silvia_orc
Totally disagree that the movie is not representing a true story. Even a slight research about the topic can give the same answers, only not so well described. And sure a Turk would say it wasn't true but...don't forget the movie is about Ottoman Empire, not Turkey, don't kill the work of Ataturk who struggled so much to bring Turkey back to the modern life and far from EXACTLY this. Whether it was successful or not is not a subject of the movie. The movie is historical and is showing the events of that time. Apart from the truth in the topic, the movie is a legend in the Bulgarian movie industry, the book is even more touching! Recommending the movie to everyone just know that after watching it, you would probably feel very strange and wondering how such things were allowed to happen. The actors' play in excellent too.
krasjobul
What could i say about this magnificent movie? This is the story about courage people, who live between the Orient and the West Europe. There is no place like that and if you see this movie you will understand that. In the end of 14th century the Bulgarians lost their independence. The conquerors are Osman Turks. Their device is " Burn, kill and destroy "! Before them the Bulgarians have the strongest and most powerful country on the Balkans and in all East Europe. Their culture is advanced, they have the first alphabet among the Slavs. Now a lot of the Slavs have their Cyrillic alphabet- Serbs,Rusians,Ukranians,Belarusians,Macedonians( that belong to the Bulgarian ethnic group )and else.They defend bravely and selflessly their territories but finally lost the war.The Bulgarians are orthodox Christians but the Turks are Muslims.Important part of the aggressor's politics is to convert Bulgarians to Mohamme-denims,because only thereby they could become the slaves of Turk's empire. So,this will be the the biggest hardship for this breve and selfless Balkan people. Shell they survive and defend their culture and lives you will understand only if you see the movie. Believe me, this movie will crush you down!Do not miss it!
Jiji-3
The movie is very true to the book it's based on, Vreme razdelno (Time of Division) by Anton Donchev, and the casting is near flawless. Very good soundtrack too. Highly recommended.As to how representative it is of Bulgarian history, I beg to differ from the user who commented before me. The Rhodopa mountains (which is where the movie takes place) are, to this day, populated by Bulgarian "turks," that is, Bulgarians converted to Islam in the 1500-1600 period. Some of them, when interviewed, relate stories (dating back to the period in question and carried across generations) that are very reminiscent of the picture painted by Vreme razdelno. It's no coincidence (or accident) that the book claims to be based on the accounts of two people who witnessed the events described. Anton Donchev did his own bit of extensive research before setting out to write the book (as he usually does, he specializes in the history genre) - what he found out is reflected in the book, and hence the movie. Whether the accounts of those who suffered the conversion to Islam (as retold by their descendants) can be defined as harsh or "historically inaccurate" is obviously a question of perspective. However, the fact remains some of those accounts are what's reflected in the book (and the movie). Claims that they are fiction are, to put it mildly, overblown.
feradz
Well done movie but it does not reach its objectives to represent the historical facts in Bulgarian lands during Ottomans' influence. I am a Turk from Bulgaria and lightly investigated the details about Ottomans government in Bulgarian lands. Definitely facts are not as they appear in this movie, at all. I do not recommend to relay on this movie as a source of historical information.
AD
