An ode to Sarajevo: "Sjecas li se, Dolly Bell" [1981, Yugoslavia]

Emir Kusturica declares his genius in no uncertain terms with his memorable feature-film début titled, "Sjecas li se, Dolly Bell" [Eng. Title: Do You Remember Doll Bell?]. While it might not be as loaded with nuanced symbolism as some of his later films, it is nevertheless an exquisitely crafted gem of unadulterated cinema that every young film maker could draw inspiration from.









Set during the school summer holidays of 1960's Sarajevo, the film follows the coming-of-age of Dino (Slavko Stimac), growing up in a caring working class family under the watchful eye of patriarch and ardent communist Maho (Slobodan Aligrudic). They live in a run-down tenement awaiting their turn to move into government allocated quarters that are newly being constructed. Much of Dino's time is spent loitering with delinquent kids in the neighbourhood, and experimenting his auto suggestion and hypnosis skills upon himself and his pet rabbit - a hobby frowned upon by Maho who believes that Marxism had already supplanted the German Idealism that Dino's interests represent.

Dino tries his best to fit in with his neighbourhood pals, even while privy to some of their illegal activities. But for all his little digressions and keeping in bad company, Dino truly wants to better himself. It will also remain the crux of the film's focus, as illustrated in Dino's frequent mutterings, "Every day in every way, I'm getting a little better". The ring leader of sorts within his group of friends is a pimp and human trafficker named Pog who sometimes went by the name of Sonny. As a favour, he asks Dino to hide one of his girls in his attic while he went away on business.

The girl, going by the name of Dolly Bell (Ljiljana Blagojevic) after a Parisian burlesque performer made popular through film shows at the local culture club, happens to be one of the girls that Pog intends to traffic to Italy. Dino would find himself drawn to her beauty and in the process, is also initiated into sex.

Dino will encounter his first experience of love and loss, after Dolly Bell is taken away and forced into prostitution. His hitherto critical father Maho, after learning about Dino's affair and his valiant attempts to win back the girl that he loves, will come around to accepting Dino's interests in auto suggestion and hypnosis, even encouraging him to keep at it - to get better in every way, through each passing day...

The film provides a unique perspective of Sarajevo and Socialist Yugoslavia that many in the West simply wouldn't be aware of, but it would be hard to resist not searching for possible tell-tale signs or 'premonitions' of what would come later. There is a 'telling' scene in the film where Dino and his elder brother tussle in the background during a family get-together, and juxtaposed with the topic the family members are discussing, it is impossible not to make a connection with what we are seeing and what will be beamed into our television sets in twenty odd years time. The final parting shot in the film is also particularly poignant, in that it gives a birds-eye view of a half-built block of flats undergoing construction - full of promise and hope for the future. A similar scene would haunt us later - only they'd be half destroyed. In many ways, the film is an ode to Sarajevo, an upwardly mobile city that the director loved and grew up in, and which also embodied the aspirations of a young nation during the 60's and 70's.

While comparisons can be made to Fellini's "Amarcord" in terms of its subject matter, in its style and treatment, the film can broadly be compared to Italian neorealism. It is gritty and has an all too 'human' touch which we can instantly relate to, and which also makes it accessible to a global audience. The film can be considered 'complete' even as it stands, to the extent that there is very little that anyone could possibly add to enhance or improve upon the film's message. While "Underground" still remains my favourite Kusturica film, 'Dolly Bell' comes in a pretty close second, making it without a doubt, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL] | Amazon DVD Link [NTSC]

 

The Nudity: Ljiljana Blagojevic
There is brief nudity from Ljiljana Blagojevic who plays the titular character of Dolly Bell while bathing and preparing to make love to Dino. But the film also features numerous scenes of a sensual nature that doesn't feature nudity.



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Celebrating Balkan spunk in "Zivot je cudo" [2004 Serbia, France]

Emir Kusturica revisits his favourite time and space - the Yugoslavian conflict, in his inimitable style of course, through the romantic comedy "Zivot je cudo" [Eng. Title: Life is a Miracle].

Storyline:
It's the summer of 1992. Luka (Slavko Stimac) is a happy man after he's put in charge of his pet project - rebuilding a pre world-war mountain railway that'll pass through his village, hopefully bringing in tourist traffic from Belgrade and beyond. He loves wife Jadranka (played well by Vesna Trivalic) dearly enough to allow her to walk all over him as she pleases. He's also greatly fond of his footballer-son Milos (Vuk Kostic) who's about to be signed-up by a major league. All's well in the idyllic vale until fault-lines of war crack across his village, stopping in its tracks the launch of his scenic railway. Until then, he never quite gave a thought to the fact that he was a Serb, and that his village was perched between a region that's predominantly Serb-Christian on one side, and Bosnian-Muslim on the other. And despite the approaching sound of guns and the bombing, Luka refuses to acknowledge that there is a war under way, and that pretty soon his village will also be in the firing line. His wife doesn't - she nonchalantly elopes with a visiting foreigner, and neither does his son - after being conscripted into the National Army.

