead (Omar Sharif died recently but he is talent one in hundred years). The female staff is less credible. I rate them in following order - 1. Julie Newmar as Hesh-Ke (Indian woman with scar face); 2. Shelley Morrison as Pima Squaw (Indian woman that is drunk and bailed to Cavalry); 3. Camilla Sparv as Inga (dead judge's daughter and somewhat celluloid on screen). Thank you!

This is the Big Film of Bulgarian Cinema. Unfortunately, I didn't see it referenced in the filmography of Robert Holloway's "Bulgarian Cinema" - which is the only book I have witnessed in English language that narrates the story of cinema art in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe (not Kung Fu East).

I will try to remember the plot of this Movie by the faculties of my mind, since I haven't watched it from my childhood years and now-a-day spending time for such scrutiny is obsolete. This TV serial was made in two installments (1969 and 1971) with each film having 12 episodes, 45 min each. The whole saga takes some 50 years to evolve - from the anti-fascist uprising in 1923 to the mid-1970s. Pictures are taken in several socialist countries (then) and Bulgaria; plus, there are several episodes shot abroad in Paris, London, etc. mainly from the second film. The film evolves as personal vendetta between Nikola "Sergei" Deyanov (communist, whose father is killed during the uprising by barge drowning) and Bogdan Velinski (cop and police inspector, who is personally responsible for the execution of the protagonist's father).

Let me make a stop here and say that the Soviets during that historical period were leading world power. They were supposed to have developed an A-bomb, have sent cosmonauts via rockets in Space and naturally have big budget cinema. These are all balloones and life haven't changed a bit since "Ninotchka" (1939) with Greta Garbo. But at that time We (young and adults together from the Socialist Bloc) were prone to believe that things are different. No one disputed that the Russians think big and that their performance is best. Certainly, the Soviet serial "Seventeen Moments of Spring" (1973) with Vyacheslav Tikhonov was thought to be better spy thriller. That is also misnomer. Everything the Russians have is taken and modified with least originality - language, culture, religion, etc. mainly from East Europe and less so from Western Civilization.

No indulgence to the Bulgarians, whatsoever. Further on the actor's play. Stefan Danailov playing as Major Deyanov made a cult character. He was the Bulgarian Alain Delon. The Borsalino type hero of Sergei has remained unforgettable for people of my generation - the melody of the film, the partisan fights and skirmishes with the fascists, the spymaster and double agent from the second film, etc. This is a Legacy. As to the negative role of Inspector Velinski (Georgi Cherkelov), I may observe the following. Take for instance a psychological actor such as George C. Scott. Brilliant stage work which is precise to the utmost detail. I remember particularly his mannerism with dices - every time he has to take a decision, he throws his dices. So much so!

I dedicate this review to my Uncle K. killed by the communists in the 1950s. Rest in peace!

Umberto Eco (1932 – 2016) has been always difficult to handle. More so after he is already dead and have left a solid legacy. "Name of the Rose" (1986), both the novel and the film, have inspired considerable acclaim now in its 30th anniversary. Perhaps the movie guild should make an effort to prepare a new critical edition since the last release from 2004 on DVD and Blu-ray, which is good but outdated.

I thought some time before writing these lines. It says in the introductory cadres of the film - a Palimpsest on Umberto Eco's Novel! Definition from Gerard Genette (1982) - "Palimpsest examines the manifold relationships a text may have with prior texts ... In this regard it treats the history and nature of parody, anti-novels, pastiches, caricatures, commentary, allusions, imitations and other textual relations". Wikipedia can provide further extension on this definition. This is in essence literature in the second degree!

Then came the pressure of semiotics - What is it all about? I have a huge library, some 10 000 volumes that I have purchased with my pocket money for many years on a row. My selection here is with David Crystal (editor) "Encyclopedia of Language", where unfortunately Umberto Eco is not included as semiotician. By-and-large starting with Charles Peirce and Ferdinand de Saussure, we get here an updated scheme on Semiotics where subject matter is three-some or five-some:

1. Auditory or vocal language with speech, musical effects, vocal cord physiology, etc;

2. Body language or non-verbal communication with A/ Visual mode with signs and symbols, writing, kinesics; B/ Tactile mode for deaf and blind with codes, proxemics, etc;

3. Olfactory and gustatory signals which is bio-semiotics and predominantly models communication in the animal kingdom.

I hope that my reflections haven't hurt anyone, not least the estate of the author himself. My humble origins doesn't give me a single chance to become celebrity like Umberto Eco. I live in the fringes of Europe and my home town Sofia - although having perfect record of European residence - have been overshadowed by Turkish and Soviet populace. I don't see much future in those places and much less opportunities for science and film industry. However, future is with the young generation and people like me live on minimal retirement pension, with reflections on the past. Thank you!

