A roundup of news from the inaugural St Petersburg International Media Forum includes a busy French delegation and a local controversy brewing over Leviathan.
The King Of Madagascar, a kind of Russian answer to the pirate adventure films à la Pirates of the Caribbean, is being set up as a $ 16m international co-production by producer-director Oleg Ryaskov’s Moscow-based Bft Movie.
Speaking at the opening of St Petersburg International Media Forum’s (Spimf) co-production market this morning, producer Ryaskov revealed that the project - which is based on real historical events abouta Russian expedition by Peter The Great to the island of Madagascar in danger of being thwarted by Great Britain’s King George - has Spain’s Smartline Spain and the Us casting company Scott Carlson Entertainment on board as partners and is currently in talks with French and German production companies to join.
Ryaskov added that he intends to have American, European and Russian...
The King Of Madagascar, a kind of Russian answer to the pirate adventure films à la Pirates of the Caribbean, is being set up as a $ 16m international co-production by producer-director Oleg Ryaskov’s Moscow-based Bft Movie.
Speaking at the opening of St Petersburg International Media Forum’s (Spimf) co-production market this morning, producer Ryaskov revealed that the project - which is based on real historical events abouta Russian expedition by Peter The Great to the island of Madagascar in danger of being thwarted by Great Britain’s King George - has Spain’s Smartline Spain and the Us casting company Scott Carlson Entertainment on board as partners and is currently in talks with French and German production companies to join.
Ryaskov added that he intends to have American, European and Russian...
- 10/6/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
A roundup of news from the inaugural St Petersburg International Media Forum includes a busy French delegation and a local controversy brewing over Leviathan.
The King Of Madagascar, a kind of Russian answer to the pirate adventure films à la Pirates of the Caribbean, is being set up as a $ 16m international co-production by producer-director Oleg Ryaskov’s Moscow-based Bft Movie.
Speaking at the opening of St Petersburg International Media Forum’s (Spimf) co-production market this morning, producer Ryaskov revealed that the project - which is based on real historical events abouta Russian expedition by Peter The Great to the island of Madagascar in danger of being thwarted by Great Britain’s King George - has Spain’s Smartline Spain and the Us casting company Scott Carlson Entertainment on board as partners and is currently in talks with French and German production companies to join.
Ryaskov added that he intends to have American, European and Russian...
The King Of Madagascar, a kind of Russian answer to the pirate adventure films à la Pirates of the Caribbean, is being set up as a $ 16m international co-production by producer-director Oleg Ryaskov’s Moscow-based Bft Movie.
Speaking at the opening of St Petersburg International Media Forum’s (Spimf) co-production market this morning, producer Ryaskov revealed that the project - which is based on real historical events abouta Russian expedition by Peter The Great to the island of Madagascar in danger of being thwarted by Great Britain’s King George - has Spain’s Smartline Spain and the Us casting company Scott Carlson Entertainment on board as partners and is currently in talks with French and German production companies to join.
Ryaskov added that he intends to have American, European and Russian...
- 10/6/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
With Johnny Depp almost completely giving up his once considerable character acting chops these days – being happy and content enough to spend his days as a paycheck/blockbuster actor – his attachment to play Mexican Revolutionist Pancho Villa in an obscure, Spanish-language performance piece, always looked vulnerable for the chop. And so it is with little surprise that news has filtered through from a Serbian site (via Bleeding Cool) that Depp has dropped the challenging project from his schedule and is no longer attached.
Thankfully, even without his former star, director Emir Kusturica (who worked with Depp way back in 1993 with Arizona Dream) still intends to make the film and there’s interest from two of Depp’s more interesting peers who are now circling the project, namely Benicio Del Toro and Gael Garica Bernal – both of whom have memorably played another revolutionist on film, Che Guevara!
Director Kusturica is to...
