The British comedian, Sir Norman Wisdom, who died on 4 October 2010, was a cult figure in Albania. His movies were some of the few Western films that the communist government permitted to be shown in the country, where he was affectionately known by the name of his most famous character – Norman Pitkin.

Under the circumstances of Albania’s isolation, films were scarce. The state controlled cinematography as well. Of approximately 1700 foreign films shown in the country after the Second World War until the collapse of the communist regime, only one sixth were from the West - including those by Norman Wisdom.

Introduced to the domestic audience as early as in the 70s, “Pitkin” broke the monotony that in those days prevailed in Albania’s controlled cultural life.  People crowded through the gates of the small country’s cinemas to watch his films. His popularity in Albania was simply spectacular - the BBC even called Sir Wisdom the “Clown Prince of Albania”.

Bujar Kapexhiu, an Albanian comedy director, credits the much loved ‘Pitkin’ with having influenced his career more than most.

It was 1986. He was directing “Dy Herë Mat” (“Twice Checkmate”), a comedy in which he starred as well. Kapexhiu admits that he had Pitkin’s films in mind when he produced this film.

“The 83 minute film is full of action and with unexpected comical situations like
‘Mister Pitkin in Hospital’. This was the first Pitkin film shown in Albania. I liked it very much and it captivated me. That’s how it all started,” Kapexhiu told Southeast Europe: People and Culture. 

Kapexhiu’s film tells the story of a marine biologist who likes chess as well. “The cinema was still under state control when I produced this film. Nevertheless, I tried to imitate the scenes, the situations and pretty much, the roles,” he said.

Kapexhiu, 66, a known cartoonist as well, is distinguished for his elegant and original sense of humour. “I wanted the characters of my film to be as active and funny as ‘Pitkin’ was and I embodied that through the character of Cuk (played by Fadil Kujovska),” the director said.
  
Kapexhiu recalls watching Wisdom’s films at home many times trying to grasp the moments he could use in his film.

The first time Sir Norman visited Albania, in 1995, he was received by Kapexhiu, who was rector of Albania’s Academy of Fine Arts at that time.

“I was the first to shake hands with him and together we climbed on the stage of Albania’s Academy of Arts to present a show,” Kapexhiu reminds.

He recalls that Albanian film makers and actors enthusiastically followed how “Pitkin” played and studied his manners and film techniques in general.” He represented one of the few possibilities for the Albanian cinema industry to learn new things from global cinema.

 “Pitkin stirred pleasant feelings among Albanians. They identified him with much laughter,” Pirro Milkani, another Albanian film director, told Southeast Europe: People and Culture.

“Albanians have always been characterized by a strong sense of humour. So, they created a natural, time-resistant bond with Pitkin, he said.

Children imitated his body language or learned some of his jokes by heart. “More than cinematography, his films affected the cultural life of the Albanians,” film researcher and historian, Abaz Hoxha added.

Hoxha experienced the Pitkin mania. He ran the translating/editing sector in Albanian cinematography from 1965 to 1973.

“Not many comic films were produced in Albania by that time. The first ever comic film in Albania, “Kapedani” (The Captain), only came out in 1972. So, Albanians wanted to laugh. Sir Norman’s films came as a celebration for them,” Hoxha said.

Albanian film maker Artan Minarolli recalled in a conversation with Southeast Europe: People and Culture that there was no chance of finding tickets when his films were on - they were always sold out, cinemas were crowded.

“Albanians loved Pitkin because they identified themselves with his character. Pitkin always played that little person without support and at that time, all the Albanians, under the dictatorial regime, felt a bit like Pitkin,” he said.

“I met him in 1995 when he visited the Albanian Kinostudio besides the many other places he saw. I still keep a photo of us together. I remember that he was touched. He could not believe that he was a central figure in the most isolated country in the world,” Minarolli said.