Boj na Kosovu

"The Battle of Kosovo", 1989 TV film is, of course, completely fictitious account of an historical event - a battle which took place in the Kosovo Field six centuries ago, between Ottoman Empire military and military coalition of central and south European Christian kingdoms and principalities. However, it was produced with very specific purpose and intent in extremely precarious times for Serbia and Yugoslav union: as media centerpiece for ethnic mobilization of Serbs in Serbia and around Yugoslavia prior to the war of the 90's.

Film itself was produced as a part of the centennial celebration of this historic battle, which took place exactly 600 years ago to 1989. Central event, which attracted audience of over a million Serbs, most of whom came from Serbia proper, was held on June 28 1989 on an open meadow known as Gazimestan at Kosovo Field, a battle historic site near city of Pristina - today capital of Republic of Kosova, at the time Yugoslav autonomous province in grave turmoil already for entire decade, which culminated in unlawful stripping of provincial autonomy by Serbian political establishment just year or so prior to film release and anniversary celebration. Gathering at Gazimestant peaked, and is today remembered for, with then-president of Socialist Republic of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, notorious Gazimestan Speech.

And like Milosevic speech and gathering itself, movie too gained its notoriety among researchers and wider public outside Serbia as an example how media, and art in particular, got involved assuming an ominous role in social and political justification of constitutional breach, one that led to Socialist Republic of Serbia absorption of the province and later into its preparation for soon to erupt wars and ethnic cleansing, masterminded and steered by political and military leadership of this former republic, with Slobodan Milosevic at its helm, and which ensued just two years later and raged for entire decade, taking lives of hundreds of thousands, mostly non-Serbs, and livelihood and dignity of a millions of people including countless Serbs.

In that sense numerous researchers and historians, even in Serbia among more progressive intellectuals and critics, often place "The Battle of Kosovo" into "propaganda film" category, or more broadly, into Serbian wider pre-90's war propaganda effort in preparation for what was coming around the corner.

And since it certainly fits the bill, this piece of propaganda film can be and is perceived as Serbian version of "The Birth of a Nation" or "Triumph of the Will", only executed with much, much less talent and with little if any wider influence on development of art of filmmaking. Though, like both of these anthological master-pieces, "The Battle of Kosovo" too provides some poetical and visual appeal, depending on taste, and like both "The Birth of a Nation" and "Triumph of the Will", despite some obvious and palpable qualities, it was too immersed into deep controversy.

Unfortunately, however, with its narrations, poetics and imaging in portrayal of an "old enemy" and intruding "Other", the "Turk", film was extremely efficient in stimulating regressive identity atavisms, by signaling and directing viewers emotional reactions toward the "New Turk" of the age: Bosnian Muslim -Bosniaks and Kosovar Muslim -Albanians. As such it had enormous and undeniable influence on perpetuation of hatred and myth-making, while encouraging rise of new wave of Serbian ethno-nationalism, ethnic and social mobilization which will explode into vengeful war campaigns against this perceived new "old enemy", despite obvious anachronism, just two years later, between 1991 and 2000, with horrible and tragic consequences.

Historic events, such as the Battle of Kosovo in the 14th century play a major role in the development of the Serbian epics. This is great,great movie something like Braveheart with Mel Gibson. Regards. Highly recommended for people older then 13. PG 13. Serbian with English subtitles. Belgrade TV production on the Kosovo battle of 1389 with historical facts. Recommended because this is the defeat by the Ottoman Muslim Turks that is still celebrated by Serbs today, and helps explain their strongly negative attitude to ethnic Albanians and Bosnian Muslims. The script for the original play was written by poet Ljubomir Simovic .

This together with movies Vlad The Impaler and Michael the Brave is among the productions I can recommend from the Balkans depicting the conflicts between the Ottomans and the local kingdoms of its era,to have a better understanding of the historical nature of them and the traces they have left.The production as overall is pretty decent,giving a good description of the conditions of its time,with local costumes,medieval age market places and castles and of course some fancy Serbian noble and knight armor costumes.The dressing of Turks also was depicted close to accurate of its period. As for the script,it seems to be relied on a mixture of both historical accounts and local mythical legends,but overall I would say it's been worked pretty strait forward, without spoiling it far with too much emotional and one-sided history telling.The events are just reflected as in the sources where the film takes its script.Of course the lines delivered from actors from time to time reflect hostile and patriotic feelings,as well as the ''villain'' Ottoman characters unleashing their cruel,fanatic side.When Sultan Murad gives his last deathbed bequest to Bayezid after the fatal wound he received from Obilic,he has him repeat Ali's words and he recites how they should torture and kill every single infidel who rejects Islam and so on.These kind of conversations however are typical characteristics of movies of its kind,not something proper to this movie only,so it's pretty normal.Some scenes and characters also might not reflect exact historical events.Although it is known that Sultan Murad was killed at the battlefield,it's not clear that Obilic really lived or not,he rather exists as a legendary mythical character.Also Vuk Brankovic is reported to be fighting till the end in some other historical sources,unlike in the film who is described as an envious traitor who abandoned the battlefield.It is also known that Bayezid had his own brother Yakup killed,but the records also say that he never faced him, neither is it clear if he was strangled as told in the movie.The encounter and conversation prior to King Lazar's execution with Bayezid are also questionable.The surgeon Bogoje,who saved Obilic's life and later on switched sides and became Muslim ''Mustafa'',as well as the character Hamza the Serb seem to be not historically real characters either.The Maiden of Kosovo is by the way again drawn from the local legends. Apart from all those,I think this movie succeeded in giving a good description of the battle and its sequence,a good production in its conditions with some good casting delivered especially from M.Zutic as King Lazar and B.Lecic as Bayezid.

The memorable scene for me in the movie is when Bayezid shows Obilic's head fixed on the spear after he was executed and asks if that head really looks like that of a victor,mocking Lazar of his defeat.Lazar responds saying how that head in fact laid a foundation and birth to a nation's spirit and will to freedom.Bayezid gets really angry with that answer and says,pointing out to Lazar: ''Ova glava mnogo prica,odsecite je''(This ''head'' is talking too much,cut it off) and orders his execution.

Does somebody know where I can watch it online or rent it with english subtitles? Thank you

I watched this film whilst taking a course on the Byzantine Commonwealth, as it depicts one of the most important battles in Balkan history as Byzantium verged on collapse and the Ottomans were gearing up to dominate the region. I watched the English-subtitled version obviously because I am an Amerikanka who doesn't speak Serb-Croatian.

This film is commendable because the acting is very solid, and the film overall is not overly dramatized; in other words, it has a very realistic quality to it. It was filmed on the Serbian fortress of Smederevo, which was the site of a defeat of the Serbs further in the 1450's as the Ottomans pushed northwards following the Battles of Maritza and Kosovo.

Apparently this film received funding from Milosevic back in 1989, but it is in no way nationalistic, nor does it try to fabricate events for the sake of embellishing the plot. There are few reliable historical accounts of the actual Battle of Kosovo, and the film does a good job of sticking to the main points; a few subtle side plots are apparent that contribute to some of the greater themes in Serbian history (ie. the conversion of certain Serbs to Islam in order to curry favor with the Ottoman occupiers).

This is a great film for anyone studying medieval Europe, the Balkans, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, or historical resistance to attempts at occupation.