Romance of a Horsethief

"The Excitement and Romance of Old Russia!"

1971 1h 41m FR

💀

4.0

SKIP

★4.0TMDB · 5

AdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Since time immemorial, the simple-minded boisterous people of Malava, a small Polish town near the border of imperial Russia, have lived on horse-stealing, horse-trading and horse-smuggling. Life changes abruptly when a Russian garrison, commanded by Captain Stoloff, occupies the town and, in the name of the Czar, requisitions all the horses for the Russian-Japanese War. With no more horses to steal, Kifke cannot afford to marry Estusha and all the young men in the village are likely to be incorporated into the Russian army. This state of affairs cannot continue and Zavill will take care of things.

“The Excitement and Romance of Old Russia!”

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Cast

Yul Brynner
Captain Stoloff
Eli Wallach
Kifke
Jane Birkin
Naomi
Lainie Kazan
Estusha
David Opatoshu
Schloime Kradnik
Serge Gainsbourg
Sigmund
Henri Serre
Mendel (as Henri Sera)
Linda Veras
Countess Grabowsky

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Abraham Polonsky
Writers: David Opatoshu
Languages: English
Countries: France, Italy, Yugoslavia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, Italy, Yugoslavia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Abraham Polonsky, shot by Piero Portalupi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mort Shuman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kevin Connor shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Yul Brynner and Eli Wallach and Jane Birkin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Excitement and Romance of Old Russia!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Abraham Polonsky directs. Piero Portalupi behind the camera. Mort Shuman scores. Kevin Connor cuts. Produced in France, Italy, Yugoslavia. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 3 countries: France, Italy, Yugoslavia.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Abraham Polonsky, shot by Piero Portalupi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mort Shuman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Kevin Connor shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Yul Brynner and Eli Wallach and Jane Birkin carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The Excitement and Romance of Old Russia!".
9IMDB entry: tt0067686 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.