Romance of a Horsethief [Romansa konjokradice] ** (1971, Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Jane Birkin) – Classic Movie Review 9475

Director Abraham Polonsky’s 1971 adventure Romance of a Horsethief [Romansa konjokradice] [Le Roman d’un Voleur de Chevaux] is a little-seen, virtually ignored box-office flop.

Based on a story by Joseph Opatoshu, it is a Jewish yarn set in a Polish community in 1905, where a bunch of horse-sellers successfully outflank a Cossack soldier, Captain Stoloff (Yul Brynner), who wants their animals for the war effort against Japan.

Eli Wallach is entertaining as horse thief Kifke. Jane Birkin and her lover Serge Gainsbourg both appear. Gainsbourg’s erotic song ‘Je t’aime…moi non plus’, sung Birkin, was his biggest international hit in 1969.

Despite being burdened by a fairly standard plot, the movie is very sincere and quite entertaining, decently acted, and directed with feeling and flair by the formerly blacklisted Polonsky, in this third and final film.

After this, Polonsky (1910–1999) was told by his doctor that his heart could not take the strain of directing films, but he continued to write screenplays until the end of his life.

The screenplay is by versatile character player David Opatoshu, son of prominent Yiddish novelist and short-story writer Joseph Opatoshu. David Opatoshu also appears as Schloime Kradnik.

Also in the cast are Eli Wallach, Jane Birkin, Oliver Tobias, Lainie Kazan, David Opatoshu, Serge Gainsbourg, Henri Serre, Linda Veras, Marilù Tolo and Branko Plesa.

Cinematographer Piero Portalupi shoots in attractive Technicolor.

Brynner sings ‘Soft as the Evening’ on the soundtrack.

The 1971 public preferred Fiddler on the Roof.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9475

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