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The Battle of Neretva

Battle of Neretva
Battle of Neretva poster.jpg
Directed by Veljko Bulajić
Produced by Steve Previn
Screenplay by Ratko Djurovic
Stevan Bulajic
Veljko Bulajić
Ugo Pirro
English Version:
Alfred Hayes
Story by Stevan Bulajic
Ratko Djurovic
Starring Yul Brynner
Sergei Bondarchuk
Curt Jürgens
Sylva Koscina
Hardy Krüger
Franco Nero
Orson Welles
Music by Vladimir Kraus-Rajteric
English Version:
Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography Tomislav Pinter
Edited by Vojislav Bjenjas
Production
company
United Yugoslavia Producers
Jadran Film
Igor Film
Eichberg-Film
Commonwealth United Entertainment
Distributed by American International Pictures (US)
Release date
  • 7 October 1969 (1969-10-07)
Running time
175 minutes
105 minutes (English Version)
Country Yugoslavia
Italy
West Germany
United States
Language Serbo-Croatian
Italian
German
English
Budget $12 million

Battle of Neretva (Serbo-Croatian: Bitka na Neretvi / Битка на Неретви, Slovene: Bitka na Neretvi,) is a 1969 Yugoslavian partisan film. The film was written by Stevan Bulajić and Veljko Bulajić, and directed by Veljko Bulajić. It is based on the true events of World War II. The Battle of the Neretva was due to a strategic plan for a combined Axis powers attack in 1943 against the Yugoslav Partisans. The plan was also known as the Fourth Enemy Offensive and occurred in the area of the Neretva river in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Battle of Neretva is the most expensive motion picture made in the SFR Yugoslavia. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the year after Sergei Bondarchuk (playing the role of Martin in Neretva) won the honour for War and Peace. The score for the English-speaking versions was composed by Bernard Herrmann. Its soundtrack was released by Entr'acte Recording Society in 1974. It was re-released on Southern Cross Records on CD.

One of the original posters for the English version of the movie was made by Pablo Picasso, which, according to Bulajić, the famous painter agreed to do without payment, only requesting a case of the best Yugoslav wines.


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