Khan Asparuh
Screening on Film
Directed by Ludmil Staikov.
With Stoyko Peev, Antony Genov, Vassil Mihajlov.
Bulgaria, 1981, 35mm, color, 323 min.
Bulgarian with English subtitles.
With Stoyko Peev, Antony Genov, Vassil Mihajlov.
Bulgaria, 1981, 35mm, color, 323 min.
Bulgarian with English subtitles.
A national epic screen presentation produced for the 1300th anniversary of the founding of the Bulgarian state, the oldest in Europe. This film has a three part structure. "Phantagoria" is set on the steppes of northern Russia, the land of Great Bulgaria, from where these Bulgar people set out under Khan Asparuch in search of a new home. "Migration" is a story of the trek westward to the Danube River over the years and the encounter and partnership with the Slavs in the area. "Land Forever" features the decisive battle with the Byzantine emperor Constantine IV Pogonatus. Shot in Eastmancolor, the epic took over a year to make, features a cast of thousands and compares extremely well with Western spectaculars. The battle scenes are amazing.