The Goat Horn (1972)

Recommended

Bulgaria

Feature Film

Original Title: Козият рог

Director: Metodi Andonov

Writer: Nikolai Haitov

Cinematography: Dimo Kolarov

Composer: Mariya Neykova

Cast: Katya Paskaleva, Anton Gorchev, Milen Penev, Todor Kolev, Kliment Denchev, Stefan Mavrodiyev, Nevena Andonova, Marin Yanev, Krasimira Petrova

Andonov’s viscerally charged film - an almost dialogue free snapshot of 17th century Bulgarian country life - in which a goat herder brings up his daughter to have a heart of stone in order to help him gain vengeance upon those that raped and killed his wife, is a distinctive work of considerable power, but one that pales in comparison to Bergman’s The Virgin Spring (1960) and the best of Kurosawa’s period work - affecting, never the less. Iain.Stott