Film and Literary Travelogue: Kroz zemlje naših careva i kraljeva [Through The Land Of Our Kings And Emperors] by Stanislav Krakov

Abstract

In this paper, we deal with the Stanislav Krakov`s second film, Kroz zemlje naših careva i kraljeva [Through the Lands of Our Emperors and Kings] (1932). The film was shot in the fall of 1931 by the Yugoslav Educational Film, a pro-state cooperative that was formed to promote the ideology of Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Karađorđević dynasty to the European and domestic public. We point out the context of the creation of the film ( the author’s contradictory attitude towards Yugoslavianship, among other things), the planning of the filming, and the idea that changed. The film has not been preserved, but it is evidenced by the feuilleton of the same name in an autumn 1931 issue of the newspaper Vreme, which indicates the route of the trip, what was filmed, who the main cameraman is, etc. These stories show Krakov’s storytelling skills. For the author, Southern / Old Serbia has a great personal and collective value, and he perceives a trip to Kosovo as a form of pilgrimage. His travelogues stand out for great sensitivity to medieval architecture and fresco painting. Unlike the previous travelogue about Kosovo, Metohija and Macedonia, here the critical tones about the neglect with which the state treats this region and the conscious forgetfulness of the recent victims of the Great War, are suppressed. Bitterness and anger emerge clearly in the article “Kajmakčalan” / “Kaymakchalan”, written during the same trip and published a year later. Although he embarked on the filming of the film as someone who wanted to show the world the extreme beauty of the south of the kingdom, in the narration he largely ignores the pro-Yugoslav tone of the film / travelogue and turns to promoting Serbian culture, medieval art and spirituality.