Thankfully, even without his former star, director Emir Kusturica (who worked with Depp way back in 1993 with Arizona Dream) still intends to make the film and there’s interest from two of Depp’s more interesting peers who are now circling the project, namely Benicio Del Toro and Gael Garica Bernal – both of whom have memorably played another revolutionist on film, Che Guevara!
Director Kusturica is to...
- 2/22/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Serbian director Emir Kusturica is in talks with Johnny Depp to star as the infamous Mexican revolutionary hero Pancho Villa. The upcoming Spanish-language biopic is titled "Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers." Kusturica wrote the script with his regular collaborator Gordan Mihic. The script is based on the biographical novel "The Friends of Pancho Villa," in which author James Carlos Blake recounts Villa.s wild days robbing the rich with his men.Shooting would not start until 2011 due to Depp's prior workload. The film will be shot partly in Mexico.According to Variety, Salma Hayek is in talks to co-star.Depp starred in Kusturica.s indie film "Arizona Dream" in 1993 alongside Faye Dunaway and Jerry Lewis.
- 12/5/2009
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Serbian director Emir Kusturica is in advanced negotiations for Johnny Depp to take on the title role in Mexican revolutionary hero Pancho Villa biopic.
Johnny Depp
The movie, based on the biographical novel “The Friends of Pancho Villa” written by author James Carlos Blake, is titled “Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers.”
James Carlos Blake recounts how Villa and his loyal companions had the time of their lives robbing from the rich, partying, dancing, drinking Tequila, and making love.
The script, which is written by Kusturica and Gordan Mihic is completed, although lensing is not set to start until 2011 due to Depp’s prior commitments.
The drama, which revolves around an early 20th Century bandit who became a guerilla fighter and hero to the poor, will have Depp acting in Spanish. The Spanish-language biopic will be shot partly in Mexico.
Villa has previously been played onscreen by Antonio Banderas,...
Johnny Depp
The movie, based on the biographical novel “The Friends of Pancho Villa” written by author James Carlos Blake, is titled “Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers.”
James Carlos Blake recounts how Villa and his loyal companions had the time of their lives robbing from the rich, partying, dancing, drinking Tequila, and making love.
The script, which is written by Kusturica and Gordan Mihic is completed, although lensing is not set to start until 2011 due to Depp’s prior commitments.
The drama, which revolves around an early 20th Century bandit who became a guerilla fighter and hero to the poor, will have Depp acting in Spanish. The Spanish-language biopic will be shot partly in Mexico.
Villa has previously been played onscreen by Antonio Banderas,...
- 12/4/2009
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
Captain Jack Sparrow isn't the only daring adventurer in Johnny Depp's repertoire, as the actor plans on bringing his own unique spin to the historical Mexican revolutionary hero Pancho Villa.
According to Variety, Depp will star as Villa in an upcoming biopic titled "Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman with Six Fingers," which is easily one of the longest, most terrific titles I've heard for a prominent film in the past couple of years.
Depp will share the screen with Salma Hayek, who is in "advanced talks" to star in "Pancho Villa," most likely as the titular woman with six fingers. Does that mean she only has six fingers total, or six fingers on one hand ala "The Princess Bride"? All six fingers are crossed for the latter.
The film comes courtesy of Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica and screenwriter Gordan Mihic, based on the novel "The Friends...
According to Variety, Depp will star as Villa in an upcoming biopic titled "Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman with Six Fingers," which is easily one of the longest, most terrific titles I've heard for a prominent film in the past couple of years.
Depp will share the screen with Salma Hayek, who is in "advanced talks" to star in "Pancho Villa," most likely as the titular woman with six fingers. Does that mean she only has six fingers total, or six fingers on one hand ala "The Princess Bride"? All six fingers are crossed for the latter.
The film comes courtesy of Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica and screenwriter Gordan Mihic, based on the novel "The Friends...
