Otac na sluzbenom putu (1985)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Emir Kusturica

Writer:

Abdulah Sidran (writer)

Release Date:

11 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Tito's break-up with Stalin in 1948 marked the beginning of not only confusing, but also very dangerous years for many hard-core Yugoslav communists...

Plot Keywords:

Yugoslavia | Male Nudity | Sleepwalking | Nude Bathing | Political Prisoner

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Moreno D'E Bartolli	...	Malik
Miki Manojlovic	...	Mehmed Mesa Zolj
Mirjana Karanovic	...	Senija Sena Zolj
Mustafa Nadarevic	...	Zijah Zijo Zulfikarpasic
Mira Furlan	...	Ankica Vidmar
Predrag Lakovic	...	Kucepazitelj Franjo
Pavle Vujisic	...	Dedo Muzamer
Slobodan Aligrudic	...	Ostoja Cekic
Eva Ras	...	Ilonka Petrovic
Aco Djorcev	...	Dr. Ljahaov (as Aleksandar Dorcev)
Emir Hadzihafizbegovic	...	Mladji ujak
Zoran Radmilovic	...	Pilot
Jelena Covic	...	Natasa
Tomislav Gelic	...	Berberin Hamdo
Davor Dujmovic	...	Brat Mirza
Amer Kapetanovic
Silvija Puharic
Zaim Muzaferija	...	Predsjednik
Bozidarka Frajt	...	Doktorova zena
Haris Burina
Sinisa Dugaric
Milijana Zirojevic
Dimitrije Vujovic
Vejsil Pecanin
Jasmin Geljo
Nebojsa Surlan
Fahrudin Ahmetbegovic
Aleksandar Zurovac		(as Sasa Zurovac)
Mirsad Zulic

Directed by
Emir Kusturica

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Abdulah Sidran		writer

Produced by
Mirza Pasic	....	producer

Original Music by
Zoran Simjanovic

Cinematography by
Vilko Filac

Film Editing by
Andrija Zafranovic

Production Design by
Predrag Lukovac

Costume Design by
Divna Jovanovic

Makeup Department
Sukrija Sarkic	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Zlatko Lavanic	....	assistant director
Miroslav Mandic	....	assistant director

Art Department
Milorad Kalanj	....	property buyer

Sound Department
Ljubomir Petek	....	sound
Hasan Vejzagic	....	sound

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ljiljana Martic	....	wardrober

Music Department
Semir Cebiric	....	music collaborator

Other crew
Vera Mihic-Jolic	....	administrator
Biljana Pejic	....	secretary to director

Production Companies

• Centar Film
• Forum Sarajevo

Distributors

• Scotia International Filmverleih (1985) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cannon Film Distributors (USA) (subtitled)
• Hollydan Works (2007-2008) (non-USA) (DVD)
• Koch Lorber Films (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Отац на службеном путу (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)
Otac na sluzbenom putu - ljubavno istorijski film (Yugoslavia: Serbian title) (complete title)
Papa est en voyage d'affaires
When Father Was Away on Business (USA)

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

Yugoslavia

Language:

Serbo-Croatian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-8 | Norway:15 | Sweden:7 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Company:

Centar Film

Probably Kusturica's masterpiece

I was very impressed with When Father was Away on Business; it is more coherent and moving than Black Cat, White cat, which I saw last week. The family structure is very well evoked, with three generations living in the house. The grandfather just wants to be left out of politics--for him Hitler and Stalin are pretty much the same. Mesa and Sena, the couple doomed to be separated for two years, are up to their ears in party machinations. Zijo, the brother in law, has sent Mesa to the mines for re-education, because his soon-to-be wife Ankica denounced the feckless Mesa when he wouldn't divorce Sena to marry her. In a totalitarian state, a lot depends on not annoying your relatives.

Miki Manojlovic is great as Mesa; he reminds me of Raimu occasionally. The wedding scene, when he effects a reconciliation with Zijo, is very poignant. Slobodan Aligrudic plays Cekic, the party boss who oversees Mesa's rehabilitation and finally sends him home to Sarajevo: he is affable (always wants to share a drink, play chess and so on) but the brutality is always close to the surface. Little Malik, the boy who tries to make sense of what the adults are doing, communicates a lot of joy and sorrow.