''Train in the Snow'' ( hr, Vlak u snijegu) is a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n (then

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

)

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

and

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

directed by

Mate Relja Mate may refer to: Science * Mate, one of a pair of animals involved in: ** Mate choice, intersexual selection ** Mating * Multi-antimicrobial extrusion protein, or MATE, an efflux transporter family of proteins Person or title * Friendship ...

. It was released on June 10, 1976. It is based on the

children's novel Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

'' Vlak u snijegu'' written by Mato Lovrak (1899–1974), then a young schoolteacher inspired by actual events, in 1933, and first titled ''Djeca Velikog Sela'' ("The Children of Veliko Selo").

Plot

At the behest of their teacher, fourth grade schoolchildren in a small Croatian village found an old-style Slavic ''

Zadruga A zadruga (, ) refers to a type of rural community historically common among South Slavs. The term has been used by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia to designate their attempt at collective farming after World War II. History Originally, gener ...

'' and organize a field trip to

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

. On their way back, their teacher gets ill and must stay in a hospital. As the children travel back on their own, the train gets blocked by a snowdrift. With the help of the children, the railroad workers manage to clear the way.

Cast

Slavko Štimac Slavko Štimac ( sr-cyrl, Славко Штимац; born 15 October 1960) is a Serbian actor. Born in a village near Perušić in modern-day Croatia, he later graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. Štimac made his screen debut ...

- Ljuban Marić * Gordana Inkret - Draga * Željko Malčić - Pero *

Edo Peročević Eduard Peročević, better known as Edo Peročević (December 3, 1937 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia – April 28, 2007 in Zagreb, Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem ...

- Conductor * Ratko Buljan - Teacher *

Antun Nalis Antun Nalis (9 February 1911 – 14 February 2000), a.k.a. Tonči Nalis, was a Croatian actor. Antun Nalis was born in Zadar, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the time. After World War I Zadar became part of Italy, which later helped Nalis to ...

- Newspaper editor

Locations

The film was shot from 1973 to 1976. Most of the children came from the Regional school of Velika

Ciglena Ciglena is a village in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , ...

near

Bjelovar Bjelovar ( hu, Belovár, german: Bellowar, Kajkavian: ''Belovar'') is a city in central Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Bjelovar-Bilogora County. At the 2021 census, there were 36,433 inhabitants, of whom 93.06% were Croats. History ...

, which was then part of Dr Franko Vinter Elementary School in Bjelovar, now 1st Elementary School Bjelovar. The scenes in

were taken at the Main train station, the

Funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

, the

Dolac Market Dolac () is a farmers' market located in Gornji Grad - Medveščak city district of Zagreb, Croatia. Dolac is the most visited and the best known farmer's market in Zagreb, well known for its combination of traditional open market with stalls an ...

, the National Theatre, the

Zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

and a printing press. Some scenes were filmed at the

Rovišće Rovišće is a village and a municipality in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. There are 4,822 inhabitants, 1,196 in the village itself, of which 97% are Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a comm ...

railway station near

. The scenes in the school were shot in the village of Tomaš near

, and the scenes in the snow near Grginac on the railroad between

and

Kloštar Podravski Kloštar Podravski is a settlement and a municipality in the Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia. According to the 2011 census, there are 3,306 inhabitants in the area. History In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Kloštar Podravski ...

, with snow-blowers from

Planica Planica () is an Alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hiking d ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

to provide artificial snow. At the end of the shooting, several scenes could be taken in real snow, which had started falling.

First appearances

The film was first released in

on June 10, 1976. On the same year it was shown at the International Children's Festival of

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

and at the

Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...

Film Festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

, where it received the ''Jelen'' ("Deer") award—the first children's film to receive it. It has been shown in 30 countries.

Trains

A replica of the train from the film has been installed at the Lovrak center in

Veliki Grđevac Veliki Grđevac (, hu, Nagygordonya) is a municipality in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. According to the 2001 census, there are 3,248 inhabitants, 80.41% of which are Croats, in 1,157 of family households. Geography The present municipal ...

. The name of the novelist, Mato Lovrak, has now been given to the Bjelovar-Kloštar Podravski line.

Theme song

The theme song "Kad se male ruke slože" ("When little hands join together"), written by popular singer

Arsen Dedić Arsenije "Arsen" Dedić ( sr-Cyrl, Арсеније "Арсен" Дедић, ; 28 July 1938 – 17 August 2015) was a Croatian singer-songwriter. He wrote and performed chansons, as well as film music. He was also an award-winning poet, and was o ...

, is a tale of friendship and solidarity. The text, written by Drago Britvić, starts this way: "Kad se mnogo malih složi, "Ta se snaga stoput množi, "A to znači da smo jači, "Kad se skupimo u roj. "Mala iskra požar skriva, "Kap po kap i rijeka biva. "Hajde zato svi u jato, "Kao vrapci živ, živ, živ." Ref: "Kad se male ruke slože, sve se može, sve se može."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0076893
Croatian film archive: List of Croatian films from 1944 to 2006
1976 films 1970s Croatian-language films 1970s children's adventure films Films based on Croatian novels Croatian children's films Yugoslav adventure films Croatian adventure films Films set in Yugoslavia Films set in Croatia