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- 2017-11-26 22:15:07
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Shooting one of the scenes from the movie, Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the movie.[/caption]
For the past couple of weeks, the big cinema screens in Bulgaria have drawn the interest of the local audience with one of the latest Bulgarian films – Heights (Възвишение, 2017). The movie premiered on Nov. 1 (The National Enlighteners Day of Bulgaria) in Kotel. Based on the novel Heights, by Milen Ruskov, the film brings to life the story of the Arabakonak’s heist, a real event from the Bulgarian National Revival period.
According to the Bulgarian National Film Center, the historical comedy drama has turned into a box office, attracting nearly 25 000 viewers during the first four days after its release. Heights is a co-production of the Nu Boyana Film Studios, Sarpentayn, Ol Stars In, BNT, and the Bulgarian National Film Center. Viktor Bozhinov, known for his work on the TV series Undercover, Glass Home, and Stolichani v Poveche, directs the movie. The 151-minute film is brought to life by the actors Aleksandar Aleksiev, Stoyan Doichev, Filip Avramov, Paraskeva Dzhukelova, Vassil Mihajlov, Hristo Petkov, Kiril Efremov, Blagovest Blagoev, and Rumen Gavazanov.
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Delivering the letter, scene from the movie, Photo courtesy of IMDB[/caption]
The plot of Heights consists of three segments – the heist and its initial success, the delivery of a letter, and the negative consequences from attacking the money convoy.
Heights begins with a portrayal of the historic Arabakonak heist of the Orhanie (today Botevgrad, Bulgaria) bank. The first part of the movie follows the events of preparation and execution of the revolutionary act led by Dimitar Nikolov (Obshti). The freedom fighter persuades the men of the Teteven's Private Revolutionary Committee to execute the robbery in the name of "the revolution," despite the plan being unauthorized and forbidden by Vasil Levski, a prominent Bulgarian revolutionary. The money from the heist is split between the men that performed it. Part of the collected finances are put aside, in order to be used for expenses that will occur during the anticipated riot against the governing power (the Ottoman Empire). Dimitar Obshti gives two tasks to the protagonists Gicho (played by Aleksandar Aleksiev) and Asencho (played by Stoyan Doichev). They have to transport the savings to a safe place, from where the money will be reallocated to different revolutionary committees, and to deliver a personal letter to Vasil Levski. In the meantime, the other men, who were involved in the heist, go into hiding.
Once the main characters deliver the money, they embark on a quest to find the prominent revolutionary. When asking about him, they often refer to him using the nicknames he has once used to conceal his identity. They meet up with a friend of Levski, without realizing that he is actually the prominent revolutionary, who they have been looking for. After reveling the content of the letter, they continue with their travels. Their journey takes them to Lovech, where they meet with up with representative of the local revolutionary committee. One of the members of the organization informs them that the money, which were expected to arrive for the organization’s support, never came.
Later, they meet up with the rest of the men involved in the heist. The two protagonists learn that the local authorities have figured out who was behind the attack, and are now looking for those people. In their attempt to hide, the men seek shelter up in the mountain. Upon reaching one of the peaks of the part of the Balkan Mountain Range, they get caught by the Ottoman army. The men engage in their final battle – their last stand in the name of freedom, where they lose their lives.
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Last stand, a scene from the movie, Photo courtesy of IMDB[/caption]
When reviewed through the prism of Balkan cinema, the movie touches upon some of the key characteristics of the regional filmography. The easiest element to spot is the humor used during the movie. On many occasions during Heights, the characters engage in dark humor jokes related to their mundane life. Moreover, the film puts an emphasis on the value of education during the Bulgarian National Revival period. Heights sends the message that knowledge is the key to understanding the ideologies behind the desired at that time revolution. The movie ends with the portrayal of an element common for the literature pieces written about that historic period, a notion which has transcended through time – not letting the enemy get his or her hands on one’s friends, family, and comrades, while they are still alive. This motive exemplifies the fear of a future full of agony, sorrow and uncertainty, ruled by the whims of another. Raising the question of whether or not freedom is just an illusion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=149&v=bEA_JUxW2ak
Shooting one of the scenes from the movie, Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of the movie.[/caption]
For the past couple of weeks, the big cinema screens in Bulgaria have drawn the interest of the local audience with one of the latest Bulgarian films – Heights (Възвишение, 2017). The movie premiered on Nov. 1 (The National Enlighteners Day of Bulgaria) in Kotel. Based on the novel Heights, by Milen Ruskov, the film brings to life the story of the Arabakonak’s heist, a real event from the Bulgarian National Revival period.
