''The Great Warrior Skanderbeg'' ( al, Luftëtari i madh i Shqipërisë Skënderbeu; russian: Великий воин Албании Скандербег, Velikiy voin Albanii Skanderbeg) is a 1953 Soviet-Albanian

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...

directed by

Sergei Yutkevich Sergei Iosifovich Yutkevich (russian: Серге́й Ио́сифович Ютке́вич, 28 December 1904 – 23 April 1985) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. He was a People's Artist of the USSR (1962) and a Hero of ...

. It was entered into the

1954 Cannes Film Festival The 7th Cannes Film Festival was held from 25 March to 9 April 1954. With Jean Cocteau as President of the Jury, the Grand Prix went to the '' Gate of Hell'' by Teinosuke Kinugasa. The festival opened with '' Le Grand Jeu'' by Robert Siodmak. Th ...

where it earned the International Prize. Yutkevich also earned the

Special Mention Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

award for his direction. The film is a biography of George Kastriot Skanderbeg (1405–1468), widely known as Skanderbeg, a 15th-century Albanian lord who defended his land against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

for more than two decades. In 2012, for the 100th anniversary of Albanian independence, the film was remastered for high definition with new voices, music, and sound effects.

Cast

Akaki Khorava Akaki Khorava ( ka, აკაკი ხორავა; 29 April 1895 - 23 June 1972) was a Georgian and Soviet actor, theater director and pedagogue. He appeared in more than fifteen films from 1924 to 1965. He is best known for his performances ...

as Gjergj Kastrioti / Skanderbeg ( dubbed in Albanian by Lec Bushati) *

Nikolai Timofeyev Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to: People Royalty * Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855 * Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Niko ...

as Italian poet * Vladimir Solovyov as Franciscan friar * Boris Tenin as Din * Besa Imami as

Donika Kastrioti Andronika Arianiti, also known as Donika Kastrioti, (born 1428 – died 1506) was an Albanian noblewoman and the spouse of Albanian leader Skanderbeg (born Gjergj Kastrioti). She was the daughter of Gjergj Arianiti, an earlier leader in the on ...

* Adivie Alibali as Mamica *

Naim Frashëri Naim bey Frashëri, more commonly Naim Frashëri (; ; 25 May 184620 October 1900), was an Albanian historian, journalist, poet, rilindas and translator who was proclaimed as the national poet of Albania. He is regarded as the pioneer of moder ...

as Pal Muzaka *

Oleg Zhakov Oleg Petrovich Zhakov (russian: Олег Петрович Жаков; 1 April 1905 in Sarapul, Vyatka Governorate – 4 May 1988 in Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Krai) was a Soviet and Russian film actor. He performed in more than sixty films between ...

Tanush Thopia Tanush Thopia or Tanusio Thopia (, la, Tanusas Thopius; d. 1467) was an Albanian nobleman and one of the closest collaborators of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg. Thopia descended from the Thopia family that converted from Orthodox Christianity ...

Sergo Zakariadze Sergo Zakariadze ( ka, სერგო ზაქარიაძე ; – 12 April 1971) was a Soviet and Georgian stage and film actor and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1958). Zakariadze was born in Baku in 1909. He won several pri ...

as Laonikus *

Vladimir Belokurov Vladimir Vyacheslavovich Belokurov (russian: link=no, Влади́мир Вячесла́вович Белоку́ров; July 8, 1904 – January 28, 1973) was a Soviet and Russian actor and pedagogue. He was a People's Artist of the USSR (19 ...

Đurađ Branković Đurađ Branković (; sr-cyr, Ђурађ Бранковић; hu, Brankovics György; 1377 – 24 December 1456) was the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456. He was one of the last Serbian medieval rulers. He was a participant in the battle of Ank ...

, Serbian King * Sergei Kurilov as Lekë Zaharia * Semyon Sokolovsky as Hamza Kastrioti *

Veriko Anjaparidze Veriko (Vera) Ivlianovna Anjaparidze ( ka, ვერიკო ანჯაფარიძე, in Kutaisi – 1987 in Tbilisi) was a Soviet and Georgian stage and film actress. Life and career Andjaparidze studied at the Aidarov Drama Studio ...

as Dafina (

Voisava Kastrioti Voisava ( at least 1402–05) was the wife of Gjon Kastrioti, a member of the Albanian nobility with whom she had nine children, one of whom is Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti, better known as Skanderbeg. She is mentioned in passing in tw ...

) * Georgy Chernovolenko as Marash *

Alexander Vertinsky Alexander Nikolayevich Vertinsky (russian: Александр Николаевич Вертинский, — May 21, 1957) was a Russian and Soviet artist, poet, singer, composer, cabaret artist and actor who exerted seminal influence on the Ru ...

Francesco Foscari Francesco Foscari (19 June 1373 – 1 November 1457) was the 65th Doge of the Republic of Venice from 1423 to 1457. His reign, the longest of all Doges in Venetian history, lasted 34 years, 6 months and 8 days, and coincided with the inception ...

Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 ...

* Georgy Rumyantsev as

Lekë Dukagjini Lekë III Dukagjini (1410–1481), mostly known as Lekë Dukagjini, was a 15th-century member of the Albanian nobility, from the Dukagjini family. A contemporary of Skanderbeg, Dukagjini is known for the ''Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit'', a code of ...

* Marie Logoreci as countess *

Vahram Papazian Vahram Papazian or Papazyan ( hy, Վահրամ Քամերի Փափազյան, January 6, 1888 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire – June 5, 1968 in Yerevan, Armenia), was a Soviet actor who was an ethnic Armenian, mostly known for his Shakespe ...

Murad II Murad II ( ota, مراد ثانى, Murād-ı sānī, tr, II. Murad, 16 June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. Murad II's reign was a period of important economic deve ...

(voiced by Yakov Belenky) * Nodar Şaşıqoğlu as

Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

Yury Yakovlev Yury Vasilyevich Yakovlev (russian: Ю́рий Васи́льевич Я́ковлев; 25 April 1928 – 30 November 2013) was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was awarded the honorary title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1976. Main works Y ...

as warrior

References

External links

* 1950s biographical drama films 1950s historical drama films 1950s multilingual films 1953 drama films 1953 films Albanian historical drama films Albanian-language films Albania–Soviet Union relations Biographical action films Cultural depictions of Skanderbeg Films directed by Sergei Yutkevich Films scored by Georgy Sviridov Films set in the 15th century Russian epic films Russian biographical drama films Russian historical drama films Soviet biographical drama films Soviet epic films Soviet historical drama films Soviet multilingual films War epic films Albanian war films Soviet war films {{Albania-film-stub