Yo Ho Ho (1981)

Zako Heskija

Bulgaria

98 min, color, Bulgarian

Review © 2005 Branislav L. Slantchev

This film has great nostalgic value for me. I saw it the year it came out when I was in second grade, far from home (we were living in the Ukraine at that time), and although already conversant in Russian, still without quite the same friendships as I had in Bulgaria. I was reading a lot, mostly adventure novels, many of which were about pirates (naturally) or cowboys and indians. Even without making the obvious parallels at the time, the film appealed to me precisely because one of its main themes is the construction of an alternate reality through imagination, a world that may at once be preferable and more convincing than the physical reality we inhabit, and that may, in the end, force that reality to change.

So are you going to tell me a story?	Do you like your pirates super-sized?

Of course, none of that was apparent to me back then, not even on a subconscious level. To me, Yo Ho Ho was just a great swashbuckling adventure with pirates, a kidnapped princess, and lots of humor, inexplicably juxtaposed to a grim reality of a hospital room. Now, about quarter of a century later, I find myself drawn by the hospital scenes (depicting reality) and find the fantasy somewhat annoying, even as I understand that it is crucial to the story. I do not know whether to deplore that pirates no longer seem that exciting or to welcome the deeper understanding of the themes in the film. It is quite ironic really that by the time one can intellectually grasp the significance of imagination, one is largely deprived of its flights of fancy by the inexorable march of logic.

Leonid getting ready to hear the story	Esperanza in the high seas

The film can be neatly summarized very briefly. Leonid (Victor Chuchkov) is a ten-year old boy who is in a hospital recovering from a broken arm (bicycle accident). He is mostly bored and spends his time playing games with the attractive nurse Tzetzi (Sonya Djulgerova). One day, a note he tries to parachute to her accidentally flies through the open window of another room, and when Leonid goes to recover it, he meets the Actor (Kiril Variyski). After attempting to draw the boy's attention with the story of Thermopilae, and failing (Leonid cannot quite see why the event is so interesting given that the Greeks lost the battle), the Actor mentions pirates, and immediately has Leonid's undivided attention.

A sweet buccaneering siesta	Giggly nurses are rare

What begins as a slightly humorous encounter apparently motivated by boredom on both sides, soon develops into a close relationship. We learn that the Actor is paralyzed (broken spine) and that he is unlikely to recover use of his legs despite undergoing numerous surgeries. In fact, he is in the midst of a crisis, abandoned by his girlfriend and obviously unable to work in the future, his life has fallen apart, and he is consumed alternately by self-pity and rage.

The Actor and his audience	Leonid introduced as Black Pirate's son

It is in this volatile psychological condition that Leonid finds his new friend. What the boy does not realize, is that the Actor has decided to commit suicide by overdozing on some medicine. The story-telling is just a ploy to befriend Leonid and get him to steal the poison from the cabinet in the nurse's office which the paralyzed man cannot reach by himself.

Decidedly politically incorrect	Flirting with the staff

And it is with this ulterior motive that the Actor starts weaving his tale about the Black Pirate in the Caribbean, a noble adventurer with a motley crew of misfits, who is sworn to avenge the murder of his brother by the Spanish governor of Vera Cruz. It is the Actor's swan song, a role that he plays so well, and with such relish that it absorbs the fertile imagination of the boy to such an extent that at one point he begins re-enacting a fight by running around the room, jumping on and off beds, and raising enough ruckus to trigger a violent reaction by the Repulsive (Iliya Penev), a fat domineering hypochondriac with inexplicable influence over others (most likely, an important Party member).

I want so watch him as he shoots me!	Damn revenge oath!

This occasions the beginning of a gradual blend between the fantasy and reality as the Actor populates the story with real characters around them, in roles corresponding to the Actor's attitude toward them. The Repulsive ends up being the evil governor, the nurse becomes a princess the pirate rescues from monastic life, and the spineless but otherwise nice room-mate Gogo (Anani Anev) is inexplicably transformed into Sitting Bull, an Indian Chief to complement the international crew of Esperanza (there's an African, an Asian, and several Europeans of various nationalities). A lot of the humor is, unfortunately, completely untranslatable because it involves play on words, some it R-rated. (Incidentally, this film is the first Bulgarian feature I have seen with censored language: at one point one of the pirates says the equivalent of "motherfucker" and although one can clearly see his lips forming the words, no sound is audible. And here I thought that only US prime-time networks were prudish. I stand corrected, communists apparently did care too.)

Kiril Variyski, Actor and Pirate	The crew strikes a theatrical pose

At any rate, as the Actor becomes more involved he willy nilly learns more about Leonid and the separation of his parents (he lives with his mother). This carried a severe social stigma at the time, so not surprisingly, the boy is bullied at school, and feels weak and ashamed. Leonid's vulnerability is further exposed by the atrocious behavior of the Repulsive who shouts at him occasionally, manhandles him, and threatens bodily harm unless Leonid stops doing what young boys do: making noises and being playful. At the same time, Leonid develops suspicions about the Actor's true intentions but allows himself to be disarmed by the charm and apparent sincerity of his new friend.

From nun to seductress, in 10 secs	Kicking friendly pirate butt

Things reach the boiling point when the Actor methodically destroys all the characters in his story. It would seem that just like in his own life, things are falling apart, and he seems to indulge in some sort of revenge as he kills off the entire crew, even as this causes obvious pain to Leonid who tries to resist it in vain. Gloriously, the pirates all dies trying to protect the Black Pirate and his son as they storm the Governor's keep, but when the final confrontation comes, the pirate suddenly becomes a laughingstock, unable to fight, and about to be destroyed by the Governor.

The last moments of Rosco and Sitting Bull	Epic duel: Black Pirate and the Governor

Leonid cannot bear it any longer and tries to convince the Actor that the Pirate is not worthless, his cries finally awaking the Repulsive who viciously manhandles Leonid, and hits him several times. The Actor, moved by the utter dedication of Leonid and his helplessness, is energized to action, and from his nearly immobile position he attacks the Repulsive with his own walking stick, laughing all the time: the small boy has demonstrated to him that even if one is vulnerable, and when one is hurting, life is still worth living. Having found meaning and hope again, the Actor vigorously defends Leonid, even as the boy quite literally has saved his life.

The drunk Actor kills off the characters	As the pirates' attack crumbles...

Despite its low production values, pretty horrible cinematography, and occasional glitches (hammy acting), Yo Ho Ho is one of the better Bulgarian films of the period. Kiril Variyski's performance is excellent, swerving from dreamy to cunning to goofy to scary with ease. Even that is completely overshadowed by the brilliant acting by Victor Chuchkov, whose portrayal of Leonid is utterly convincing and touching. Given how difficult children are to direct, this must also reflect well on Mr Heskija. An engaging film that may not be quite accessible to non-Bulgarians, Yo Ho Ho is perhaps as good as one's childhood memories.

January 28, 2005