Das Ziegenhorn (1972)

Das Ziegenhorn: Directed by Metodi Andonov. With Katya Paskaleva, Anton Gorchev, Milen Penev, Todor Kolev. The film sends us to the 17th century when Bulgaria was a part of the Ottoman Empire. Four hoodlums break into the house of the shepherd Karaivan, raping and killing his wife in full view of their little girl, Maria. Karaivan decides to take the law into his own hands and becomes enslaved by his violent wish for revenge. He burns their house with his wife’s body inside and abandons the gentle life they had shared, choosing instead to take his daughter to live in a rough hut high in the hills. He raises Maria as a boy, training her to fight so that she can kill in cold blood and help her father avenge her mother’s murder. Nine years pass before the two locate and kill three of the four perpetrators. At each body they leave a goat horn as the symbol of their revenge. While on a mission to kill the last one at his rich oriental house, Maria becomes the unwitting witness of a love scene and change comes over her. Now, from time to time she secretly dons a beautiful women dress and exults in her newly found femininity. She falls in love with young shepherd and the hate begins to melt from her heart. When Karaivan discovers the change that is taking place in her it is already late. He tries to bring Maria back to him and their life of revenge, with disastrous results.

“This is an excellent movie, the Bulgarian equivalent to an Italian neo-realism masterpiece. The degree of freedom to artistic expression is extra-ordinary, especially if replaced into the context of the political environment prevailing in Bulgaria in the 70s. The practical absence of dialogue and music, (except for a very beautiful vocal), and the Black and White image emphasize the dramatic content of the movie. The direction is remarkable, and the play is first-class. Definitely, the best Bulgarian movie, and a must-see for every cinephile.”