- 12/4/2009
- by Josh Wigler
- MTV Movies Blog
<a href='http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012121.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&ref=bd_film' target=_blank>Variety</a> reports that Johnny Depp is in advance talks to star in Emir Kusturica's
Total Videos: (0)
Total Images: (0)');">Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers.Emir Kusturica has collaborated with Gordan Mihic in writing a script which is now completed but due to Depp's prior commitments filming wont begin till 2011. Also Salma Hayek is in advance negotiations to co-star Johnny Depp. Who is she playing? The woman with Six Fingers? Well she has played a woman with beard in
Total Videos: (22)
Total Images: (23)');">Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, so playing one with an extra finger shouldn't be that hard!Emir Kusturica and Johnny Depp worked together in Arizona Dream in 1993 and this will mark their second collaboration on big screen.
Total Videos: (0)
Total Images: (0)');">Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers.Emir Kusturica has collaborated with Gordan Mihic in writing a script which is now completed but due to Depp's prior commitments filming wont begin till 2011. Also Salma Hayek is in advance negotiations to co-star Johnny Depp. Who is she playing? The woman with Six Fingers? Well she has played a woman with beard in
Total Videos: (22)
Total Images: (23)');">Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, so playing one with an extra finger shouldn't be that hard!Emir Kusturica and Johnny Depp worked together in Arizona Dream in 1993 and this will mark their second collaboration on big screen.
- 12/4/2009
- Films N Movies
Everyone’s favorite actor (at least the 6500 screaming girls at Comic-Con’s favorite) Johnny Depp is going from the lovable pirate Jack Sparrow to playing the revolutionary Poncho Villa, considerably one of the most challenging roles in his career.
Variety, reports that the actor is in advanced negotiations to play the real life Pancho Villa in Serbian director Emir Kusturica’s upcoming biopic Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers.
Also being reported to join the cast is Salma Hayek. Kusturica co-wrote the film with his screenwriting partner Gordan Mihic.
The biopic revolves around an early 20th Century bandit who became a guerilla fighter and hero to the poor, the trade reports that they will have Depp acting in Spanish. The story will be based on the biographical novel ‘The Friends of Pancho Villa‘, which was written by James Carlos Blake and recounts how Villa and...
Variety, reports that the actor is in advanced negotiations to play the real life Pancho Villa in Serbian director Emir Kusturica’s upcoming biopic Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers.
Also being reported to join the cast is Salma Hayek. Kusturica co-wrote the film with his screenwriting partner Gordan Mihic.
The biopic revolves around an early 20th Century bandit who became a guerilla fighter and hero to the poor, the trade reports that they will have Depp acting in Spanish. The story will be based on the biographical novel ‘The Friends of Pancho Villa‘, which was written by James Carlos Blake and recounts how Villa and...
- 12/4/2009
- by Kevin Coll
- FusedFilm
Johnny Depp's looking to get back into the world of biopics, eyeing a role as Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa for Serbian director Emir Kusturica, with whom he worked on 1993's Arizona Dream.Kusturica's film will not only boast Depp in the leading role (and Salma Hayek, if she signs as a co-star), but also plans to enter the competition against Percy Jackson for Longest Movie Title, as it's currently lumbered with the moniker Seven Friends Of Pancho Villa And The Woman With Six Fingers. Catchy!The director and his co-writer Gordan Mihic based their script on James Carlos Blake's novel The Friends Of Pancho Villa, which chronicles both the man's life of fighting the good fight, robbing the nasty rich and making with the sweet lady-pleasing love. Everything will have to wait a while though: Depp's not available until 2011, so Kusturica will have the time to shoot an entire...
- 12/4/2009
- EmpireOnline
Director Emir Kusturica is hard at work on his biopic Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers, and part of that work is to bring Johnny Depp on board. According to Variety, Depp and Kusturica are in "advanced negotiations" for the former to star as Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. Written by Kusturica and Gordan Mihic, the script for Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers is based on the novel The Friends of Pancho Villa, a biographical novel by James Carlos Blake that recounts both Villa's life as a fight and as a lover. If Depp were to sign on to the role, filming wouldn't begin 2011 thanks to his prior film commitments. Kusturica will also be hard at work filming Cool Water, a black comedy about a Palestinian stripper who returns home when her father dies. Source: Variety...
