Whale

A fishing boat comes back to the port. Fishermen are crestfallen, as they have caught only one very little fish. To save face, they fib they have 300 kilo of mackerel on board the boat. In their will to report a success, the port administration decides to pad out the weight. So, the very little fish is grossly exaggerated into tons of belted bonito, then into dolphin and ultimately, into a whale. Which results in celebrations, honors and awards... There, naturally, is no any whale. Instead of brilliant display of an unprecedented success, the white collars make a brilliant display of their unparalleled foolishness.

Directed by Petar B. Vasilev, Whale leans on a strong ensemble — Georgi Kaloyanchev, Dimitar Panov, Georgi Partsalev — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1970.