Velikiy voin Albanii Skanderbeg (1953)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Sergei Yutkevich

Writer:

Mikhail Papava (writer)

Release Date:

12 July 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Hero | National Hero | Territory Name In Title | 15th Century | Character Name In Title

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Akaki Khorava	...	Georgi Kastriot, aka Skanderbeg
Besa Imami	...	Donika
Adivie Alibali	...	Mamika
Semyon Sokolovsky	...	Hamza
Veriko Andjaparidze	...	Dafina
Georgi Chernovolenko	...	Marash
Naim Frashëri	...	Pal
Oleg Zhakov
Aleksandr Vertinsky	...	Doge of Venice
Sergo Zaqariadze
Vladimir Belokurov
Vahram Papazyan
Marie Logoreci	...	Kontesha
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Boris Tenin

Also Known As:

Skanderbeg (USA)
Skenderbeu (Albania) (dubbed version)
The Great Warrior Skanderbeg

Runtime:

France:90 min | Soviet Union:120 min

Country:

Albania | Soviet Union

Language:

Albanian

Color:

Color (Magicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Mosfilm

Great movie for it's time

The movie tells about the legendary almost mythical exploits of George Castriot Scanderbeg against one of the most ruthless and greatest empires of the world, the Ottoman Empire. I gave this movie a 7 however because it does not portray Scanderbeg's true image. He was not a mountain dweller rather he was a Prince of very noble blood, and it said in the chronichles of the Musachi Princes and in the biography of Jacques Lavardine that Scanderbeg's family could trace back it's roots up to 30 generations, and that they were directly tied to the legendary Phyrrus King of Epirus descendant of the Achilles the Epirotan, and from there stems the powerful race of the Epirotans a semi pelasgian-illyrian tribe. This background is not in the movie, partly because those information came only in the last 20 years, which makes me wonder when will Hollywood write a script about the true story of what can be called the last warrior king and erudite in the same fashion as the Arthurian legends(only this one we know for sure to be real) and many other valorous comandants of the history of mankind.

We had Troy, Alexander and even Hercules, now it's time to write about the great Scanderbeg and how he saved Europe from the Ottoman threat by fighting with them alone(with minor support from the Pope) for more then 25 years.

This is a must see movie, I don't know if they have managed to put subscripts, but the music is certainly amazing, and considering hat this was done with the help of the russians because albania was too poor to afford such a movie I think that overall for the time, for the knowledge we had about Scanderbeg, or I should say the widespread common knowledge that we had about him, this is truly a remarkable movie with it's artistic elements.

The guy who plays Scanderbeg is also the best match they could find. I'm sure the counterpart of him would be Russell Crow today.