User:Rickyp1848/Cinema of Yugoslavia

cinema of Yugoslavia

Overview

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had an internationally acclaimed film industry. Yugoslavia submitted many films to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, six of which were nominated. Film companies included Jadran Film from Zagreb, SR Croatia; Avala Film from Belgrade, SR Serbia; Sutjeska film and Studio film from Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina; Zeta film from Budva, SR Montenegro; Vardar film and Makedonija film from Skopje, SR Macedonia, Triglav Film from Ljubljana, SR Slovenia and others.

The dominant movement of Yugoslav cinema of the post war era was Socialist Realism. Which typically dealt with themes such as modernity, and the importance of building the new socialist republic. This was a movement popular in most eastern bloc countries that was a theme in most the arts. As the early Yugoslavia moved away from the Soviet bloc, and received a more open door into western capitalist societies. The cinema started to change to reflect this more liberal approach to socialism. The Yugoslav Black wave which was started by young filmmakers in 1960’s reflected this change by taking elements of socialist realism, American and Italian cinema. To create a films that both critiqued and glanced at the problems of liberalization. These films usually turned a lens onto the bigger issues of ethnicity, gender and class in Yugoslav society and were often seen as pessimistic by critics.

Yugoslavia an important genre were partisan films.Which were films that depicted the Yugoslav partisans victory over the Nazis. Partisan film remained a staple in Yugoslavia until the dissolution of the state in the 1980’s As the early Yugoslavia moved away from the Soviet bloc, and received a more open door into western capitalist societies. The cinema started to change to reflect this more liberal approach to socialism.

Notable people

Prominent male actors included Danilo Stojković, Ljuba Tadić, Bekim Fehmiu, Fabijan Šovagović, Mustafa Nadarević, Bata Živojinović, Boris Dvornik, Ljubiša Samardžić, Dragan Nikolić and Rade Šerbedžija, while Milena Dravić, Neda Arnerić, Mira Furlan and Ena Begović were notable actresses. Acclaimed film directors included: Emir Kusturica, Dušan Makavejev, Goran Marković, Lordan Zafranović, Goran Paskaljević, Živojin Pavlović and Hajrudin Krvavac. Many Yugoslav films featured eminent foreign actors such as Orson Welles and Yul Brynner in the Academy Award nominated The Battle of Neretva, and Richard Burton in Sutjeska. Also, many foreign films were shot on locations in Yugoslavia including domestic crews, such as Force 10 from Navarone starring Harrison Ford, Robert Shaw and Franco Nero, Armour of God starring Jackie Chan, as well as Escape from Sobibor starring Alan Arkin, Joanna Pacuła and Rutger Hauer. Pula Film Festival was a notable film festival.

References

1. DeCuir, G. (2010). Black Wave polemics: rhetoric as aesthetic. Studies in Eastern European Cinema, 1(1), 85–96. https://doi.org/10.1386/seec.1.1.85/1

2. Horton, A. (1987). The Rise and Fall of the Yugoslav Partisan Film: Cinematic Perceptions of a National Identity. Film Criticism, 12(2), 18–27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44077589

3. Hamblin, S. (2014). A Cinema of Revolt: Black Wave Revolution and Dušan Makavejev’s Politics of Disgust. Cinema Journal, 53(4), 28–52. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43653674