Black cat, white cat

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Movie
German title Black cat, white cat
Original title Crna mačka, beli mačor
Country of production Germany , France , Yugoslavia
original language Romanes , Serbian
Publishing year 1998
length 123 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Emir Kusturica
script Gordan Mihić
production Karl Baumgartner
music Dr. Nele Karajlić ,
Vojislav Aralica ,
Dejan Sparavalo
camera Thierry Arbogast
cut Svetolik Mika Zajc ,
Mirjana Kicović
occupation

Black cat, white cat (original title: Crna mačka, beli mačor ) is a 1998 film by Emir Kusturica . The comedy tells about the "gypsy" Matko and his son Zare. While Matko tries to get rich in one fell swoop with the help of the gangster Dadan, Zare falls in love with Ida. At the 1998 Venice International Film Festival , Kusturica received the Silver Lion for Best Director .

action

Matko Destanov borrows money from his father's best friend, Grga Pitić. He finally wants to earn some real money by buying several wagons with illegal gasoline. Grga Pitić even gives it to him on condition that he report how the coup actually went. Matko could buy three of the total of 20 expected gasoline wagons and let his acquaintance, the mafioso Dadan, who shows off his wealth, know about his plan, who then invested in the remaining wagons. But in the actual coup everything goes wrong for Matko: Dadan, who stuns him, makes all 20 wagons disappear and claims them to himself. He tells Matko, who wakes up, that no train has arrived. And the money given by Grga Pitić has also disappeared - Dadan suddenly has numerous large banknotes. Since Matko cannot repay the money Dadan has invested in the wagons, he is supposed to marry off his son Zare to Dadan's sister Aphrodita - otherwise he is a dead man. The problem: Zare doesn't want to and Dadan's sister is also known as a “garden gnome” because of her small size. Nevertheless, Matko agrees.

Meanwhile, Zare has come to know and love the fun-loving Ida. He is all the more appalled about the decision to marry. His grandfather Zarije also wants to prevent this without endangering Matko's life. He manages to die on the appointed wedding day. According to tradition, a mourning period of 40 days would have to be observed, but Dadan insists on the wedding and Zarije is literally "put on ice": Matko stores the body secretly and chilled with blocks of ice in the attic. The wedding celebration takes place, but Aphrodita manages to escape shortly after the wedding.

Meanwhile, Grga Pitić and his grandchildren, tall Grga Veliki and fat Grga Mali, are on their way to Matko. When he asked for money, Grga Pitić had told him that Zarije had died and was hoping for Grga Pitić's pity. He now wants to visit the grave of his best friend. His grandson Grga Veliki in turn worries him because he cannot find a wife - the lanky giant Véliki has precise ideas about his great love, which should be as small as possible. When he meets the fleeing Aphrodita, it is both the longed-for love at first sight. The wedding party also arrives and after a brief exchange of fire it is clear that there will be a new double wedding: Grga Veliki and Aphrodita as well as Zare and Ida will get married.

The second wedding event is being prepared. Shortly before the double wedding, however, the old Grga Pitić dies and is put in the attic with the late Zarije. Here the two friends suddenly wake up again in a miraculous way. Grga Véliki and Aphrodita are married while Tsare and Ida decide to flee the village. Without further ado they kidnap the registrar and cross over to a passing luxury liner. They are then married on the journey. At the end of the day, Zare and Ida played a special trick on Dadan, who on Grga Pitić's instructions had to repay all the crooked money to Matko: In revenge for his behavior, they sawed the outhouse and had him administered laxatives. Dadan falls into the cesspool and becomes the mockery of the wedding guests present.

criticism

“At first, Western European viewers sit in the cinema with their mouths open and are amazed: at the absurd characters, the ugly faces, the grotesque story. And that's how it should be in Europe? But after half an hour at the latest, the cinema magician Kusturica has cast a spell over the viewer: You want to move to the Danube immediately and live a gypsy life. A crazy film that makes your heart warm. "

- TV Movie 03/1999

"The orgiastic fusion of music and narrative form serves to evoke a vital zest for life through which a distant commentary on the megalomania of Emir Kusturica's generation shimmers through."

- film service 02/1999

“Powerful family grotesque. You might like this film if you liked Fellini's Roma and Gadjo Dilo . "

- Cinema 02/1999

"A homage to the Sinti culture with the charm of a peasant swan."

- Der Spiegel 02/1999

background

Filming began in the late summer of 1996 in Slovenia and on the Danube in Surduk ( Serbia ). The plan to be ready by the end of October could not be kept as the action takes place almost exclusively outdoors. The shooting had to be interrupted due to the bad weather conditions in Yugoslavia and could not be finished until the following year. The remaining recordings were made up between June and October 1997. Post production took place in the first half of 1998.

literature

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