A Peasant on a Bicycle

Plot

Born in the small village of Yugla, Yordan (Gets) lives with his family in the nearby town. Filled with homesickness he takes every opportunity, traveling usually by his bicycle, to visit the more and more depopulated village. And that's how, mounted on the bike his life passes between the town and Yugla. During one of the visits to his old home he meets the newly appointed young pharmacist Maglena (Chelebieva). She is accommodated in his country house. Little by little Yordan falls in love with her.

Burning with love for both Maglena and the country life he starts persuading managers and colleagues, in the factory where he works, to move one of the workshops to the village of Yugla. He dreams that the far-off days of rural vitality can be born anew. He believes that in this way the young people will come back. But his nostalgia is not understood by the people. No one follows him. Moreover, he becomes gradually aware that Maglena, his new love, is from the different world of the new generation. He finally understands that those times are long gone and the only things remaining are the bicycle and loneliness.

Production

Production company:

The film is also translated as The Peasant with the Bike

Filmed: 1974; Premiere: 22 November 1974

Cast

Response

A reported 1,009,283 admissions were recorded for the film in cinemas throughout Bulgaria.

The film was subsumed among the 50 golden Bulgarian films in the book by the journalist Pencho Kovachev. The book was published in 2008 by "Zahariy Stoyanov" publishing house.

There were the following publications:

Awards

FBFF Varna'74 (Festival for Bulgarian Featured Films)

9th Moscow International Film Festival