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IMDb > Bitka na Neretvi (1969)

Bitka na Neretvi (1969) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   659 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Veljko Bulajic
Writers:
Stevan Bulajic (writer)
Veljko Bulajic (writer)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Battle of Neretva on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 October 1969 (Yugoslavia) more
Genre:
Drama | War more
Tagline:
An Epic Chronicle Of Raw Courage
Plot:
In January 1943 German army, afraid of Allied invasion of Balkans, launched great offensive against Yugoslav Partisans in Western Bosnia... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
Rare gem among the communist films more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Yul Brynner ... Yvan Vlado
Hardy Krüger ... Col. Kranzer
Franco Nero ... Capt. Michael Riva
Sylva Koscina ... Danitza (as Silva Koscina)

Orson Welles ... Chetnik senator
Curd Jürgens ... Gen. Lohring (as Curt Jurgens)
Anthony Dawson ... Gen. Morelli (as Anthony M. Dawson)
Milena Dravic ... Nada
Sergei Bondarchuk ... Ivan Martik (as Sergei Bondarcuk)
Ljubisa Samardzic ... Novak (as Ljubisa Samardjic)
Velimir 'Bata' Zivojinovic ... Stole (as Bata Zivojinovic)
Boris Dvornik ... Stipe

Oleg Vidov ... Nikola
Howard Ross ... Sgt. Mario
Lojze Rozman ... Ivan
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Battle of the River Neretva (Australia) (video title)
Die Schlacht an der Neretva (West Germany)
La battaglia della Neretva (Italy)
The Battle of Neretva (USA)
The Battle of the River Neretva (USA)
more
Runtime:
175 min | Germany:142 min | Italy:134 min | USA:102 min
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Filming Locations:
Yugoslavia
Company:
Igor Film more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
At the time of its production, this was the most expensive film ever made in Eastern Europe (outside the Soviet Union). more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Robna kuca: Partizanski film I (#1.1)" (2009) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful:-
Rare gem among the communist films, 1 June 2004
10/10
Author: zzmale

What is so great about this movie is its near matter-of-fact portray of the reality of the war, namely, the bloody defeats and suffering of the partisan army. This honest portray of what really happened in the past history is often taken for granted in movies made in west, but it is extremely rare in the eastern blocks, including the former-Yugoslavia, that is until this movie was made.

The movie was based on the historical facts of German attack on the Yugoslavian Communist bases, including inflicting great casualties on the partisan army, and in addition, the logistic parts of the partisan army, such as the central hospital, and heavy equipment, such as artillery and vehicles, were completely lost. However, German failed their original objective of eliminating the partisan army once for all in one decisive blow, despite the fact wiping out every partisan base and inflicting significant casualties on partisans:

Tito narrowly escaped the German spear head of the assault, and successfully planned and lead the remaining forces to break out, opening new fronts in Bosnia after escaping, and eventually establishing a new base there. For this reason, this battle was considered a victory by partisans because they escaped the total annihilation, and with the tiny surviving force, they eventually recovered and fight to their final victory.

This movie is an relatively accurate portrait of the extremely difficult breaking out attempts and the eventual success of the partisan army, a technical defeat but a strategic victory. In comparison to other war flicks made in communist countries, such as that of former-USSR, Romania, Vietnam, and North Korea, this movie presented the facts that most communist regime would rather not want to talk about: the heavy casualties of communist army and its cause: the inabilities of the commanders to make the best decision at the right moment at the place.

In the war flicks made in the other communist countries listed above, the heroes never dies, and their commanders never makes mistakes, and the enemy was always stupid and incapable. This movie honestly admits that the enemy is not only better equipped, but is equally capable if not better Tito's commanders. The German war fighting capabilities were given proper credit.

In this sense, this movie is the Yugoslavian equivalent of The Longest Day, made in USA, in which Germans were treated as they were -- human beings and professional soldiers who did their job despite the failure of their high command. Although there are still obvious one-sided scenes due to obvious political reasons, such as the world is bleeding when a partisan was killed, the movie is far better than any others made in the communist countries and for its honest description of the history, it deserves a perfect ten.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Petition Criterion for a DVD Wailmer1990
On UK TV March 8(Movies For Men) The_Khazi
New Italian dvd johanim
how long is this version? JCS-3
How long is this movie in Yugoslavia ? Stevie_Cool
Subtitles fgeorgio
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