Cognac (1988)
"Tajna manastirske rakije" (original title)

A wealthy American on the quest for a perfect brandy runs afoul of petty criminal monks and falls in love with an impostor.

Director:

Slobodan Sijan

Writers:

Ric Hardman (story), Christopher Longshadow

Stars:

Rick Rossovich, Catherine Hicks, Gary Kroeger

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rick Rossovich	...	Bogoljub / Prior Nikamia
Catherine Hicks	...	Ella Frazier
Gary Kroeger	...	Charles Lawrence
Dara Calenic	...	Zorka Bogdanovich
Velimir 'Bata' Zivojinovic	...	Abdullah the Great
Nikola Simic	...	Brother Gabriel
Jeff Corey	...	Colonel Frazier
Brad Dexter	...	Veljko Pantovich
Sam Wanamaker	...	Ambassador Morley
Michael Gable	...	Roger (as Mike Gable)
Tasko Nacic	...	Bure (Lazni kaludjer)
Zvonko Lepetic	...	Mornar (Lazni kaludjer
Miodrag Andric	...	Dzeparos (Lazni kaludjer)
Boro Stjepanovic	...	Celavi (Lazni kaludjer)
Ratko Tankosic	...	Karate (Lazni kaludjer)

Storyline

A wealthy American on the quest for a perfect brandy runs afoul of petty criminal monks and falls in love with an impostor.

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Plot Keywords:

american | monk | helicopter | yugoslavia | police | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

Yugoslavia Canada

Language:

Serbo-Croatian English

Release Date:

21 June 1988 (Yugoslavia)

Also Known As:

Cognac

Filming Locations:

Podgora, Croatia, Yugoslavia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avala Film, Calafia Film, Hemdale

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Problem with translation

Thing is, problem does not lie in the movie, but in translation. In all Serbian (Yugoslavian) movies core of the dialogue lies in phrases, common to the region, which can be successfully translated only to some extent. Example, if you tried to translate some stand-up comedy to ANY language, nobody would understand it. The same is with movies.

Next thing is the social factor, westerners simply can not understand comedy that is set in days of communism. The whole setting is hilarious only to the people who, unfortunately, lived it.

If you watch movie carefully and read title, you will see that people are talking much more than it is actually translated. That is the part where you "lose" the movie. Subtitles are no substitution for living tongue.