Skanderbeg movie redubbed after 60 years

TIRANA, Oct. 25 – Skanderbeg, a 1953 Albania-former Soviet Union co-production directed by Sergei Yutkevich is being restored and redubbed to bring the movie dedicated to Albania’s national hero in higher quality for the centenary of independence. A cast of 60 actors have been selected to redub the movie under an initiative by director Piro Milkani. Currently the movie is being restored in Italy where the film reel is being cleared of scratches and stains in order to have a clearer image and some missing effects such as the clash of swords or the fall of hourses. Director Milkani says the movie, expected to screen on Nov. 28 on the centenary of independence will come in perfect technical and acting parameters leaving the original structure by the Russian director unchanged.
The movie will be redubbed in standard Albanian, differently from the original version which uses the northern Gheg dialect.
Veteran actor Rikard Ljarja has been selected to dub Skanderbeg while Tinka Kurti will play Skanderbeg’s mother.
The film was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival where it earned the International Prize. Director Yutkevich also earned the Special Mention award for his direction. The film is a biography of Gjergj Kastrioti (1405 – 1468), widely known as Skanderbeg, a 15th century Albanian lord who defended his land against the Ottoman Empire for more than two decades.