Underground (film)
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| Directed by | Emir Kusturica |
| Produced by | Pierre Spengler |
| Written by | Dušan Kovačević Emir Kusturica |
| Starring | Miki Manojlović Lazar Ristovski Mirjana Joković Slavko Štimac |
| Music by | Goran Bregović |
| Release date(s) |  May, 1995 (Cannes premiere) 26 December 1995 8 March 1996 20 June 1997 |
| Running time | 167 min. |
| Language | Serbian |
| IMDb profile | |
Underground is a 1995 film directed by Emir Kusturica with a screenplay by Dušan Kovačević. Its original Serbian title is Bila jednom jedna zemlja, which means Once Upon a Time There Was a Country. The film uses the story of two friends to depict the history of Yugoslavia since the Second World War. The film was an international co-production between companies in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, France, Germany and Hungary.
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[edit] Plot
Buddies Marko and Blacky (Crni), are hard to take seriously. All they want to do is party their lives away. However, the Nazi shelling of Belgrade changes everything, and the resourceful duo comes up with an ingenious plan: one will stay aboveground while the other goes underground. The arrangement represents an ideal opportunity for all concerned: Blacky, his wife, and the rest of their friends and neighbors will be protected from the chaos going on above, while Marko and Natalija will sell the weapons they're making down below. Everyone will share in the profits.
However, Marko neglects to mention to Blacky and the rest of the subterranean families that the Second World War has ended, and he makes a profit on the black market selling the weapons. Many years later, in the ealy 1990s, Blacky, along with his son Ivan, emerge from underground. But the Yugoslav wars are now happening, so when they see military convoys, building rubble, and chaos around them, they believe that Second World War never stopped.
In an accident, Ivan dies drowning in a river while Blacky is teaching him to swim. Blacky, now a rogue military leader in Bosnia, spends the remainder of his life looking for him. Meanwhile, Marko also has a tragic end. In a very surreal ending, all friends and family are reunited at Ivan’s wedding.
[edit] Cast
- Miki Manojlović ... Marko Dren
- Lazar Ristovski ... Petar Popara 'Crni'
- Mirjana Joković ... Natalija Zovkov
- Slavko Štimac ... Ivan
- Ernst Stötzner ... Franz
- Srđan Todorović ... Jovan
- Mirjana Karanović ... Vera
- Milena Pavlović ... Jelena
- Bata Stojković ... Grandfather
- Bora Todorović ... Golub
- Davor Dujmović ... Natalija's Brother
- Dr. Nele Karajlić ... Falling Gypsy
- Branislav Lečić ... Mustafa
- Dragan Nikolić ... Film Director
- Erol Kadić ... Janez
[edit] Awards
- 1995 Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival
- Best Foreign Film of 1997 at the National Society of Film Critics
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Underground at the Internet Movie Database
- Underground at All Movie Guide
- Underground at Rotten Tomatoes
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Films by Emir Kusturica
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| Do You Remember Dolly Bell? • When Father Was Away on Business • Time of the Gypsies • Arizona Dream Underground • Black Cat, White Cat • Super 8 Stories • Life Is a Miracle • Maradona • Promise Me This |
| Preceded by Pulp Fiction |
Palme d'Or 1995 |
Succeeded by Secrets & Lies |