- 12/3/2009
- LRMonline.com
Johnny Depp is in negotiations to play Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary hero, for director Emir Kusturica. The film is going to be called "Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers."
Kusturica co-wrote the script with Gordan Mihic, but production is not set to start until 2011 because of Depp's busy schedule.
Salma Hayek is also in talks to co-star.
Variety told us that "the Spanish-language biopic is to be shot partly in Mexico, where Villa -- an early 20th-century bandit who became a guerilla fighter and a hero to the poor -- is an iconic historical figure. Depp will act in Spanish, Kusturica said."
Depp previously worked with Kusturica in the 1993 flick "Arizona Dream."...
Kusturica co-wrote the script with Gordan Mihic, but production is not set to start until 2011 because of Depp's busy schedule.
Salma Hayek is also in talks to co-star.
Variety told us that "the Spanish-language biopic is to be shot partly in Mexico, where Villa -- an early 20th-century bandit who became a guerilla fighter and a hero to the poor -- is an iconic historical figure. Depp will act in Spanish, Kusturica said."
Depp previously worked with Kusturica in the 1993 flick "Arizona Dream."...
- 12/3/2009
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Serbian director Emir Kusturica is negotiating to hire actor Johnny Depp to play strong-arm Mexican revolutionary 'Pancho Villa' for the Spanish-language biopic "Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers."
The film will be lensed in Mexico where Villa lived.
Screenplay was written by Kusturica and Gordan Mihic, based on the biographical novel "The Friends of Pancho Villa".
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula, aka 'Pancho Villa', was one of the first Mexican Revolutionary generals. As a commander of the 'División del Norte' (Division of the North), he was in charge of the Northern Mexican state of Chihuahua which, given its size, mineral wealth, and proximity to the Us, gave him great power among the locals.
Us General John J. Pershing tried to capture Villa after a year in pursuit, but Villa and his supporters, aka 'Villistas', used firing squads against their enemies, seizing hacienda...
The film will be lensed in Mexico where Villa lived.
Screenplay was written by Kusturica and Gordan Mihic, based on the biographical novel "The Friends of Pancho Villa".
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula, aka 'Pancho Villa', was one of the first Mexican Revolutionary generals. As a commander of the 'División del Norte' (Division of the North), he was in charge of the Northern Mexican state of Chihuahua which, given its size, mineral wealth, and proximity to the Us, gave him great power among the locals.
Us General John J. Pershing tried to capture Villa after a year in pursuit, but Villa and his supporters, aka 'Villistas', used firing squads against their enemies, seizing hacienda...
- 12/3/2009
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Johnny Depp is in talks to start in the Pancho Villa biopic which is being helmed by Emir Kusturica. If they come to an agreement the film will start shooting in 2011 due to Depp’s previous commitments (Pirates 4?). The script has been completed by Gordan Mihic, so everything is essentially just waiting on the man himself.
I think this would be a tremendous role for Depp to really show off his acting chops which we have all seen many times before. Not sure about the ridiculously long name though, but with Depp in, you are almost guaranteed a hit. Thanks to Variety for the heads up.
I think this would be a tremendous role for Depp to really show off his acting chops which we have all seen many times before. Not sure about the ridiculously long name though, but with Depp in, you are almost guaranteed a hit. Thanks to Variety for the heads up.
- 12/3/2009
- by Scott
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Johnny Depp is in negotiations to play Pancho Villa. I hope this still leaves him time to play Sancho Panza whenever Terry Gilliam.s Don Quixote movie relaunches. One way or another, he.s speaking Spanish. Variety says the Pancho Villa movie in question is a biopic called Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers. According to my sources this may be the coolest title for a biopic ever. Wait, yes, I.ve just confirmed it. This is indeed the coolest ever title for a biopic. Take that Walk the Line. Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers will be directed by Serbian Emir Kusturica who recently completed the script with help from a dude named Gordan Mihic. It.s based on a biographical novel with a similar and yet infinitely less cool name. They.re hoping to start shooting on 2011 though...
