''Yesterday'' ( bg, Вчера, italic=yes) is a 1988 Bulgarian
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Ivan Andonov
Ivan Asenov Andonov ( bg, Иван Асенов Андонов; 3 May 1934 – 29 December 2011) was a Bulgarian film director and actor. He directed more than thirty films, and is best known for his cinematography on '' Ladies' Choice'' (198 ...
and based on Vlado Daverov's
semi-autobiographical novel
An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. Beca ...
of the same name. It stars
Hristo Shopov
Hristo Naumov Shopov ( bg, Христо Наумов Шопов; born 4 January 1964) is a Bulgarian actor. Shopov's father, Naum Shopov, was a famous Bulgarian actor as well.
He is most noted for his 2004 portrayal of Pontius Pilate in Mel Gi ...
, Sofiya Kuzeva and
Georgi Staykov
Georgi Staykov ( bg, Георги Стайков, born 10 August 1964 in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian actor. He graduated in acting from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Sofia.
Professional career
His debut in ci ...
as students at a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
in
Lovech
Lovech ( bg, Ловеч, Lovech, ) is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast f ...
in the late 1960s.
Shortly after the film's release, its final scene where the characters take a blood oath became a
cult classic
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
, and popularised the song "
Kletva
"Kletva" ( bg, Клетва , "oath") is a song by the Bulgarian musician Kiril Marichkov. The song is one of his best known.
Recorded versions
The first version of the song appeared in the 1988 movie '' Vchera''. It appears in the scene where ...
", which students began singing at their graduation proms.
Plot
At the end of the 1960s, Dana, the daughter of a diplomat in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, returns to Bulgaria and is enrolled in a
boarding language school
A language school is a school where one studies a foreign language. Classes at a language school are usually geared towards, for example, communicative competence in a foreign language. Language learning in such schools typically supplements fo ...
where mostly children of
high party functionaries study. Ivan comes from an upper class family, and even his serious offenses are forgiven, while Rostislav is admitted to the school on an academic merit basis, and even the slightest mistake can cause him to be expelled. Their classmate Marina is a girl who loves gossip and drama, and involving others in it. The students fall in love with
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' music. Professor Naydenov invites Ivan to play the role of
Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield (identified as "Holden Morrisey Caulfield" in the story "Slight Rebellion Off Madison" , and "Holden V. Caulfield" in ''The Catcher In The Rye'') is a fictional character in the works of author J. D. Salinger. He's most famous ...
in a theatrical production of ''
The Catcher in the Rye
''The Catcher in the Rye'' is an American novel by J. D. Salinger that was partially published in serial form from 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst ...
''.
The young people are excited by the eternal themes of justice, love and friendship — humane ideas that challenge the prevailing
totalitarian ideology. At the same time, the school is investigating a student's pregnancy and the teachers are nervous. At the end of the film, Dana's father takes her away from school, and Rostislav is caught in a
river current and drowns. The other students take а blood oath.
Cast
*
Hristo Shopov
Hristo Naumov Shopov ( bg, Христо Наумов Шопов; born 4 January 1964) is a Bulgarian actor. Shopov's father, Naum Shopov, was a famous Bulgarian actor as well.
He is most noted for his 2004 portrayal of Pontius Pilate in Mel Gi ...
as Ivan
* Sofiya Kuzeva as Dana
*
Georgi Staykov
Georgi Staykov ( bg, Георги Стайков, born 10 August 1964 in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian actor. He graduated in acting from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Sofia.
Professional career
His debut in ci ...
as Rostislav
* Georgi Rusev as Principal Tzonchev
* Nikola Rudarov as Baramov
* Pavel Popandov as the P.E. teacher
* Maria Stefanova as Professor Bitsevska
* Svetla Todorova as Marina
* Stoyan Aleksiev as Professor Naydenov
* Krasimir Rankov as the Inspector
* Petar Popyordanov as Professor Kostov
*
Kosta Tsonev
Kosta Tsonev ( bg, Коста Цонев; 10 June 1929 – 25 January 2012) was a Bulgarian actor starring in theatre, TV and cinema. He was born on 10 June 1929 in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. He studied at the National Academy for Theatre a ...
as Vera's father
Production
Development and writing
![Ivan Andonov](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Ivan_Andonov.jpg)
The film's script is based on Vlado Daverov's
semi-autobiographical novel
An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. Beca ...
''Yesterday''. In his novel, Daverov describes school life at the Ernst Telmann German High School in
Lovech
Lovech ( bg, Ловеч, Lovech, ) is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast f ...
. He was expelled from the school for chopping up a wooden desk in order to light a stove and keep his girlfriend warm. This scene was recreated in the film.
Director Vasil Zhivkov came up with the initial idea for a
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of ''Yesterday'', which Daverov accepted. The script was approved by
Boyana Film
Nu Boyana Film Studios ( bg, Ню Бояна Филм) are film studios situated in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The film production complex was opened in 1962 and was state owned until 2005 when it was bought by one of the longest-running independent film c ...
's cinematographic collective; however, Zhivkov and Daverov got into an argument, after which the head of the collective offered
Ivan Andonov
Ivan Asenov Andonov ( bg, Иван Асенов Андонов; 3 May 1934 – 29 December 2011) was a Bulgarian film director and actor. He directed more than thirty films, and is best known for his cinematography on '' Ladies' Choice'' (198 ...
to become the film's new director. Andonov agreed to do it under the condition that he would be allowed to include some of his own experiences from his student years in the script, in particular his fascination with
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
'
1968 self-titled album. For three months, Daverov visited Andonov's studio every day. When they finished the script, the two broke down in tears as they felt that they had "struck a goldmine".
