Summary
The familiar story of an outsider who overcomes an incomparably stronger adversary thanks to his bravery and wit is relayed in this 1985 Czech-Latvian coproduction. Latvian screenwriter and director Gunárs Piesis, Prague’s Barrandov Studios and Riga Film Studio cooperated to produce this nuanced family-fantasy picture which draws heavily on the play Spirídítis (Pinkie) written in 1905 by Latvia’s Anna Brigadere. In that very year there had been an unsuccessful Latvian uprising against Russian rule and a massive wave of emigration had followed. In the film, the orphan boy’s love for his homeland is entwined with patience and the ability to overcome suffering, which are all presented as typically Latvian traits. There are some gripping performances from the cast, including Zdeněk Řehoř as the King, Miloslav Horáček as the Devil and Miroslav Moravec in the role of the Giant.
Read more
