Pavle Vujisic Movies
- 1970
This Russian tale is based on a short story by Anton Chekhov. It is the story of a farmer and his grandson who are on their way to the fair where they hope to sell their horse. En route they are chased through the dark forest by a ravenous wolf. Somehow they make it to the ferry that will take them to town, but while on board, the ferryman tells them to watch out for the gamekeeper and his kin. After selling their horse, the pair head for home. Again they are in the forest, when the gamekeeper takes off after them. The old farmer falls to the ground, exhausted by their flight. He gives the money from the horse to his grandson and tells him to run. The boy obeys. Unfortunately, he runs right into the evil gamekeeper's cabin. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
This Yugoslavian film, by Macedonian filmmaker Cenevski, explores the fate of partisans relegated to Greek concentration camps after the Greek Civil War in 1946. Basically, those imprisoned were accused of being communists, and they included in their number some Greek-speaking Macedonians. Even though many were accused of being communists, and many in fact were communists, one of the ironic truths of these situations is that their lives depended on avoiding any admission of this fact. Prisoners in these camps were treated brutally. This story focuses on the endurance and possible survival of a bald, brave peasant. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1982
When a young man joins the Yugoslavian Air Force as a test pilot he has several strikes against him, in spite of his love of flying: his father was a pilot who died in a crash caused by a storm, his mother does not want him to fly, and his girlfriend (a ballerina) is not exactly enthusiastic about his chosen profession. The fellow is caught in a storm himself one day, and as his mother and girlfriend wait anxiously on the ground for news of his flight, he is fighting the storm and trying his best to land safely, all the while remembering how his father had died. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zarko Radic, Miodrag Radovanovic, (more)
Filmed in Yugoslavia, Do You Remember Dolly Bell? is set in the Sarajevo of the mid-1960s. When the government begins relaxing its hold on individual rights, many citizens don't quite know how to handle their sudden freedom. The film concentrates on the effect an onslaught of Western culture (movies, music, clothing, creature comforts) has on a previously "sheltered" group of young Slavs. The main characters also adapt to the Sexual Revolution in a series of romantic (and lightly censorable) setpieces. Originally released in 1981, Do You Remember Dolly Bell won the Golden Lion award for Best First Film at the Venice Film Festival, the first of several such honors for its director, Emir Kusturica. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Slavko Stimac, Ljiljana Blagojevic, (more)
- 1971
Of commissars and peasants, there are many tales told. This Yugoslavian film explores the many-sided character not only of those seeking to bring communist collectivism to a rural village, but of those being changed, the peasants. Each side brings its own mix of humor, kindness, and cruelty into the exchange. The movie seems to say that there are no villainous groups, only individuals. A stern but fair commissar attempts to bring order to a small village which is about to be flooded; he is "aided" by brutal soldiers, and resisted by hard-headed peasants. For his pains, he is beaten, mutilated, and left for dead before the floods come. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1960
This is a humorous, effective comedy by Zorz Skrigin that easily takes advantage of the normal European's love of soccer as well as the normal Yugoslav's need for comic relief after all the war movies that country churns out. The jokes are a mixed bag but welcome, and they are lightened by the presence of several attractive women in the story. Comrade President Center-Forward is still mainly a product of its own time and place, more likely to amuse Yugoslav audiences than those in the Bronx. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mija Aleksic, Olivera Markovic, (more)
- 1979
Four young friends who have served with distinction during the war return to school afterwards to complete their education. Their hijinks set the town on its ear, until a lad who is all set to be married stumbles upon a band of holdout Chetniks and is killed. The other three skillfully hunt down the renegades and eventually complete their studies, considerably soberer. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milan Gutovic, Beba Loncar, (more)
- 1981
