page_title: The Life and Deeds of the Immortal Leader Karađorđe
section_title: Contemporary reception
hierarchical_section_title: The Life and Deeds of the Immortal Leader Karađorđe / Release / Contemporary reception
caption_attribution_description: English: A movie advertisement for the 1911 film Karađorđe.
context_page_description: The Life and Deeds of the Immortal Leader Karađorđe, or simply Karađorđe, is a 1911 Serbian silent film directed by Ilija Stanojević and starring Milorad Petrović. It was the first feature film released in Serbia and the Balkans. Petrović portrays the eponymous rebel leader Karađorđe, who led the First Serbian Uprising of 1804–1813.
  Karađorđe was first conceived by the aspiring film producer Svetozar Botorić, the owner of Serbia's first cinema. Following an unsuccessful attempt to secure government funding for the project, Botorić decided to personally finance the film. Actors from the National Theatre were cast in the leading roles. Botorić had worked with a cinematographer, Louis de Beéry, in the past for filming newsreels, and used him again. Principal photography ran through July and August 1911, and took place in and around Belgrade. The film was well received following its Belgrade premiere in October 1911. Although it was financially successful at home, Pathé opted not to distribute it abroad. The decision steered Botorić into precarious financial straits, as the film's domestic box office revenues were barely enough to cover the cost of production.
context_section_description: Karađorđe premiered at the Hotel Paris on 23 October [O.S. 10 October] 1911. The same day, the film was screened before King Peter at what is now referred to as the Old Palace. Although officially titled The Life and Deeds of the Immortal Leader Karađorđe (Serbian: Život i dela besmrtnog vožda Karađorđa), the film was simply distributed as Karađorđe. It was the first feature film to be released in Serbia, as well as in the Balkans more broadly.
  Karađorđe was a financial success domestically. A review published in the Belgrade daily Večernje novosti, dated 24 October [O.S. 11 October] 1911, states: "The picture was well choreographed, with clean camerawork. ... [I]t will cause a real sensation wherever it is shown." Although successful domestically, Pathé refused to distribute the film abroad and reached a similar business decision with regard to its sister film, Ulrich of Cilli and Ladislaus Hunyadi (Serbian: Ulrih Celjski i Vladislav Hunjadi). Instead, Pathé opted for an ethnographic short whose subject was a Romani wedding at Ada Ciganlija, which became the first Serbian film to be screened abroad. Because Pathé had decided against distributing Karađorđe internationally, Botorić relied on the film's domestic box office revenue to recoup expenses, which it was barely able to cover.
  Having invested significant amounts of time and money in feature films and receiving little in return, Botorić decided that they were not worth the effort. Commercial film production came to a virtual halt following the outbreak of World War I. During the Austro-Hungarian, German and Bulgarian invasion of Serbia in late 1915, Botorić was taken prisoner. He died in an Austro-Hungarian internment camp the following year. Stanojević was also apparently dissuaded from partaking in feature films and remained committed to theatrical performances for the remainder of his life. De Beéry resumed filming newsreels.
caption: Contemporary newspaper advertisement
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