- 12/3/2009
- cinemablend.com
- It's nice to see that Emir Kusturica is turning the page on a failed documentary film based on a certain soccer god from Argentina and is now looking to explore a legend from Mexico, after all -- the last time I was excited by a film that the enigmatic filmmaker was with what is now a distant memory in Black Cat, White Cat. If all goes as planned, Kusturica's Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers would include a version/vision of Pancho Villa with Javier Bardem in mind. Based on the novel "The Friends of Pancho Villa" by James Carlos, the screenplay by Kusturica and co-contributor Gordan Mihic would start shooting late 2009/early 2010 in Mexico, Spain and some interiors in Serbia. Production house Fidelite will produce....
- 2/6/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY -- The battle between the sexes rises to ludicrous heights in Absurdistan, an attempt at comic allegory that stretches a thin premise to feature length. A film best suited to the international festival circuit, it might find a welcome at European-friendly fests before potentially securing a spot on overseas TV or DVD.
German director/co-writer Veit Helmer's principal limitation is not an absence of imagination, but a lack of focus in the execution of his fanciful tale. Childhood sweethearts Temelko (Maximilian Mauff) and Aya (Kristyna Malerova) come of age in a small village in the arid and imaginary nation of Absurdistan (actually Azerbaijan), where the men are famed for their supposed virility and the women known for their apparent compliance. Although most of the males are incompetent at the jobs necessary to keep the little community functioning, the women always are ready to take up the slack and get the work done.
One issue they can't address is the growing deterioration of the town's water source, dependent on a rickety pipeline running from a treacherous cave high in the mountains. Although the women entreat the men to resolve the shortage, their spouses are little interested in tackling the problem, even as the dwindling supply brings about drastic conservation measures.
Desperate, the villagers send their young men to the big city to study the water problem and Temelko reluctantly departs, even though Aya's grandmother has consulted the stars and set a date for the couple to consummate their relationship four years in the future.
When he returns close to the appointed time from his urban sojourn, Temelko unwisely squanders water from the town's meager supply for the ritual bath that must precede the couple's special night, provoking Aya to angrily prohibit any lovemaking until Temelko solves the water crisis.
Soon, all the village women have delivered the same message to their spouses, declaring No water, no sex, as low-intensity gender warfare gradually begins to escalate, trapping Temelko and Aya in the middle.
While Helmer and his three co-writers aim for a lyrically comic tone, the inspiration for their script was an actual incident in Turkey. The story's anecdotal origins provide little material for compelling character development or inspired dialogue, relying primarily on voice-overs narrated by Aya and Temelko.
Helmer's attempt to craft an absurdist Lysistrata-like fable founders further on his tendency to favor small comic bits at the expense of developing the overall narrative. With two ineffectual lead performances and a supporting cast drawn from 16 European nations, Helmer's filmmaking skills aren't sufficient to the task of forging a coherent vision for the film.
ABSURDISTAN
A Veit Helmer film production in association withMedienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, FFF and MFG
Credits:
Director: Veit Helmer
Screenwriters: Gordan Mihic, Zaza Buadze, Ahmet Golbol, Veit Helmer
Producer: Linda Kornemann
Director of photography: George Beridze
Music: Shigeru Umebayashi
Costume designers: Mehriban Efendiyeva, Serap Bahadir
Editor: Vincent Assmann
Cast:
Temelko: Maximilian Mauff
Aya: Kristyna Malerova
Running time -- 87 minutes
No MPAA rating...
