Have you ever heard of "Partisan move" genre? Epic spectacles like "Sutjeska" or more western styled "Valter Brani Sarajevo" (Walter defends Sarajevo)? Well this may be the very first Partisan move ever made in Yugoslavia. The film was made in 1946 by Soviet "Mosfilm" which caused it to be practically forbidden and forgotten soon after it was made due to complicated international relation between two countries.
Apart for being made by Soviet company, most of the cast was from the Soviet Union and the language used in move is mostly Russian.
Story line is based on true events but with highly exaggerating moments regarding effectiveness of armed struggle. This features will become characteristic of Partisan move genre in general.
The plot follows the life of Slavko Babić, an imaginary character during WWII. Slavko is an ordinary Bosnian peasant who becomes an officer in Tito's Partisan army. A course of events typical for tens of thousands Yugoslavs from that era. Slavko's story is followed by explanation of important events on Yugoslavian and even Soviet front. These explanations, which are partially played by actors and partially told by narrator can be a little bit boring if you are already familiar with general moments like Tito's plan for crossing Neretva river for example.
Costumes used in the movie are quite authentic, although it is strange to see that not a single person from village is dressed like somebody from a town or vice versa. On the other hand, depicting of "Kolo" (national dance) are by the far the funniest moments in this movie.
This is a classical film with techniques of dramatization and way of acting similar to other black and white films. However, this film has great historical value. It is made almost immediately after the war, before layers of myths have enveloped human memory.
0 out of 0 found this helpful