Casting
Andonov cast some of his personal favourite actors in the roles of the school staff: Georgi Rusev was cast as Principal Tzonchev, and Nadia Todorova as a cleaner. Andonov was impressed by director Nikola Rudarov's
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
as the cameraman in the 1968 film ''One Shooting Day'', and cast him in the role of the math teacher, Professor Baramov. The role of the English teacher was played by Christine Bartlett, a Scottish teacher who taught English at the
First English Language School
The First English Language School (FELS, 114th High School "Liliana Dimitrova") was founded in 1958 in Sofia, Bulgaria as a high school for education in English language to Bulgarian students.
The school is located at 60 Dondukov Street since ...
in
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
.
For the roles of the students, Andonov conducted
screen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...
s with many students from the
National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts
The Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (commonly referred to as NATFIZ) is a performing, cinematic and media arts institution of higher education based in Sofia. It is the first Bulgarian university in the field of theatr ...
, as well as other students from Sofia. Petar Popyordanov was initially cast as a background character, mainly because of his bad speech; however, due to his
improvisation
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
s, his character eventually became one of the main characters. Georgi Staykov was the first young actor to join the cast. Andonov had previously cast him in a small role in his film ''Dreamers'' (1987), and he even considered casting him as Ivan, the film's main character, but in the end decided to give the role to
Hristo Shopov
Hristo Naumov Shopov ( bg, Христо Наумов Шопов; born 4 January 1964) is a Bulgarian actor. Shopov's father, Naum Shopov, was a famous Bulgarian actor as well.
He is most noted for his 2004 portrayal of Pontius Pilate in Mel Gi ...
. He envisioned Ivan as "mysterious", which was the complete opposite of Staykov's personality, which is why gave him the role of Rostislav. A drama student from the Academy was initially cast as Dana; however, Daverov insisted on Sofia Kuzeva playing the role, to which Andonov agreed.
The role of Ivan's father was given to the Boris Lukanov, an actor at the
Ivan Vazov National Theatre
The Ivan Vazov National Theatre ( bg, Народен театър „Иван Вазов“, ') is Bulgaria's national theatre, as well as the oldest and most authoritative theatre in the country and one of the important landmarks of Sofia, the ...
. The scene, in which he explains to his son why he was fired from the position of editor-in-chief at the magazine he worked for, was cut during editing, as it did not correspond to Andonov's creative vision. This is the only scene filmed outside the school grounds.
Filming
Andonov insisted that the actors do not rehearse at home. They visited his studio daily according to a schedule, where Andonov worked with everyone individually, and then brought them together to rehearse some of the scenes. Most of the scenes were filmed in 1987 in the building of
Plovdiv
Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...
's Stage Arts School (now Plovdiv Theological Seminary).
The students' dormitory set was in Sofia, and the drowning scene was filmed near
Lovech
Lovech ( bg, Ловеч, Lovech, ) is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast f ...
, where a 17-year-old student at the German Language School drowned in 1965. While filming the scene, Staykov was caught by a current and disappeared for a long time. The film crew panicked, with some crew members jumping in to save him. Staykov was in good physical shape and escaped the current.
Music
The film's soundtrack was composed by
Kiril Marichkov
Kiril Marichkov ( bg, Кирил Маричков, 30 October 1944 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian rock musician.
Biography
Marichkov was born in Sofia and played piano, clarinet, bass-guitar and guitar since young age. In 1963 he founded one of the ...
. It consists of a track called "Utroto", which only appears in the film during the intro and at other points in slower instrumental versions, and a track called "
Kletva
"Kletva" ( bg, Клетва , "oath") is a song by the Bulgarian musician Kiril Marichkov. The song is one of his best known.
Recorded versions
The first version of the song appeared in the 1988 movie '' Vchera''. It appears in the scene where ...
", which appears in the film's final credits and during the end credits. "Kletva" was covered by British indie pop band
Ladytron
Ladytron are a largely British electronic band formed in Liverpool in 1999. The group consists of Helen Marnie (lead vocals, synthesizers), Mira Aroyo (vocals, synthesizers), Daniel Hunt (synthesizers, guitar, vocals), and Reuben Wu (synthesize ...
for their 2008 album ''
Velocifero
''Velocifero'' is the fourth studio album by English electronic music band Ladytron and their first to be released by Nettwerk. The album was first released digitally on 19 May 2008, followed by a physical release on 2 June in the United Kingdo ...
''.
"Kletva" was later re-recorded and released on Marichkov's 1997 album ''Zodia Shturets'', while "Utroto" would first be released in 2015 on ''The Best of Kiril Marichkov and Shturcite'', and then later in 2020 on Marichkov's album ''75''.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
* {{IMDb title, 0170783, Yesterday
''Yesterday''at
Bulgarian National Film Archive
The Bulgarian National Film Archive ( bg, Българска Национална Филмотека), also known as the Bulgarian Cinematheque, is an organization formed to acquire, restore, preserve, and store film and film-related archival art ...
1988 films
1988 drama films
Films directed by Ivan Andonov
Bulgarian drama films
1980s Bulgarian-language films
Films set in Bulgaria
Films shot in Bulgaria
Films set in schools