Konjanik (2003) Reviews

• Story of tragic love in tragic times

  johnny-082008-09-04

  "Konjanik" is set in 18th century on the border of Bosnia and Dalmatia, Ottoman Empire and Venetian Republic and talks about love story of two people, Muslim Lejla (Zrinka Cvitesic) and Catholic Petar Revac (Niksa Kuselj). Lejla is daughter of Dzafer-beg (Danko Ljustina) so she already has many of possible husbands. Lejla is promised to Mujaga Lulic (Mladen Vulic) who is a murder and robber but what is most important, a Muslim. Petar is in service of Venetian border unit and when he refuses to kill Mujaga, he is banished from service. Soon Petar decides to became a Muslim and joins Mujaga who sends Petar to watch over Lejla; but two young people falls in love, love that is forbidden. So Petar kills Mujaga and escapes with Lejla. Two lovers knows that they must separate to unite again; Lejla goes in Zadar that is under Venetian patronage and accepts Catholic faith while Petar goes to Bosnia in hope that they will meet one day in Austria. This movie is very interesting because it shows, in very realistic way, what was happening in this area (Croatia & Bosnia) in 18th century and because of two different people (very different in that time) and their love that is torn between Christianity and Islam and two big forces in Europe - Ottoman Empire and Venetian Empire. Director Branko Ivanda managed to create atmosphere of that time with great landscapes shoot in Croatia and Bosnia and with behavior of every single character, actually of every side (Muslims and Catholics). There are so many characters and they are all important for the story and ending that is tragic. Just like life in 18th century on this areas, filled with death,robbery and poverty. Even love at the end didn't manage to survive. I must mention some of these great, mostly Croatian actors. Zrinka Cvitesic (beautiful) is great as Lejla, Niksa Kuselj is not bad in main role and old school actors Danko Ljustina, Zijah Sokolovic and late Galliano Pahor are good as usual. Also I will say that this movie is very important for the new blossom of Croatian movie. Croatian cinematography needed historical movie like this that is not based on 20th century war and I advice everyone to watch it, especially for Europeans who are familiar with Venice Republic and Ottoman Empire; but also it's a good lesson for others to see what was happening in Croatia and Bosnia at that time.

• Solid, but leaves plenty of room for improvement

  ropukile2019-03-21

  Making a historical film in more than recent past immediately makes things more complicated so I applaud the authors for daring to do it. The lack of a big enough budget can be felt influencing the plot but what was presented in the end managed to look good. However, there are some flaws that can't be blamed on the budget, such as the overuse of the voice overs and a fairly typical love storyline where two people deeply fall in love very quickly. The lead actress got hyped over the years and I couldn't completely appreciate her before but here she is truly lovely. Overall, while there are some noticeable flaws in the film, it managed to bring back a genre that is not that often used in local films and therefore it ended up being interesting enough.

• Pretty Good

  kopcic2007-04-16

  Pretty good movie, I was very impressed actually. I wasn't expecting much but I heard it had to do with my family (Kopcic) so I figured might as well see some history. Happy to report, I really enjoyed the movie! There is a great plot along with great acting. You can tell that the movie did the most with a small budget and I really enjoyed the contrasts between the different religions and how all these people interacted. Romance, action, drama, and tragedy tied together in a history. It's not a masterpiece but it is very enjoyable. There were certain parts that made me laugh, if you speak the native language then you'll laugh too. The only negative comments I can give is that the lighting could have used some work and maybe the music. Being that I'm a big Movie Score lover I felt they could have done a better job. Either way a solid 8 our of 10.

• historia est magistra vitae

  bjtadic2004-05-29

  excellent European historical movie! vivid landscapes, vivid characters and outstanding actors. story line may be confusing 4 people outside of countries that the story takes place in, but very present 4 those who live there. it's one of those movies where two opposites perfectly interact, love and war. i recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a great plot where you can see how members of three different cultures/religions live together and confront each other. Furthermore, once more you can see how love can surpass the limits and boundaries set by those cultures. hope u get to see this great movie!