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The Battle of Neretva

Original title: Bitka na Neretvi
  • 1969
  • G
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
4.3K
YOUR RATING
The Battle of Neretva (1969)
Historical EpicDramaHistoryWar

World War II drama about the 1943 battle around the Neretva River between Axis forces and Yugoslav partisan units.World War II drama about the 1943 battle around the Neretva River between Axis forces and Yugoslav partisan units.World War II drama about the 1943 battle around the Neretva River between Axis forces and Yugoslav partisan units.

  • Director
    • Veljko Bulajic
  • Writers
    • Stevan Bulajic
    • Ratko Djurovic
    • Veljko Bulajic
  • Stars
    • Yul Brynner
    • Hardy Krüger
    • Franco Nero
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    4.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Veljko Bulajic
    • Writers
      • Stevan Bulajic
      • Ratko Djurovic
      • Veljko Bulajic
    • Stars
      • Yul Brynner
      • Hardy Krüger
      • Franco Nero
    • 27User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Photos108

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    Top cast53

    Edit
    Yul Brynner
    Yul Brynner
    • Vlado
    Hardy Krüger
    Hardy Krüger
    • Kranzer
    Franco Nero
    Franco Nero
    • Riva
    Sylva Koscina
    Sylva Koscina
    • Danica
    Orson Welles
    Orson Welles
    • Senator
    Curd Jürgens
    Curd Jürgens
    • Lohring
    Anthony Dawson
    Anthony Dawson
    • Morelli
    Milena Dravic
    Milena Dravic
    • Nada
    Sergey Bondarchuk
    Sergey Bondarchuk
    • Martin
    • (as Sergej Bondarcuk)
    Ljubisa Samardzic
    Ljubisa Samardzic
    • Novak
    Velimir 'Bata' Zivojinovic
    Velimir 'Bata' Zivojinovic
    • Stole
    • (as Bata Zivojinovic)
    Boris Dvornik
    • Stipe
    Oleg Vidov
    Oleg Vidov
    • Nikola
    Pavle Vuisic
    • Sofer
    Howard Ross
    Howard Ross
    • Mario
    • (as Renato Rossini)
    Lojze Rozman
    • Ivan
    Nikola-Kole Angelovski
    • Zika
    • (as Kole Angelovski)
    Stojan 'Stole' Arandjelovic
    • Sumadinac
    • (as Stole Arandjelovic)
    • Director
      • Veljko Bulajic
    • Writers
      • Stevan Bulajic
      • Ratko Djurovic
      • Veljko Bulajic
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      A poster for this film was made by Pablo Picasso, and it was only one of two movie posters he made. He did it because he was a fan of Yugoslav films and, according to people who were involved in the production, he did not ask for money for the poster--all he wanted was a case of Yugoslavia's finest wines.
    • Goofs
      It makes no sense for the partisans to place half a dozen of their extremely precious anti-tank guns closely spaced in the open. They make an easy target not only for the attacking tanks but even for their supporting artillery. Such weapons would always be dispersed and concealed in mutually supporting ambush positions.
    • Quotes

      Lohring: Keep this well in mind: any partisan you are tempted to spare will be glad to show you his gratitude for your sentimentality with a hand grenade or a couple of well aimed bullets.

    • Crazy credits
      At the Neretva in occupied Europe, we fought one of the most celebrated and the most heroic battles for the wounded. Here was decided the fate of the Revolution. Here was victorious the brotherhood and unity of our peoples. Tito
    • Alternate versions
      The Serbian DVD version is 160 minutes long and is a significantly different cut from any other DVD or video releases. There is no opening map and narration. The musical score is the original Vladimir Kraus-Rajteric score which kicks in very rarely. The scenes are rearranged so that Welles makes his speech to the troops near the beginning and the air attack hits Bihac simultaneously with the land battle. Almost every dialog scene is lengthened and cut slower than the English version, but there are some parts of the action scenes cut a lot tighter. For instance, this is missing the scene where Riva falls out of the truck during the Italian retreat. It is also missing the scene in the Orthodox church prior the Welles addressing the Chetniks. However, it does feature several new scenes, most notably a scene where Vasco raids a house in Prosor only to then shoot and wound his own commander, and then a second battle between the Partisans and the Italians. In this scene, Riva refuses to fire at his own men and Novak almost shoots him only for Martin to intervene. General Morelli is captured and then promptly commits suicide with a pistol. There is also a new scene where the partisans surprise attack a group of Chetniks guarding the Neretva bridge. There are several more violent shots missing from other prints - such as the Ustashans hanging an old woman and laughing when they march through Bihac. There are several more deaths during the end battle with the Chetniks such as a partisan being shot in the back when reaching for a grenade. Then at the end of the battle there is a scene where a partisan named 'Stipe' goes crazy and guns down a number of Chetnik prisoners, only to have his rank stripped from him. Curiously almost all the nationalities speak their own language; with Riva speaking Italian even with his Yugoslavian captors and Morelli speaking in German when addressing General Lohring. The only actors dubbed appear to be Yul Brynner and Orson Welles.
    • Connections
      Edited into Svjetla Sarajeva (2022)

    User reviews27

    Featured review
    9/10

    The Best Yugoslav Partisan Film?

    Is this the greatest Yugoslav Partisan film or not. This movies is like Rambo before Rambo. Full of Action.Love and Drama. Some will say it is a propaganda movie by Tito but that is because they do not like the movie. Absolutely worth 2 hours and 46 minutes. If you have a free Sunday give this movie a go. Movie about the Heroism that were Yugoslav Partizans.
    • ivanodolos
    • Mar 29, 2019
    • Permalink

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    FAQ14

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 3, 1969 (Italy)
    • Countries of origin
      • Yugoslavia
      • Italy
      • West Germany
      • United States
      • France
      • Croatia
    • Languages
      • Serbo-Croatian
      • German
      • Italian
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • The Battle of the River Neretva
    • Filming locations
      • Konjic, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Yugoslavia
    • Production companies
      • Bosna Film
      • Jadran Film
      • Kinema Sarajevo
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $12,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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