681 A.D.: The Gloty of Khan (1984)

Ludmil Staikov

Bulgaria

95 min, color, dubbed in English

This is the mercilessly butchered version of the grand Khan Asparukh. Not only is the editing plain bad, causing the film to lose all its essential character development and degenerate into a horrible parody of the original, but it is atrociously dubbed in English. Avoid at all costs if you can get your hands on the three-part epic that does justice to the events it depicts. You should only see this version if you absolutely cannot find the other one. The film features something like 50,000 extras, and the march of the Roman legions is a sight to see.

The shorter version of the film cannot convey the sweep of the original six hour epic, which deals at length with each of the three major episodes in the story of the founding of the Bulgarian state: the fall of Great Bulgaria, Asparukh's trek west, and the founding of the new state. This cut has a feel of a rushed production and the English dubbing, although done by native speakers, is so dispassionate and monotonous that one may be completely put off by it. Many key scenes remain unexplained. For example, Pagane's possession by Tangra is shown but we are not told that she predicts the failure of the campaign against the Khazars, which is contrary to what the official priest tells Kubrat. When she turns out to have been correct, she wins favor with Kubrat and the everlasting hatred of the priest. Both of these elements are key to what happens next.

Similarly, much of character development is completely left out, and we never understand why Asparukh allows Pagane to be sacrificed to Tangra, or why he submits to the decisions of the Council for an entire year before crossing the Danube. The interesting and controversial relations with the Slavs are also glossed over. Traditionally, it has been thought that the Bulgarians formed a state in unity with the Slavs and then were gradually assimilated by their more numerous allies. This is doubtful because Asparukh must have led over 100,000 Bulgarians, and because the Bulgarian army was a formidable military force that the disunited Slavs could not have opposed. It is more likely that the Bulgarians established and ruled the new state but gave the Slavs autonomy in exchange for pledges to protect the lands assigned to them.

This version will be made available on DVD in early 2003, and it may be the closest many will get to owning this film.

December 14, 2002