Now, kill me if I can remember anything in particular about this movie. Beside the fact that it was 3 hours long and I spilled tones of tears during that time. No other film had made me cry so much for no reason at all. There is some hidden sentimentality in human species that makes him cry - most often some sad event of Bereavement - but in cinema there are instances unexplained. So it was the soundtrack of this Bollywood movie that has remained unchallenged hit for all times in Hindu cinema.

My personal memories from 40 years ago reveal the phenomenon of full cinema saloons with standing people interspersed between rows. Most were Gypsies of various age. That doesn't mean that Bulgaria (that's me) as a full member of European Union is Gypsy state. Most of them are of mixed origins, some of them cohabit with the Turks minority and at least half of that vagrant population is Christian. It's a matter of cultural adaptation and educational policy.

I see from the release info that "Haathi Mere Saathi" (1971) was projected only in Portugal and Bulgaria. Gosh, why don't you see it in America as well. Hundred percent guarantee that the end scene where elephant is being shot in the eye would heal your heart. Actors / actresses are beautiful by any standard and cars are fashionable. Thank you!

O.K. Let me try to gather myself. I may be getting old and drowsy in front of the computer but the case of Captain Mayne Reid and his lifetime shouldn't be forgotten for the generations to come. How is it possible that one Karl May is recognized by whole Germany as a national hero, while similarly outspoken and convincing novelist Mayne Reid (1818 – 1883) is totally forgotten. For instance, he should have been twice celebrity in both Ireland (an inborn country) and Texas (where his most popular novels evolve). Nope, I didn't find his name referenced neither in Irish or Texan literature. What a shame!

Further extrapolate my ideas on Mayne Reid. The small notice in Wikipedia is taken from Encyclopedia Britannica and is completely inadequate. It contains spoiler for "Headless Horseman" novel (and film) because most tantalizing end episodes are missing where bullet with name of the killer (Cassius Calhoun) are found in the beheaded corpse strapped to saddle. I will refrain from further comments to my Russian friends. The movie was beautifully shot in Cuba yet someone would admit that it could have been made in America. The Russians didn't produce much worthwhile cinema for 50 years period; though, this movie should be remembered and have to be released on video. Also, the Russians deserve tribute for translating the whole heritage of Captain Mayne Reid (in 20 volumes) with beautiful illustrations. It is from the old Russian translation (Tsar's Russia) that we have here the information on the author at hand. Period!

Let me continue a bit more. I Googled extensively on the Net and finally found something authentic on the issue - "Memoir of his Life" by Elizabeth Reid (n.d.) Here anyone can read the biography of the author, many useful details and extras. I will dare a single contention on one of his most intriguingly written novels, the "White Gauntlett" (1863). This is a historical romance of the time of Charles the First, when Catholics and Protestants wars were waged in Europe of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. While neither better nor worse than the novels by Walter Scott, the former is crowned as patriarch of English adventure novel while Mayne Reid is nobody.

I will finish the privilege to write on the author. Common error to any plot or scenario for good movie (or novel much the same) is lack of geographical location. Thus very seldom novels and some of the movies give maps for the exact whereabouts of the narrative. Specifically for Westerns treating the frontier life in early American Republic, the field is blank area in my opinion. I reckon most of the stories developed along the great American rivers and then came the American caravan trails. So long!

I feel obliged to share my thoughts about the Musketeer d'Artagnian - the way they are in the mind of someone in his mid-fifties. Nowadays, adolescents doesn't read books as much as we did as kids. We had also bicycle (various models), sarbacanes (blowgun with paper darts), marble or glass balls for playing the Triangle (I don't know the name of that game in English), etc. So, how about my having read the book "Three Musketeers" and its sequels at age 10-13 and being totally fascinated. I didn't know French history and going to the movies was expensive though greatest entertainment at that time. Television was dull, parentage was boring and life was just taking a start.

