The legend of stage and screen Ndrek Prela!

Ndrek Prela
Veteran of Albanian acting, actor of the initial generation of the Theater “Migjeni”, Shkoder and of Albanian Cinematography.

He is called the “grandfather” of Albanian cinema and for this designation he will say the reason: “This work of the “old man” remained a legacy for me since the first role I had. Since then, I am always ready to say that I have been followed by the roles of elders. Old men or mature men. Yes, I had fun with myself and tried with flesh and soul to create something new. It happened to me not only once that people came and blessed me. Thank you back… Although the directors judged him as a “Master of secondary roles”, he, on the contrary, did not appreciate or underestimate them, without contradicting them or making any debate, on the contrary, he accepted, honored and respected them.

Precisely acting with a sensitivity of these roles created his artistic profile. Although he remained in the “position” of second roles, the press did not forget him, but remembered him from time to time, naming him “The actor of the roles of grandmothers” and “The great master of small roles”.

Meanwhile, Ndreka himself said: “There are only big actors and little actors”, of course this statement came from the heart and his motto, the reason why he equated his life with the stage, with more than 60 years on stage and screen, as much as even until the last moments of his life, even though he was 91 years old, he still wanted to see the scene, warmed by nostalgia and the memories that scene gave him. He wanted to touch the stage, even kiss it and couldn’t get enough of stage light, where his youth and old age became characters for more than six decades.

“Small roles and great art” has been evaluated by the critics of the time. “He loves the small character, as they have given him, and he gives this small thing a soul, projects it into himself and doesn’t let us be indifferent to the small thing, really”.

This is what is said in the magazine “The Scene and The Screen” from 1990. One day comes and a person grows old. He remembers everything and asks only: “Who have I been? What was my life?

“Maybe Ndreke Prela asked himself these questions, who knows how many times. The answers were that it never occurred to him that one day he would become a well-known and famous actor. He himself illustrated these answers with an impressive statement from one of the novels of the American writer Steinberg: “We desert dreamers who wanted to teach time, we didn’t know what our children would become…”

He was born in Tivar in Montenegro on March 3, 1920. He came to Shkoder for the first time at the age of 5. They come as a family, but after seven years, in 1927, they traveled again this time towards Argentina. The great world crisis brought them back to Shkodra in 1934.

During the years 1940-1941, he finished high school and then went to Florence to become a pharmacist. After returning to Albania, he is not given the right to continue the profession for which he studied abroad. Beyond, war was everywhere…. It should be noted that Ndreka’s mother, Adelajde Gera, was one of the first Albanian school teachers in Shkoder. It influenced the shape of the boy of that time. In the Gera family, Shkodra carnivals were organized. Maybe here was the first invisible connection between Ndreka and the profession of actor.

Maybe…

The legend Ndreke Prela would say to himself: “I am not always talking with letters in front, what Fadil Kraja, Gorky, Ibsen, Moliere, Ndreke Luca wrote. I have never thought that I have done any work who knows what. I did not recognize any merits myself. Except, to my mother, I worked with flesh and soul. This is the truth. This is my merit”

He continues: “I came to Shkoder at the age of 5. Shkodra, this is my country. I also remember that many, many years ago, we staged Lavranevi’s “Inversion” on the stage of the “Migjeni” theater. I had the role of commander. My son-in-law comes and tells me “I will leave this place! I will leave, I will not stay here!” And I answer “From the moment you cross this threshold, you will be a permanent pilgrim!” No homeland! There is no return for you! I remember this scene… that for my Shkodra, which became my hometown, my soul always hurts”.

From his own statements, he has expressed that he never had the desire to become an actor in his mind. He loved the theater but only as a spectator. The dramatic performances that were given at that time in Shkoder in the years `35, `36, `39, `40, he followed them all with great attention, liking them very much.

He had the chance to see theater performances or films of that time abroad, when he was studying in Italy. Precisely here, he remains amazed by the interpretation of the actors, a property which will later serve as an example of how passionately and lovingly those actresses handled the role. In December 1944, he met Filip Ndocaj, a high school professor at the time, who was also a writer (who wrote the novel “Vlagat e dheut”. He was friends with Philip, although they were not the same age. It will be Philipi who will invite Ndreka to perform a role after the high school staged the play “The orphanage”. With a little hesitation, answering that he had no experience at all, Ndreka accepts even with Philip’s insistence. Take the role of Kastilov, an 80-year-old character, while Ndreka was 24 years old. He goes on stage and doesn’t make any impression on him, not even the people who were following him from the stage. Surprisingly, he had acquired a rare composure, with little emotion at all.