A Muslim frontier guard for the Ottoman Empire in the mid-18th century is faced with decisions that he must make based on his limited knowledge of Turkish law, and of the political and religious tenets of the Serbs on the other side of the border in Bosnia Herzogovina. As a consequence of his ignorance and the harsh laws of the times, he first saves a woman from being raped and then kills her, since she has been disgraced -- an act that was motivated by adherence to the law but that leaves him in a tortured state of mind. In another violent encounter, he captures a few Greek Orthodox monks, burns their Bible, and then kills one of them. His murderous "duties" as a border guard begin to weigh more heavily on his conscience when he falls in love with a woman traveling with others through the country. His violence, willing or not, catches up with him in the end as he comes across the bodies of soldiers that had been massacred, and he must fight the forces that did the deed, no matter what the odds. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dusan Janicijevic, Pavle Vujisic, (more)
- 1977
Partisans battle Chetniks in World War II Yugoslavia in this film which illuminates the characters of individuals on both sides of the conflict more than is usual. In the story, the group of partisans being followed is slowly decimated by their conflicts. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rade Serbedzija, Pavle Vujisic, (more)
- 1983
In this standard action film, a taxi driver who was once a boxer comes up against the drug world when he discovers that his wife is an addict. He wants to see that those who are responsible for her plight get their due, and as events unfold, all the Belgrade taxis have to turn out in force to help him win the day against the gangsters. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Velimir "Bata" Zivojinovic, Svetlana Bojkovic, (more)
- 1969
Set in the Yugoslav province of Herzegovina this crime drama follows a gang of thugs as they terrorize the locals, the tourists, and young women. The delinquent boys pay special attention to the newest girl in town who sells newspapers, and wager over which one of them will have her first. One boy is genuinely interested in her. When she spurns him, the other boys brutally gang rape her while her rejected suitor helplessly watches. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milena Dravic, Pavle Vujisic, (more)
- 1982
In a series of humorous anecdotes, the life of a down-to-earth teacher and his class of orphans in a one-room Yugoslavian schoolhouse is filled with the most unlikely events. The class continues between late 1944 to the summer of 1945, and much happens during that time. The school's cook and mascot of sorts is a German POW, the teacher gets involved with saving the grandfather of one of his students from an undeserved retribution, and he gets the gift of a pig in return. The pig, however, may have a brief lifespan as food is in very short supply. As the students and teacher face a lack of food and many other hardships together, bonds are forged which will make it difficult to break up as summer approaches. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dragan Nikolic, Ena Begovic, (more)
- 1969
Serbian and Mohammedan villages engage in a war with each other as religious and cultural differences result in conflict. The two groups set aside their dispute and unite to fight the invading Nazis. A Serbian Commissar works tirelessly to mediate the conflict, but it is not until he saves the life of a Moslem soldier that favorable compromise is reached. The groups concentrate on driving away the enemy before going back to their own long-running feud in this dramatic war feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Buzancic, Pavle Vujisic, (more)
- 1980
Also known as Who's That Singing Over There?, this bittersweet 1980 comedy was released in its native Yugoslavia as Ko To Tamo Peva. The time is 1941: a crowded bus travels over unpaved Yugoslavian terrain. In the manner of Stagecoach, the audience comes to know and grow fond of the various passengers: the lovers, the politician, the eccentrics, etc (each character is played by a well-known Yugoslav movie personality). The film's genial mood is unexpectedly shattered when a Nazi bomb scores a direct hit on the bus. The only surviving passengers are a pair of travelling gypsy musicians--hence the film's title. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pavle Vujisic, Dragan Nikolic, (more)
- 1962
Based on a Anton Chekhov short story, this slight tale has some good moments as the drama of a young boy's journey unfolds. The lad comes from peasant stock, and one day his family decides it would be best for him to go live with his uncle in the city. The only problem is that the city is all the way across the Russian steppes, and at this time in history, that arduous journey could only be undertaken by horse and carriage. Reminiscent of the American pioneer wagon trains heading West, the tale lacks any attacks from hostile forces but is filled with charming vignettes. In one part of the journey, the boy comes across some fishermen along a river, harpooning their catch for the day. In another segment, he is entertained when some folk dancers do a lively show. But in general, it is too long and unmomentous a journey to hold attention well for nearly two hours. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Vanel, Marina Vlady, (more)
- 1977
