Koziyat rog

I could never imagine some months ago,that a Bulgarian movie I saw a night that I didn't have something more interesting to do,would make me admire it so much,so that I could definitely say that it is a masterpiece of the European cinema ever made. No special effects,no impressive decoration.Just a plain composition but also a genius one. The wife of a farmer is being raped and murdered by a gang,in front of the eyes of her little daughter. The farmer hungry for revenge brings the girl up as a boy, and when she is old enough they kill one by one the killers. This movie is a hymn to simplicity.No dialogs when it is not necessary,full of primitive feelings with perfect harmony between actors and natural location.Excellent!!!!!!!!

One of outstanding Bulgarian films, One of the best screen versions of a short stories by Nikolai Haitov. This film is at once a parable and tragedy revealing by mean of lean dialogue and great dramatic tension the cruel history of Karaivan and his daughter Maria. The filmmakers - screenwriter Nikolai Haitov, director Metodi Andonov, cinematographer Dimo Kolarov, production designer Konstantin Dzhidrov,theme song written and performed by Mariya Neykova and at last, but not at least - the main actors Anton Gorcheb and Katya Paskaleva - denounce violence against human nature and defend the right to personal freedom. Katya Paskaleva played brilliantly two main female characters - this one of the mother and second one of Maria. After this film she became a great Bulgarian movie star.

No point for me to go into the plot with all the other comments. This is an exceptional film that delivers on many levels. There is a minimum of dialog and the story is told through realistic action and expression. The acting is so good you can feel what the characters are thinking with hardly a word spoken. The cinematography is at times stunning and always very appropriate for the story. There are moments of visual poetic beauty coupled with a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. It's a story of power and oppression, of anger and revenge. The stage is set during the time of Turkish rule over Bulgaria. It has the depth of a Shakespearean drama, yet the film is a testament to simplicity.

To those who have seen the film there is so much that can be said, but for newcomers it's best to let the film tell the story. The layers of meaning are forcefully and gently revealed.

I rate this as one of the great film masterpieces. It is a shame that it has not received a wider international audience. It is unheard of in many parts of the West, but it has all the hallmarks of a classic. I hope that someday this film will be available at DVD sales and rental shops in Western Europe, the Americas and Asia. It deserves to be there. It deserves to be viewed in film schools, universities and art schools around the world. This film has been available in Bulgaria in a DVD limited edition.

Even if you can't see a sub-titled version, you won't miss anything; as someone has already mentioned, the dialog in this film is extremely minimal. Instead, the viewer is immersed in the story through the natural sounds of the wild Bulgarian hills, empathic and creative (but never obtrusively 'there') camera-work and the amazingly expressive and authentic performances of the two lead actors.

When this film was released it was seen by three million people in Bulgaria, and the population then was only 8 1/2 million.

It is sad to relate that the director, Metodi Andonov, lived only a few years after the making of this film. With so few examples existing of his craft, The Goat Horn is even more precious.

An absolutely beautiful, unforgettable film.

As an undergrad film student, this was my absolutely favorite discovery. Powerful film with minimal dialog yet every aspect of the story, the drama and the horror of war, comes through loud and clear. Highly recommended if you can get a chance to view it. I've been trying to add this to my personal collection and professional collection with no luck for the past forty years.