According to the Bulgarian National Film Center, the historical comedy drama has turned into a box office, attracting nearly 25 000 viewers during the first four days after its release. Heights is a co-production of the Nu Boyana Film Studios, Sarpentayn, Ol Stars In, BNT, and the Bulgarian National Film Center. Viktor Bozhinov, known for his work on the TV series Undercover, Glass Home, and Stolichani v Poveche, directs the movie. The 151-minute film is brought to life by the actors Aleksandar Aleksiev, Stoyan Doichev, Filip Avramov, Paraskeva Dzhukelova, Vassil Mihajlov, Hristo Petkov, Kiril Efremov, Blagovest Blagoev, and Rumen Gavazanov.
[caption id="attachment_37731" align="alignnone" width="1498"] Delivering the letter, scene from the movie, Photo courtesy of IMDB[/caption]
The plot of Heights consists of three segments – the heist and its initial success, the delivery of a letter, and the negative consequences from attacking the money convoy.
Heights begins with a portrayal of the historic Arabakonak heist of the Orhanie (today Botevgrad, Bulgaria) bank. The first part of the movie follows the events of preparation and execution of the revolutionary act led by Dimitar Nikolov (Obshti). The freedom fighter persuades the men of the Teteven's Private Revolutionary Committee to execute the robbery in the name of "the revolution," despite the plan being unauthorized and forbidden by Vasil Levski, a prominent Bulgarian revolutionary. The money from the heist is split between the men that performed it. Part of the collected finances are put aside, in order to be used for expenses that will occur during the anticipated riot against the governing power (the Ottoman Empire). Dimitar Obshti gives two tasks to the protagonists Gicho (played by Aleksandar Aleksiev) and Asencho (played by Stoyan Doichev). They have to transport the savings to a safe place, from where the money will be reallocated to different revolutionary committees, and to deliver a personal letter to Vasil Levski. In the meantime, the other men, who were involved in the heist, go into hiding.
Once the main characters deliver the money, they embark on a quest to find the prominent revolutionary. When asking about him, they often refer to him using the nicknames he has once used to conceal his identity. They meet up with a friend of Levski, without realizing that he is actually the prominent revolutionary, who they have been looking for. After reveling the content of the letter, they continue with their travels. Their journey takes them to Lovech, where they meet with up with representative of the local revolutionary committee. One of the members of the organization informs them that the money, which were expected to arrive for the organization’s support, never came.
Later, they meet up with the rest of the men involved in the heist. The two protagonists learn that the local authorities have figured out who was behind the attack, and are now looking for those people. In their attempt to hide, the men seek shelter up in the mountain. Upon reaching one of the peaks of the part of the Balkan Mountain Range, they get caught by the Ottoman army. The men engage in their final battle – their last stand in the name of freedom, where they lose their lives.
[caption id="attachment_37712" align="alignnone" width="1777"] Last stand, a scene from the movie, Photo courtesy of IMDB[/caption]
When reviewed through the prism of Balkan cinema, the movie touches upon some of the key characteristics of the regional filmography. The easiest element to spot is the humor used during the movie. On many occasions during Heights, the characters engage in dark humor jokes related to their mundane life. Moreover, the film puts an emphasis on the value of education during the Bulgarian National Revival period. Heights sends the message that knowledge is the key to understanding the ideologies behind the desired at that time revolution. The movie ends with the portrayal of an element common for the literature pieces written about that historic period, a notion which has transcended through time – not letting the enemy get his or her hands on one’s friends, family, and comrades, while they are still alive. This motive exemplifies the fear of a future full of agony, sorrow and uncertainty, ruled by the whims of another. Raising the question of whether or not freedom is just an illusion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=149&v=bEA_JUxW2ak