So, I didn't watch this film exactly in 1973 but some ten years later on video. My first encounter with the Musketeers was in "Le Masque de Fer" (1962) with Jean Marais, which doesn't feature the rest of the Musketeers but is swell. French cinema was making great adaptations of historical novels written by 19th century Romanticists - Alexandre Dumas pere, Victor Hugo, Honore de Balzac, Eugene Sue, Stendhal and others. Altogether, the French were leaders in Adventure genre both in fiction and cinema; Walter Scott and James Fenimore Cooper, however, were more popular in the Anglophone world.

Nee, I started this review from another angle. Wikipedia gives nice summary plot of the three novels from d'Artagnan Saga: 1. "Three Musketeers", set in 1625; 2. "Twenty Years After", set in 1648; and 3. "Vicomte of Bragelonne or Ten Years Later", set between 1660 and 1673. It was the Age of Louis XIV, the Sun King who was the longest reigning monarch of all times (72 years). Now d'Artagnan, whether a real person or fictional hero, is dubious personality. He died as Marshal of France, at the siege of Maastricht, from a cannon ball (yet I read elsewhere in a critical study that he died in Bastille Prison and was "de facto" the alleged "Man with Iron Mask"; Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, was younger twin brother of Louis XIV and was highly fictionalized but he has proved progeny that ruled as Louis Philippe I of France from 1830 till 1848).

Right or wrong, Alexandre Dumas wrote a great adventure novel that is unsurpassed in its dramatization while little inconsistencies here and there are not important. For instance, Athos died of grieving because his son Raoul was killed by Barbary Coast corsairs in Algiers; Porthos is smashed by stones in a cave while fleeing the royal guards; Aramis escapes by sea and becomes a Jesuit in Spain. This is the fate of the Musketeers.

Lastly, my personal opinion about "Three Musketeers" (1973). I rate it higher than the next installment "Three Musketeers" (1993) only because the performance of Chris O'Donnell as d'Artagnan is so poor. Thank You!

P.S. My first instance doesn't work here. Several weeks after I wrote this review I was curtailed by a friend in conversation. It appears that I have watched even an earlier version of the Three Musketeers story in the 1970s - i.e., "Les 3 Mousquetaires" (1953), but my overall impression as a kid was that this movie was comedy with lot of laughter in it mainly because of the role of Planchet (Bourvil); the latter was a great French comedian, sorrily forgotten today. I haven't watched this 1953 version on video, whatsoever!

So, I decided to write few lines for the IMDb review service again. I reckoned not to write lately at all because of my sight failure (age connected, I presume) but anyway let's proceed.

Who is Gojko Mitic and is there such thing as "Macho Legacy" coming from the Balkans (for those who lack geographical orientation this is part of Eastern Europe, running from the Alps to the Bosphorus with Istanbul and sometimes historically was first time called Europe). Gojko Mitic comes from a small town in Eastern Serbia near the Bulgarian border. He has the looks of a typical Shopi from the region. Other famous figures from the region are nowadays Bulgarian Premier Bojko Borisov, etc.

Hell, I forgot my point. Mitic's films, as a rule made by resemblance with spaghetti western, were shot in the mid-1960s to mid-1970s and after that he lost significance as Movie Star (for reasons I am not well aware). But in this 15 years period he was really something on the Big Screen, while I remember the full saloons from that time and it was always difficult to get tickets for his movies. In Eastern Europe Gojko Mitic was an action star with caliber and popularity of the great French actors of the adventure cinema such as Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Marais, Lino Ventura, etc.

The westerns themselves were produced by Deutsche Film (DEFA) of Eastern Germany and shot respectively at different locations in Eastern Europe but mainly in former Yugoslavia (not as someone mentioned in far eastern Uzbekistan). Gojko Mitic get noticed in some small appearances at the Winnetou franchise series and then was offered the leading role in the DEFA westerns. Whomever it concerns and because I am staunch physiognomy reader, here in Apachen (1973) and its sequel Ulzana (1974) the tandem Gojko Mitic and Colea Rautu (Romanian actor playing an aging whiskey drinking Indian) look much alike another odd couple from a most remembered Hollywood movie - i.e., Rocky (1976) with Sylvester Stallone and Burgess Meredith (an aging boxing trainer). So be it!

Lastly, there was a very popular song in Bulgaria from the 1990s about Gojko Mitic with trailer from his movies. Enjoy your time!