Shopping Cart

No products in the cart.

Quite a few unforgettable Slovenian films have lived on until the present day. Evergreen kids movies, such as Kekec, Poletje v školjki and Sreča na vrvici, have not fallen to the wayside. Furthermore, the younger generations nowadays know these nostalgic films that we grew up with well. And not just my generation, but even many generations before. Yes, some of the films are quite old now.

If you learn Slovenian, watching movies can be a fun way to do so, or listening to Slovenian music. All of the following films are available in the Slovenian libraries with English and Slovenian subtitles.

kekcevi-filmi

Poletje v školjki (A Summer In a Sea Shell) – 1986

Directed by: Tugo Štiglic

Cast: David Sluga – Tomaž , Kaja Štiglic – Milena

A summer story takes place in Piran and Portorož – the Slovenian seaside towns. Tomaž is a rebellious teenager who lives with a mom in Piran. His father is very busy and lives in Ljubljana, so they barely see each other. To forget about the family issues a little, Tomaž spends a lot of time outside with his company. One day he meets Milena, a girl he immediately falls in love with. Two rival groups of friends – one from Piran and the other from Portorož, constantly tease each other. Also, somebody is stealing the shells, but who might that be?

The theme song for the movie, Prisluhni školjki (Listen to a seashell), performed by Jani Golob, is a timeless hit that can still be heard on Slovenian radio stations. It reminds me to the sea every time I hear it. You can watch the full film on YouTube.

The second part of the film, Poletje v školjki 2, takes place in Ljubljana, two years later.

Sreča na vrvici (Hang on, Doggy!) – 1977

Directed by: Jane Kavčič

Cast: Matjaž Gruden – Matic, Nino de Gleria – Rok, Mitja Tavčar – Črni blisk

An eponymous book was written by Vitan Mal. The theme song, performed by Marjeta Ramšak, Sreča na vrvici (Luck on a string), was written by the famous Slovenian writer Svetlana Makarovič.

A little boy Matic, who lives with his mom in Ljubljana, is spending summer holidays mostly with his friends. His father is working in Libya. One day Matic gets an interesting and unexpected offer to play a leading role in a film. He accepts the offer and at the end of the shooting, they offer him a Newfoundlander, named Jakob. Matic becomes very attached to him, but because Jakob is pretty big and causes some problems to the residents of the blocks of flats, there is the question whether to keep it or not. Matic’s mom decides to publish an ad, and give the dog to the family with a big yard. But Matic and his friends are very crafty and drive away every potential buyer…

Trilogy Kekec:

Directed by: Jože Gale

Location of filming: The Gorenjska region (northwest of Slovenia)

1. Kekec – 1951

Cast: Matija Barl – Kekec, Frane Milčinski – Kosobrin, France Presetnik – Bedanec, Zdenka Logar – Mojca

The story for the film is based on the novel Kekec nad samotnim breznom by Josip Vandot. The first part of this trilogy is in black-and-white. The film Kekec also won the Golden Lion in the Venice Festival in 1952. A well-known song from the film, Kaj mi poje ptičica (What does a bird sing to me), was written by Frane Milčinski – Ježek.

Plakat_za_film_Kekec

Mojca is an orphan who serves a wicked man, called Bedanec, high up in the mountains. One day she meets Kosobrin, an old herbalist, who takes her with him, and saves her from Bedanec’s trap. But Bedanec wants the girl back. He ties Kosobrin to the tree. Kekec, who is a shepherd and a very brave and naughty boy, saves Kosobrin. Bedanec doesn’t like this, and obviously his next victim is none other than Kekec. Bedanec also desperately wants to find out for the path that leads to Kosobrin’s house, which is a big mystery. Even though Bedanec is so evil, it doesn’t mean he is completely fearless. He is afraid of one thing in particular. And Kekec knows what it is. How will all this end?

2. Srečno Kekec (Good Luck, Kekec) – 1963

Cast: Velimir Gjurin – Kekec, Ruša Bojc – Pehta, Blanka Florjanc – Mojca, Martin Mele – Rožle

The second part of the trilogy is the first ever Slovenian colour film.

Kekec goes for a shepherd to a country family. Be becomes a friend with Rožle and Mojca. Mojca is blind. One day she meets Pehta, a mountain herbalist, who seems a little bit scary. Mojca trusts her, and because she doesn’t see anything, Pehta seduces her and takes her to her place. Mojca is scared, but Kekec and Rožle are already on their way to save her. Rožle is very shy, so he escapes before Kekec manages to save Mojca. When Mojca says that Pehta knows a cure for her eyes, Kekec decides to find Pehta, and get eyedrops one way or another. Here a real adventure begins. Will Kekec finally soften Pehta and get eyedrops for Mojca?

Kekčeva pesem (Kekec’s song)

Kdor vesele pesmi poje
gre po svetu lahkih nog,
če mu kdo nastavi zanko,
ga užene v kozji rog.

Jaz pa pojdem in zasejem
dobro voljo pri ljudeh.
V eni roki nosim sonce,
v drugi roki zlati smeh.

Bistri potok, hitri veter,
bele zvezde vrh gora,
grejo z mano tja do konca
tega širnega sveta.

Jaz pa pojdem in zasejem
dobro voljo pri ljudeh.
V eni roki nosim sonce,
v drugi roki zlati smeh.

3. Kekčeve ukane (Kekec’s Tricks) – 1968

Cast: Zlatko Krasnič – Kekec, Leopold Bibič – Bedanec, Jasna Krofak – Mojca, Boris Ivanovski – Rožle

In the last part, evil Bedanec is back. He is a cruel hunter. A wise man Vitranc warns him about this, but he is completely deaf to this. Bedanec makes traps for the animals, but friendly and joyous Brincelj takes them away. Unfortunately his joy is over, when Bedanec finds and kidnaps him. Mojca and Rožle observe all this and run away. They tell Kekec what happened. Kekec and shy Rožle find Bedanec’s cabin, and try to save Brincelj. But exactly then Bedanec returns. Kekec manages to escape, while Rožle becomes a Bedanec’s prisoner from now on. Mojca is worried, because Kekec and Rožle are not home yet, so she decides to look for them. She finds a cavern where Vitranc resides. Meanwhile Kekec is searching a way to free his friends. Bedanec, as usually, digs a trap for the animals, and ironically, at the end, ends up in it himself – as a wise proverb says.

Donations Appreciated!

paypal-donate
Share your love ...
Valentina
Valentina
Articles: 43

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *