Tragic fate: Viktor Stratobërdha and the child who knew the entire movie "Skënderbeu" by heart

From: Ylli Polovina

When the first screening of the movie "Skënderbeu" began in the cinema of the city of Berat, in early December 1953, the employee who was standing in front of the door and allowed the entry of viewers only against a purchased ticket, uncle Hali, was approached by a young child all eight years old.

Without hiding his embarrassment that he was asking for a "shameful" thing, entry without a ticket, the little one made his request anyway, looking him bravely in the eye.

Uncle Hali was used to fellow townspeople who interfered with him watching a movie for free, and he had not given up on this matter, but the smallness of those moments with his gaze touched his heart. He was known as a child without a home, without a family like everyone else. The real mother lived in Berat, while the stepmother lived in Tirana. After the divorce, the father had gone to his second wife in the capital, but not being very good at protecting his son, he had left his fate in the hands of his stepmother. He only had eyes for his two sons from his previous marriage and the little one, feeling that he was being treated as an orphan, left Tirana without even getting permission from his father. Traveled the filikas. He returned to Berat with the hope that the real mother, who lived there, would find some love for him inside her, but he suffered severe disappointment. She was cold, icy. It clearly showed that he did not want to have anything to do with her anymore.

So the little boy, who must be said to be on his own, stayed on the street and slept wherever he could, not infrequently inside the horse-drawn carriages, which from the "Liberation" neighborhood, the former "Murat Çelebi" used to transport passengers to the "Pazar ”, what the city center meant. At night, the masters sharpened the horses, and by early morning the saddles were softer than the little man could imagine. He slept peacefully on them, especially since the carts were covered from above and on both sides, preventing not only the rain from entering, but also the wind.

"Enter Satan!" Uncle Hal told him immediately, and the eight-year-old slipped between the people with tickets and in the blink of an eye found himself in the first row, standing, in an inconspicuous corner. The third look at the white beige where it would appear, as if it were a colored dream, the film about Skenderbeu, the great hero of all Albanians, whose name they learned as soon as they were born and to read as soon as they learned writing and singing in the first grade.

Vocërrak, who grew up badly, without parental love and left without a home, meanwhile had a secret why he loved Skënderbeu a little more than the others: he too had the name Skënder. In fact, both parents, when they were in love with each other and happy with this birth, named their child exactly in honor of Gjergj Kastriot

Finally, in that early December 1953, the first screening of the Soviet-Albanian film began, leaving the spectators speechless. It was a creation of genius in every sequence of it, in every look and actor, music sound and dance step, stunning in all the scenery and dizzying in all the war scenes. Many countries of the world were there, from Istanbul to Venice, you saw Kruja and above all Berat. The extraordinary film and never seen in that cinema, not even in the "time of Italy", the Second World War, where the best films of the cinema studio "Luce" visited their city. It was two hours and twenty minutes long.

After the show ended, the audience filed out and their still-warm seats were occupied by the spectators of the second session. But, little Skender stayed at his side place on the right end of the first row. Glancing at it, he watched the film again. Finally, the viewers of the second session left the hall, those of the third show entered, and Skenderi again stared at the two hours and twenty minutes.

On that day of early December 1953, Skenderi, whose last name was Mustafaj from his parents of the happy time, also saw the fourth and last session of the film. The next day he was not at all ashamed to beg Uncle Hal again to enter the cinema without a ticket, and the latter curtly agreed with the expression "Enter Satan!". Thus, little Skender saw the film twenty-four times, and because he had his brain enchanted involuntarily, but with the awareness of a surprising accuracy defying any scientific knowledge, even the world-famous encyclopedia, he had performed a very surprising gesture. : had memorized it. He confessed it, even interpreted it, without making any mistakes. He did not forget anything without imitating, human voice, rubbing of swords, galloping and neighing of horses, accompanying music of each scene one by one, gurgling fountain waters...

Thus, the eight-year-old Skënder Mustafaj suddenly and without even thinking about it became a "movie-goer", that is, a boy-movie or a man-movie. Throughout the city, everyone who knew him, after giving him a five-lek, asked him to play something from the film. Customers sometimes also assigned the fragment they wanted.

Events flowed until Viktor Stratobërdha arrived in Berat. It was the fall of 1956. He was appointed director of the city's cinema, which gradually became the director of the city's Estrada. Viktor had been the number one assistant director of the film for Skenderbeu, while it was said that in reality, with the contribution given to the Soviet director Sergej Yutkevic, he had played a much bigger role. Stratobërdha was key in the artistic creation of the Albanian environment in the film, saving him, along with other compatriot actor colleagues, from any danger of Sovietization.

The people of Berat generally knew that Viktori, the first director of Kinostudio "New Albania", had been convicted after what happened in April of that year, 1956, at the Third Conference of the Labor Party for Tirana. In short, even though they did not have knowledge of many details, the widespread words said that he was a "political convict". Meanwhile, the main leaders of the city of Berat knew what was essentially discussed on April 23 and 24, at the meeting of the base organization of the Kinostudio Party, while it discussed the resolution of the capital's party conference.

The delegate was a very senior politician from the education-culture sector, candidate of the Political Bureau of the APS Central Committee, Manush Myftiu. He pointed out that the director of Kinostudio, Nesti Zoto, as well as its director, Viktor Stratobërdha, were among the enemies who appeared at the conference. Especially in their address, the Mufti emphasized that "they had revisionist views. They wanted to hit the Central Committee and the leadership." Likewise, "these elements wanted to revise Koçi Xoxe, but the Party has said who Koçi Xoxe was and the damage he brought to the Party, and today we say that if we had not killed him then, today, in 1956, he we would hang him. Koci was condemned by the Party and then by the court". Also: Tuk Jakov, the basic organization of the Party itself has expelled from the Party after 140 questions that were asked about his mistakes".

In this meeting of the basic organization of the ALP for Kinostudio, Viktor Stratobërdha affirmed: "I have not been nor do I agree with those friends who say that the state of the people is miserable. This is quite low and does not correspond to the truth. I have talked with the comrades about economic matters and in no way about the miserable state, as was said. However, the formulation of this question was not good. We started talking about these issues since the materials of the 20th Congress started to appear in the press, as well as various articles in the countries of people's democracies... I have never talked with my brother... I honestly don't have any resentment towards the party and I don't have any reason for it. dissatisfaction. The party has treated me as a cadre and for that I thank him, putting me in various positions, which I have tried to perform well... A question about the relations with Yugoslavia that I have asked, I have done this without the least purpose. I remembered that it would be like in popular democracies, which have cultural relations, where delegations go and come, etc. That's how I understood it and that's how I did it, with the greatest purity and without any intention.

But as for the question I asked, whether the Central Committee recognizes the impoverished condition of the people, I did so in view of the economic difficulties. The recent measures that have been taken to remove the triskes have lowered the standard of living, but the press has not explained that this is a temporary decrease, on the contrary, the press wrote that this is a great victory and a great success. If it is suspected that I asked the questions with malicious intent, then it can be discussed in other positions.

But the essence of these questions is that our party has not explained these things to us. I didn't talk to Petro Lalaj's mother about bread, but I talked about the room. Regarding the immature questions in Vlora and the studio driver. On one occasion in Vlora, I asked an old woman if she had eradicated illiteracy. She told me: 'I don't understand, boy, better ask the bride'.

I told the driver as a joke, in the presence of many other studio mates: 'Before, how many times did you eat meat a week and how many times do you eat now?' He told me: 'Eat once a week.' I told him to put it in the professional associations. Today I realize that this was a mistake..."!

With Viktor Stratobërdë as the director, the variety show of the city of Berat had a significant surge of success, even with the first show under his artistic direction. While he was enjoying this good fortune, one day when the child, now close to 10 years old, appeared in front of him by chance, a colleague drew his attention: "Look at that guy! He has memorized the entire movie 'Skënderbeu'. He is a child abandoned by his family."

"What are you telling me!", Viktor Stratobërdha was extremely surprised. "It is not possible".

He was talking about the two unusual ones: imitating the movie and leaving a small thing on the street.

"He interprets the whole movie minute by minute", the other specified the thing that, according to him, was the most interesting about Skenderi. Then Stratoberdha approached the little boy and invited him to follow him. They went to the House of Culture, to one of its rooms, and after sitting on a chair and lighting a cigarette, he said to the strange child: "Play us the movie once"!

Then he followed without taking his eyes, with great attention, the whole performance, two hours and twenty minutes without a break.

When the very surprising spectacle was over, he addressed the little one with the few and indistinct words: "Come with me"!

While Skenderi was worried about where the director of the second Soviet-Albanian film about Skenderbeu would take him, Viktor Stratobërdha asked him a direct question: "Have you eaten bread?"

"Because", the almost eleven-year-old replied.

Without saying another word, Victor took him with him and brought him into the building of the best hotel in the city, "Colombo", sitting him at one of the restaurant's tables. Gave him lunch. Then he said to Skendera: "Tomorrow I am waiting for you at the House of Culture".

Skenderi went to the same room again and, sitting in the same chair, again with a cigarette that he had just lit, Viktor Stratobërdha said to him: "Go on boy!"

After two hours and twenty minutes, he took the ten-year-old with him and sat him down at a table in the restaurant of the "Colombo" hotel. Gave him lunch.

After a few days, Skenderi would be called for the third time to the House of Culture, where a person in charge of Stratobërdha would communicate to him the decision they had made as a pop troupe: in the premiere that was being prepared, he would have fifteen minutes in available to play a fragment from the movie "Skenderbeu".

When the play was given in the cinema hall and he was dressed in a northern folk costume, Skender's performance was met with great cheers. Some applauders even stood up.

After this public success and when his name was passed on by word of mouth as a genius wonder of the brain, Skënder Mustafajin began to be activated in performances not only by the Pioneer House, but also by collectives of teachers in the city and especially in the countryside, who, in addition to teaching, also performed activities cultural.

And precisely on such an occasion, at the celebration of the anniversary of the liberation of Skrapar, he was also seen by Zylyftar Veleshnja, a well-known anti-Zogist and anti-fascist fighter of the province. He was very touched by the story of Skenderi's life and after a half-hour conversation, he convinced the "chunin-film" to live in his house. Zylyftari and his wife had ten children at that time. He had said to his wife, when he suddenly brought her home: "To mine and the hundred: take it, Bule, fix my suit, I have plenty of this that I wear every day. Wash, change, add a spoon to the table and call it the eleventh."

In 1971, Skenderi, now a teacher and tireless cultural and social activist, got married. The wedding took place in his house, where he was a true son: to Zylyftar Veleshnja. The latter passed away on August 26, 1977.

Viktor Stratobërdha was arrested on the charge of "agitation and propaganda against the popular government" in May 1979. His investigative file also contains the following notes: "After six and a half years of studies in the Soviet Union, in March 1955 I returned to my homeland. During all these years, I had returned to Albania only once. I used to spend my summer vacations there, in the student vacation camps that were given to us for free. During all this time I was disconnected from the life and organization of the party (there was no party life abroad), I was disconnected from the discipline of the Party leading a completely independent life and in artistic environments (since I was studying cinematography).

When I returned, I was appointed to work at Kinostudio as a film director. I started to live the life of the party which I found annoying. The foreign policy situation in the Soviet Union and throughout Eastern Europe was full of surprises. Stalin had not been dead for two years and within this short time two first secretaries of the Central Committee were replaced. Khrushchev came to power. In May of that year (1955), Khrushchev came to visit Yugoslavia, rehabilitated Tito. For us, at that time the Communist Party of B. Soviet was the mother, it was the Bolshevik Party that fell on its knees to Tito.

Throughout Eastern Europe, radical changes in leadership began. Our newspaper "Voice of the People" published news of this situation every day. In Poland, Gomulka gets out of prison and becomes the first secretary of the Central Committee. In Hungary, Rakoshi lands and Imre Nagy enters, and so also in other countries of popular democracy. At that time, I had Nesti Zoto as a permanent friend, and in the evenings I would meet on the boulevard for a walk and we would talk about these things.

A little later, the 20th Congress of the Soviet Union held its proceedings in Moscow. Khrushchev's report was published by 'Zeri i Populli'. Every evening when we went out for a walk and met and came back, we read the ATSH afternoon news bulletin that had fresh news of that day. In this situation, in April 1956, the Tirana Conference would hold its proceedings. Delegates to the Conference were elected through the Party organization. Nesti Zotoja was elected in the Party organization where I was part of Kinostudio. There was guidance from the Tirana District Party Committee that at the Conference each delegate should receive questions or opinions from party members to take to the Conference, so that they could be clarified there. Our organization meets and questions are asked.