PARK CITY -- The battle between the sexes rises to ludicrous heights in Absurdistan, an attempt at comic allegory that stretches a thin premise to feature length. A film best suited to the international festival circuit, it might find a welcome at European-friendly fests before potentially securing a spot on overseas TV or DVD.
German director/co-writer Veit Helmer's principal limitation is not an absence of imagination, but a lack of focus in the execution of his fanciful tale. Childhood sweethearts Temelko (Maximilian Mauff) and Aya (Kristyna Malerova) come of age in a small village in the arid and imaginary nation of Absurdistan (actually Azerbaijan), where the men are famed for their supposed virility and the women known for their apparent compliance. Although most of the males are incompetent at the jobs necessary to keep the little community functioning, the women always are ready to take up the slack and get the work done.
One issue they can't address is the growing deterioration of the town's water source, dependent on a rickety pipeline running from a treacherous cave high in the mountains. Although the women entreat the men to resolve the shortage, their spouses are little interested in tackling the problem, even as the dwindling supply brings about drastic conservation measures.
Desperate, the villagers send their young men to the big city to study the water problem and Temelko reluctantly departs, even though Aya's grandmother has consulted the stars and set a date for the couple to consummate their relationship four years in the future.
When he returns close to the appointed time from his urban sojourn, Temelko unwisely squanders water from the town's meager supply for the ritual bath that must precede the couple's special night, provoking Aya to angrily prohibit any lovemaking until Temelko solves the water crisis.
Soon, all the village women have delivered the same message to their spouses, declaring No water, no sex, as low-intensity gender warfare gradually begins to escalate, trapping Temelko and Aya in the middle.
While Helmer and his three co-writers aim for a lyrically comic tone, the inspiration for their script was an actual incident in Turkey. The story's anecdotal origins provide little material for compelling character development or inspired dialogue, relying primarily on voice-overs narrated by Aya and Temelko.
Helmer's attempt to craft an absurdist Lysistrata-like fable founders further on his tendency to favor small comic bits at the expense of developing the overall narrative. With two ineffectual lead performances and a supporting cast drawn from 16 European nations, Helmer's filmmaking skills aren't sufficient to the task of forging a coherent vision for the film.
ABSURDISTAN
A Veit Helmer film production in association withMedienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, FFF and MFG
Credits:
Director: Veit Helmer
Screenwriters: Gordan Mihic, Zaza Buadze, Ahmet Golbol, Veit Helmer
Producer: Linda Kornemann
Director of photography: George Beridze
Music: Shigeru Umebayashi
Costume designers: Mehriban Efendiyeva, Serap Bahadir
Editor: Vincent Assmann
Cast:
Temelko: Maximilian Mauff
Aya: Kristyna Malerova
Running time -- 87 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/30/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- There were 983 submissions from 15 countries in this category and apart from a couple of names, I know not one of the final selections below. World Cinema Dramatic Competition"Absurdistan" (Germany), directed by Veit Helmer, written by Helmer, Zaza Buadze, Gordan Mihic and Ahmet Golbol, about a sex strike by village women that threatens a young couple's first night together."Blue Eyelids" (Mexico), directed by Ernesto Contreras, about the ramifications of a single woman's winning of a beach trip for two."Captain Abu Raed" (Jordan), directed and written by Amin Matalqa, concerning an aging airport janitor who relates tall tales to local kids who think he's a pilot."The Drummer" (Hong Kong), directed and written by Kenneth Bi, the story of a young man who matures from reckless gangster to serious grownup due to the influence of Zen drumming."Elite Squad" (Brazil), directed by Jose Padilha ("Bus 174") and written by Braulio Mantovani and Padilha,
- 11/28/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
NEW YORK --If an American moviemaker made a film filled to the brim with toothless Gypsies, nearly all of whom are depicted as scheming criminals with a love of music and dance who dress like '70s-era disco refugees, cries of stereotyping would be heard worldwide. If director Emir Kusturica does it, he's applauded for his colorful sense of style.