The son is taken prisoner by the Bosnians, and in a desperate bid to obtain his release, his colleagues kidnap Sabaha (Natasa Tapuskovic, credited as Natasa Solak) - a young Bosnian nurse, for a potential prisoner-swap, and force Luka to hold her hostage in his house. Luka couldn't keep her chained up, and before long they fall head-over-heels in love. Their romance will head for rough waters when Luka's wife Jadranka returns to stake her claim, having gone tired of her foreign lover. But Luka refuses to let go of Sabaha, even when events on the ground will pull them apart after UN peacekeepers arrive. Will Luka now resume his once tranquil existence, or go seeking the love of his life in the newly formed Bosnia - only time will tell...

The film is apparently an abridged version of a television series, but having seen only the film, I'm satisfied that it is complete as it stands and there is no need to compare it with other earlier versions. However, I couldn't help comparing it with some of Kusturica's earlier work, notably the brilliant Underground, and Black Cat - White Cat, also made earlier - mostly because of the backdrop of the Balkan war against which they're set. The emphasis on each of the films are different, but there are some noticeable overlaps among the three. This film is nevertheless sunnier, beautifully filmed, and the breathtaking locations are as much the star as the protagonists.

Kasturica has made a conscious effort to project the film as a comedy, as evidenced by scenes of hyperbolic Fellini-style humour and slapstick featured throughout. There are touches of symbolism too, particularly in the use of animals - for instance through the frequently bickering cat and dog of Luka's household (comparable to the Serb-Bosnian conflict, or differences among Serbs themselves), and the lovesick 'suicidal' donkey - also used as a metaphor for destiny, or even wishful thinking. However, this film isn't Kusturica's finest - it is a much simpler film when compared to Underground in terms of depth and calibrated nuance, and is specifically targeted at a mainstream audience with a feel-good craving. The film's tone isn't dissimilar to that of a Roberto Benigni, and for those who enjoyed La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful), this would be Recommended Viewing.

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL]
English Subtitle

 

The Nudity: Natasa Solak (Natasa Tapuskovic)
The building sexual tension between Luka and Sabaha spills over three quarters into the film, in the form of an exuberant lovemaking scene, followed by some autumnal skinny-dipping. The build-up to the love scene is interesting in that, after an argument, Sabaha will catch up with Luka at his hideout using clues left in the form of discarded clothing. Women obviously love this kind of stuff. :)



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Scenes from Emir Kusturica's "Underground" [1995 Yugoslavia, France, Germany]

I'll start exploring Serbian cinema with a film from one of its famous directors, Emir Kusturica (Arizona Dream). His 1995 war drama "Underground" was critically acclaimed at Cannes and elsewhere, perhaps losing out on other major awards due to the political situation in erstwhile Yugoslavia. I admit I'm still a novice concerning his filmography, but hope to fill the gap as I get more acquainted with his body of work.

"Underground" however stands out with its unique storyline - uniquely placed because it couldn't possibly be applied to too many countries other than Yugoslavia. Here was a nation that had constantly changed hands and names like few in Europe, sometimes with each generation (Kusturica himself quotes in the DVD interview that each generation in his own family lived in a country with a different name). The drama spans five decades, from the second World War to the breakup of Yugoslavia, and is a tale of sex, arms trade, and more importantly deceit - both between people and by its political leaders. While it casts an astonishingly cynical view on this regard, there is also ample humanity even during the film's darker moments - it is a sincere plea by a director for the world to cast aside their negative opinion of a people, despite their apparently frequent preoccupation with war.

Storyline:
Blacky and Marko are best friends, communist party workers, and crooks involved in racketeering and anything else that can fetch them a fast buck. Blacky has a mistress named Natalija, a leading stage actress, one that Marko secretly covets. When Belgrade gets bombed by Germany, Marko arranges for a group of party men and their families to take refuge in a large underground bunker, including the injured Blacky. He also gets them to manufacture weapons to supply the partisans fighting the Nazis. Marko becomes the only person to sneak in and out of the bunker to conduct this trade and bring in food and supplies for those inside. He uses Blacky's isolation to persuade Natalija to live with him in the luxury villa right on top of the bunker. But when the war ends, he doesn't pass on the news to those underground, letting them think that their country is still at war. He also manages to convince Blacky that Marshal Tito himself had asked him to lie low for a while, for the 'final push'. Years pass - until an accident forces inmates to wander outside, but for them, it appears the war is still on...

This film was in my Amazon Wishlist for quite a while, which was placed purely based on its reputation - I had to wait for my DVD before I could watch it for the first time. The film starts off as a comedy reminiscent of a Fellini (one could find several comparisons in theme and treatment), but becomes sinister with thinly veiled humour as the film progresses. But it is the final half hour of the film where it becomes exquisitely poetic, rich in metaphors, in the style of a Bergman or Tarkovsky. I know it is silly of me to split a work into pieces for analysis, but since my knowledge of Balkan culture in general (with the exception of Greece) is still at its infancy, I have to find other reference points. Apart from the direction, meticulous production design and art direction, I was also impressed with the soundtrack and the performances by its main cast. This is an intense, lively, and memorable piece of art, and I'm actually glad to have kick-started Eastern European cinema with this film. Needless to say, it is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link




Compilation: Ljiljana Jovanovic and Mirjana Jokovic
There is only a single nude scene in the entire film - a funny one at the very beginning when Marko spends a night with a prostitute only to be interrupted by the Germans. The prostitute is played by Ljiljana Jovanovic. I've also inserted a brief scene of a slightly older Marko with Natalija. Natalija is played by a sweet looking Mirjana Jokovic.



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