Nesti Zotoja kept notes. The questions were roughly these: The case of Sejfulla Malëshova should not be seen (reviewed). Why are relations with Yugoslavia not improving? Why does our press gloss over the state of living standards? Why our press criticizes from the directors down. How much expenses do the leader block stores have? Why does our security check the passports of party members? There is no need to look at the case of Bedri Spahiu and Tuk Jakovo, etc. that I don't remember. I asked the question about Yugoslavia. Beqir Balluku was a delegate to the Tirana Conference. The hall where the conference was held was the 'Ali Kelmendi' palace. Those of us who were not delegates, me and the friends I mentioned above waited in the circle around the palace so that when the conference session adjourned we would find out what was going on. There were throngs of fellow party members meeting their delegates to be briefed on the proceedings of each session. Were the delegates not satisfied with the answers to the questions by Beqir Balluk? In the session of the third day came the main leader EH who was made aware of this electrified state. He was greeted with applause. We again waited for the break sessions. The situation began to take a different direction. Some friends were starting to be more self-critical. The next day, the conference ended its work. The discussions of the first day, as well as the questions of some departments and those of Kinostudio, were severely criticized.

After a few days, there is a meeting of the party organizations of all departments of Tirana. M. Muftiu came to us at Kinostudio. He took one by one the questions that had been asked, asked the name of the person who had asked them, and answered them. The organization, with the notice given by Manush Muftiu, proposes to exclude Nesti Zoto and me from its ranks.

I was excluded because I had more education than others and I should have shown myself to be more mature than others. While all the others received remarks with a note in the biography since they were less educated. After a few days, I was appointed in charge of the cinema in Berat. The conference really ended, but we were convinced that the Third Congress, which would begin its work in 2-3 weeks, would review this issue, especially the delegate of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union who would come to the Congress. Indeed, Pospjellov came. Both the congress and Pospjellov appreciated the decisions of the Tirana Conference as well as the measures he took...

As I said in the previous process, when the decision was made to leave Tirana and come to Berat, as I was desperate, I left for Berat, expelled from the Party, reduced from responsibility, spiritually killed , scared. The main task I set for myself was to work well in the assigned task (in charge of the cinema), to avoid socializing with people and especially political conversations as much as possible. I always had the conviction that the 3rd Congress of the Party, which would begin its work after a few weeks, would look at the issue of the Tirana conference and I would go to Kinostudio again. This was not done. Later, when the counter-revolution broke out in Hungary and all those massacres were committed against the Stalinist element, and our Party began to reveal the Yugoslav agents and agents for the Tirana Conference...

At the beginning of 1962, when the situation was very serious, where principled divergences with the Soviet Union had erupted, I left the show and went into production. Even for me this condition was very delicate and very heavy. It was heavy and delicate because: I was a person who had studied in BS and I had to be very careful in my attitude towards this country that anything could be interpreted as agitation for that country. Moving into production, a job that was very difficult for me at the beginning, I should not have left at any moment and for no moment in any dissatisfaction that such a thing had consequences. The transition to production work completely isolates me from the previous society. I was single, I was left alone. After all, I had absolutely no friends... At the end of 1971, I got back into Estrada. My work on stage during these last years was well appreciated. In the last characteristics that I formulate of the collective and the organization of the party, among the good words that were said: 'During the four years of work of sh. Viktor, the Party's directorate and organization had no ideological concerns. However, he left the stage in January 1976. The removal was the result of complicated international situations, which necessarily led to the intensification of the class struggle..."!

In the early summer of 1979, Viktor Stratobërdha was sentenced to eight years in prison. His handcuffs were removed in 1988, while in 1991 he emigrated to Greece and then to Canada. His heart rested there, when he was 75 years old, on May 31, 2000.

When he was young he had a dream to die in this year marked as the new millennium. It was the only wish that was fulfilled as he wanted.

There is another sorrow from this whole story that we told: Skender Mustafaj, the man who played two hours and twenty minutes of the movie "Skenderbeu" alone as a child, has also passed away.