Like most any film set in a past period, the very least that can said about this is that the costume design and production design are both outstanding. Filming in Yugoslavia, and especially in outlying rural areas, clearly allowed for the greater appearance of a time and place well removed from Europe circa 1970, and the crew behind the scenes turned in fantastic work. It's also very noteworthy that the picture boasts quite the esteemed cast, with Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Jane Birkin, and Serge Gainsbourg, among still others, sharing the screen in turn. I can't speak directly to Joseph Opatoshu's novel but his son David penned a screenplay that ably stirs together wisps of period history, clashing cultures and ideas, romance, drama, and perhaps a tinge of adventure, and light humor. Dashes of cleverness pepper the length in the dialogue and scene writing, and the cast sure seems to be having a good time. In one capacity or another there's much to like about 'Romance of a horsethief.'
The problem is that when it comes to its storytelling the feature is much less sure-footed than in its fundamental craftsmanship. There's some cleverness here, and some strong scene writing, as the tale unfolds of a conflict in a small town between the imperialist officer who rules over it and the citizenry, including an underground economy of horse thieves and a young idealistic woman who returns home with big ideas. The strength of even the scene writing is highly variable, however; it's better in some instances than others at discretely communicating the plot. The plot itself, as it presents, and in turn the movie at large, rather comes across as the cinematic equivalent of someone without confidence singing a song by memory - loud and robust at best, but often only mumbling their way through some lines or whole verses and just going through the motions in the hope that that will be enough to carry the day. The same on-again-off-again, wishy-washy dubiousness comes across in Abraham Polonsky's direction as much as Opatoshu's screenplay, and even in some of the sequencing effected by editor Kevin Connor. The end result is a title that trusts in a handful of bold, broad brushstrokes to provide definition and the subsequent entertainment.
I admire Piero Portalupi's cinematography, though in some cases it feels a bit overly excitable. Maybe it reflects on the copy I was able to watch more than the film itself, but it really seems like the sound design is terribly imbalanced. The cast are generally pretty terrific, but with the material and Polonsky's direction both being questionable at times, the acting sometimes suffers in turn. Those stunts that are employed, at least, are as reliable as the work of the crew behind the scenes, especially when it comes to the horse riding, and any effects that we see look good. I don't think 'Romance of a horsethief' is bad; it's passably enjoyable. It would be much more enjoyable if a more careful, mindful hand had been exercised across the board, in the writing most specifically but in other regards just as surely. As it stands, when a scene crops up that did receive all due consideration and treatment from conjuration to execution - including the climax, and the last ten minutes or so broadly - then like audio that ranges from a nearly inaudible whisper to blaring tinniness that threatens to blow out speakers and ear drums, those high points seem to come out of nowhere, are unfavorably jolting, and come off worse for the fact of it.
I think this is most recommendable for those who are big fans of the folks involved. For anyone else, I guess it's a mildly suitable way to pass a quiet afternoon. Don't go out of your way for it, though, and be well aware of its deficiencies. So long as you can abide the unevenness and flaws, 'Romance of a horsethief' isn't a bad way to spend 100 minutes.
