Ljubavni slucaj ili tragedija sluzbenice P.T.T. (1967)

Director:

Dusan Makavejev

Writers:

Dusan Makavejev (writer)
Branko Vucicevic (writer)

Release Date:

6 February 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

After many adventures, young female switchboard operator starts a love relationship with a serious young man...

Plot Keywords:

Dead Woman Carried | Morgue | Nudity | Pregnant Woman Murdered | Autopsy

Cast

Eva Ras	...	Izabela, telefonistkinja
Slobodan Aligrudic	...	Ahmed, sanitarni inspektor
Ruzica Sokic	...	Ruza, Izabelina koleginica
Miodrag Andric	...	Mica, postar i zavodnik
Aleksander Kostic	...	Ekspert za seksualna pitanja (as Dr Aleksandat Dj Kostic)
Zivojin Aleksic	...	Ekspert za kriminalistiku (as Dr Zivojin L Aleksic)
Dragan Obradovic	...	Obducent (as Dr Dragan Obradovic)
Rade Ljubisavljevic	...	Vodoinstalater
Aca Tadic	...	Jorgandzija

Also Known As:

An Affair of the Heart (USA) (festival title)
Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator
Love Affair, or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator (USA)
The Switchboard Operator
The Tragedy of a Switchboard Operator

Runtime:

79 min | USA:70 min

Country:

Yugoslavia

Language:

Serbo-Croatian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

Avala Film

Trivia:

The film was initially refused a UK certificate by the BBFC owing to shots of pubic hair, though the distributor himself partly ruined its chances by ignoring the film's creative aspects and instead telling censor John Trevelyan "I am sending you a film with a few tits in it. I don't think much of it but I can sell it to the sex theaters". It was eventually passed with minor cuts in 1969 and released fully uncut on video in 1996.

Movie Connections:

References Wuthering Heights (1939)

Sly essay on human desire

That European cinema did things differently in the 1960s is not in doubt, as even directors from little-renowned cinematic cultures such as Yugoslavia delighted in new-found freedom. On one hand, "Switchboard Operator" is a simple tale of love, betrayal and tragedy in Belgrade, and as such captures some touching details about trapped lives in a totalitarian society. However, director Dusan Makavejev, clearly under the influence of Godard, adopts an offhand approach to his narrative, and introduces extraneous material at tangents to the main story. Most of this stuff is fascinating, particularly when he uses archive footage of Yugoslav history. Less successful are the interjections of two tedious academics, a sexologist and a criminologist, whose stern pronouncements jar against the film's capricious tone. Nonetheless, this is invigorating film-making which reaches into some strange regions. Despite an economical running time of 69 minutes, the film even finds time for a brief history of how the grey rat infested Europe!