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Information
- Year
- 1995
- Runtime
- 170 min.
- Director
- Emir Kusturica
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy, War
- Rating *
- 8.1
- Votes *
- 43,366
- Checks
- 5,733
- Favs
- 790
- Dislikes
- 66
- Favs/checks
- 13.8% (1:7)
- Favs/dislikes
- 12:1
Top comments
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Scratch47
Madness. Sheer madness. Telling the tale of some Yugoslav gun runner rebels who escape World War II by entering a bunker - and who stay underground as a resistance long after the war has ended - this is a cinematic trip and a half. It flips tragedy and comedy around in a tumble dryer, after all, the characters are not just losing their soul, but their mind. It's black surreal comedy with a dash of despondent screwball lunacy, populated by a downtrodden cast of characters who know their entire world is coming loose at the hinges, literally surrounded by animals, in one scene reduced to screaming like them in the dark. There's slapstick and a fleet-of-foot tone, but any lightness ultimately can only be attributed to the feeling of a nervous breakdown. The actors have supreme awareness of the dynamics required, and carry this deranged clown car of a film right up until the poignant ending where fantasy collides with reality again,Sure, war is hell, but hell has room for those too crazy to be monsters. I particularly loved the central character crashing in upon the filming of his own biography - and the hilarious meta-instances of one particular character's 'refusal to die'.
It takes a lot of bravery to take such an angle on your countries' history, but I was transfixed throughout a near 3 hour running time. Watch it or you'll be 'always hanging yourself'. Oh, and I can't leave without mentioning the amazing score - or the pet chimp. 8 years 8 months ago -
Gecekurdu
Five-hour mini-series exist which available as an extra on both the BFI and Kino Lorber Blu-ray releases:
“Bila jednom jedna zemlja” 3 years 11 months ago -
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 11 official lists
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This movie ranks #27 in iCheckMovies's 1990s Top 100
iCheckMovies's 1990s Top…
27 -
This movie ranks #33 in IMDb's Fantasy Top 50
IMDb's Fantasy Top 50
33 -
This movie ranks #44 in IMDb's War Top 50
IMDb's War Top 50
44 -
This movie ranks #48 in IMDb's 1990s Top 50
IMDb's 1990s Top 50
48 -
This movie ranks #67 in Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or
Cannes Film Festival - P…
67 -
This movie ranks #236 in iCheckMovies's Most Favorited
iCheckMovies's Most Favo…
236 -
This movie ranks #297 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…
297 -
This movie ranks #341 in 366 Weird Movies
366 Weird Movies
341 -
This movie ranks #600 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time
Sight & Sound's The Grea…
600 -
This movie ranks #894 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See…
894 -
This movie ranks #923 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…
923