"Black Cat, White Cat", his newest effort, is an exhausting, Fellini-esque farce that should do well with art house audiences who wouldn't be caught dead at similarly sophomoric American comedies. The film, which premiered at Venice, was recently showcased at the New York Film Festival and will be released commercially by October Films.
Kusturica's previous effort was the controversial "Underground", which never received a full domestic theatrical release despite winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Although he threatened to abandon filmmaking after the highly mixed reactions to that work, he has returned with this overstuffed, overlong nonpolitical fable involving a group of wacky Balkan Gypsies.
The convoluted plot defies summarization; suffice it to say it includes Gypsy gangsters working on a black market deal involving a trainload of fuel; a forced marriage involving a woman short enough to hide herself in a hollow tree trunk; the corpse of an elderly gentleman that must be kept on ice because of the aforementioned marriage; and various secret romances and nefarious schemes. It is all set to a nonstop cacophony of Gypsy music, apparently the original inspiration for the project.
The huge cast, nearly all of whom are nonprofessional actors with distinctively outlandish appearances, go through their manic paces with eye-popping gusto. One thing you can say about Kusturica: He knows how to fill the screen.
Black Cat, WHITE CAT
October Films
Credits: Director: Emir Kusturica; Screenplay: Gordan Mihic, Emir Kusturica; Executive producer: Maksa Catovic; Associate producers: Marina Girard, Karl Baumgartner; Photography: Theirry Arbogast, Michel Amathieu; Editor: Svetolik Mica Zajc; Music: Dr. Nelle Karajlic, Voja Aralica, Dejo Sparavalo, Emir Kusturica. Cast: Matko Destanov: Bajram Severdzan; Zare Destanov: Florijan Ajdini; Grga Veliki: Jasuar Destani; Grga Mali: Adnan Bekir; Zarije Destanov: Zabit Memedov; Grga Pitic: Sabri Sulejmani; Dadan: Srdan Todorovic. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 135 minutes.
"Black Cat, White Cat", his newest effort, is an exhausting, Fellini-esque farce that should do well with art house audiences who wouldn't be caught dead at similarly sophomoric American comedies. The film, which premiered at Venice, was recently showcased at the New York Film Festival and will be released commercially by October Films.
Kusturica's previous effort was the controversial "Underground", which never received a full domestic theatrical release despite winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Although he threatened to abandon filmmaking after the highly mixed reactions to that work, he has returned with this overstuffed, overlong nonpolitical fable involving a group of wacky Balkan Gypsies.
The convoluted plot defies summarization; suffice it to say it includes Gypsy gangsters working on a black market deal involving a trainload of fuel; a forced marriage involving a woman short enough to hide herself in a hollow tree trunk; the corpse of an elderly gentleman that must be kept on ice because of the aforementioned marriage; and various secret romances and nefarious schemes. It is all set to a nonstop cacophony of Gypsy music, apparently the original inspiration for the project.
The huge cast, nearly all of whom are nonprofessional actors with distinctively outlandish appearances, go through their manic paces with eye-popping gusto. One thing you can say about Kusturica: He knows how to fill the screen.
Black Cat, WHITE CAT
October Films
Credits: Director: Emir Kusturica; Screenplay: Gordan Mihic, Emir Kusturica; Executive producer: Maksa Catovic; Associate producers: Marina Girard, Karl Baumgartner; Photography: Theirry Arbogast, Michel Amathieu; Editor: Svetolik Mica Zajc; Music: Dr. Nelle Karajlic, Voja Aralica, Dejo Sparavalo, Emir Kusturica. Cast: Matko Destanov: Bajram Severdzan; Zare Destanov: Florijan Ajdini; Grga Veliki: Jasuar Destani; Grga Mali: Adnan Bekir; Zarije Destanov: Zabit Memedov; Grga Pitic: Sabri Sulejmani; Dadan: Srdan Todorovic. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 135 minutes.
- 10/13/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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