In this gentle comedy, an adolescent boy manages (largely by accident) to remain virginal. Despite his unravaged condition, he is increasingly awake to the erotic possibilities which surround him, even though he is not yet prepared to take advantage of them. He has had his eye on the stock-girl at the grocery store he works in, and a neighbor-lady thinks he might have a crush on her because he left some flowers on her doorstep. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zoran Cvijanovic, Pavle Vujisic, (more)
- 1981
In just one 24-hour period, the workers and students at a Czech school are thrown into an upheaval because of a few disconnected events. The housekeeper/custodian at the school is retiring and since everyone found out rather late, a hasty retirement party is being put together at the last minute. Amidst the frenzied activity of preparations, an inspector is wandering here and there to check out accusations of sexual harassment against the assistant director. The protagonists are hard-put to pull off a successful party, and they resolve the accusations before the school comes apart at the seams. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Semka Sokolovic-Bertok, Bogdan Diklic, (more)
- 1968
This tragic drama finds a young woman kidnapped by a malicious Turkish Bey who wishes to add her to his harem. Yugoslavians unite to take back the girl, who is killed by the Bey at her own wedding. As Turkish oppression continues, the widowed bridegroom heads for the hill to join the rebel insurgents against the Turkish occupation of their homeland. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Risto Siskov, Vera Cukic, (more)
- 1982
Sometimes handling the dead can be almost as difficult as handling the living, according to the Topalovic family and its many members -- from great-grandparents on down. They are losing ground in the fight to keep their cemetery business from going under and have had to make a clandestine alliance with n'er-do-well entrepreneurs that will supply them with recycled coffins at a cheap price -- an alliance that has kept the family in heavy debt to the grave-digging crooks. Meanwhile, young Mirko Topalovic has fallen in love with the daughter of one of the increasingly wealthy partners in the used coffin business. She works for a movie theater as a pianist (it is the era when silents are on the way out) and the owner of the theater has not yet fired her and switched to talkies because he wants her for himself. He suggests that they make a movie together -- an erotic movie he thinks to himself -- but seduction is his only goal. When Mirko starts to help out in this movie project, he comes to realize what is actually going on and overpowered by rage, he kills the woman and the theater owner. Puffed up with his aggressive deed, he goes home to convince the Topalovic family that they have to take up arms against the usurious grave-diggers -- and a wild and bloody melée ensues that will determine the fate of the family. Jelisaveta Sablic won the "Best Actress" award at the 1982 Pula Film Festival for her role as the sought-after female lead in this film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bogdan Diklic, Danilo "Bata" Stojkovic, (more)
- 1983
This weak story about a country oaf who goes after a con artist because the guy ran off with his girlfriend is the occasion for several sexual encounters between the innocent country boy and the bad women in the city -- though in the end, the exhausted fellow realizes that an honest and pure life is the best. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Slobodan Milovanovic
- 1961
Strictly for the local audiences, this home-grown comedy by Yugoslav director Milo Dunkanovic plays upon one of the problems common to several crowded cities of the world -- the difficulty of finding any housing at all. Apparently this is a critical issue in Yugoslavia because the setting for this fanciful tale is an apartment that is home to a few extended families -- a place that would have been meant for only one, normal family. One of the married men has an entertaining dream related to the issue which provides an opportunity to expand on the situation. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pavle Vujisic
- 1984
In this amusing political satire, director Predrag Antonijevic parodies two hypocritical party chairmen in a small village, and by inference, the Yugoslavian political system on a broader scale. The first chairman of the people's council occupies his time rather dubiously -- by throwing grenades into a stream to kill off many fish at once (a well-known, illegal technique, usually done with dynamite). One day the chairman finds an unexploded bomb, and, in the process of trying to extract its gunpowder, he blows himself up and not the fish. Villagers ignore how he died, call him a hero, and name a school after him. The next party chairman is out for serious reform and begins a campaign to awaken the peasants to class consciousness -- and in turn, dies an ignominious death. Once more, the villagers laud their dearly departed chairman in terms that none could really believe, and life goes on as they wait for the next chairman to take up whatever erratic, illegal, or extreme behavior he prefers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zvonko Lepetic, Radmila Zivkovic, (more)