It looked like he had been in front of the audience many times. In the end, they congratulated him for the interpretation, without even knowing what he had done, that people were saying “Well done!” Very good! Very good!”

Then he is called to do military service. It was 1945 when, after two months in Delvin, he was transferred to Gjirokaster in the Artistic Group of the First Attacking Division. Prela created an artistic theater group there, where he himself was the director. Thus, for 8 months, he puts on stage 3 parts:

“Tetoja e Karlit” by Tomas Brandon, as well as comedies: “Efrejmi deputy” and “Enemy of the people” by H. Ibsen. However, Prela was both an actor and a director in this completely amateur troupe. At the end of 1945, he returned to Shkoder. The director at the time, Andrea Skanjeti, invited him to act in various shows. This continued until the city’s professional theater was established. This is where Ndreka starts a new artistic path.

That’s how he became an actor without ever thinking about it. His first role was Bersoliev, from the Soviet part “Inversion” by Lavranev. It was a role of a ship commander, a very beautiful and not even human role which left a great impression on Ndreka himself. Then come other roles, where we can mention the role performed together with Ndoc Ndreka “two beggars” in Goldoni’s play “Servant of two masters”. Although with two words in the whole show, the most beautiful figures of the part were selected.

The roles of the legend Ndreke Prela are endless, it is a long list, however we can single out: “Seven Shaljans” (the role of Ndreke); “The Trumpet”; “Optimistic Tragedy” (the role of the sailor); “Nuria’s Crown” (Hoxhe Koburja); “The slum”; “Old man of the mountains” (Sadria); “Adam’s family”; “The Marches” (engineer Mborja); “Cartridge in the Dowry” (interpreted Gjelosh Niken about 200 times after the death of theater actor Prenk Lekunda); “Perkolgjinajt”; “The Case Blerta” (Rami Sula) etc. While in the cinematography, he will act in 13 films, starting in 1963 in “Special Task” in the role of a doctor’s assistant. Then it follows in v. 1965 in “The first years”; 1966- Commissar of light (Dritani’s grandfather); 1973 – “Operation “Fire”; 1974- “The Blast”; 1975-“In the beginning of summer” (uncle Rizai, father of Vera); 1978 – “There is life in the snowy forests” (old man Xhiko); 1979: The Emblem of the Past”; 1979-“Balloons” (Drita’s grandfather); 1979 – “The days that brought spring” (TV); 1981 “Autumn Reproaches”; 1982-“Flame of the mountains” (TV); 1984 – “The Militant”; 1990 – “The Ballad of Kurbin” (one of the Kurbinas)

In 1975, Ndreke Prela retired. He was released at a time when the theater needed him more than ever, and he probably knew that sooner or later they would be remembered for him. And so it happened, after 9 years, he was called, begging him even to interpret Rami in the drama “The Case of Blerta” that brought tears to the spectators and amazed them.

With these two shows, Ndreke Prela, this great artist, closed the chapter of his work as an actor. The role of Rami Sule, a mature man towards old age with his grown sons, in the drama “The Case of Blerta” was a character that inspired him, made him tremble and it was precisely this role that excited and excited him more. His friends and partners, the actprs of the theater “Migjeni” (one of them Bep Shiroka) would say: “Ndreke Prela worked for many, many years in the theater. He never knew how to speak for himself. He never said a word to me, that I, I, I… He never knew this “I”. He never separated his beautiful, good and noble work from working with other friends. He created reliable, beautiful figures that are not forgotten in theater and cinematography. Not only that, but Ndreke Prela with the diary of his life as a citizen and an artist is the true pride of the city, it is the truth of this city”.

While Fadil Kraja, the great dramatist would express himself as follows: “Ndreke Prela in all the roles he played was logical, persuasive, I would say the embodiment of the good, the right, the patriot, the brave, the man with inner pride. You will be convinced of this when you browse the arsenal of figures carved with talent and interpretative power.

He studied the role in depth. For weeks and months he lived it both in the theater and in the family. He studied every detail. He suffered, trembled, became angry with himself and then with others. Scrupulous to the extreme. Even for the smallest things. Regular applicant in rehearsals and performances. That’s how Ndreke Prela remained, that’s how he will always be remembered…” ______________

Albanian Cinematography in activity since 2013

Reference: “Memory of a city” / Xh. Bushati / p. 159-164

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