Djavolji raj (1989)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Rajko Grlic

Writers:

Rajko Grlic (writer)
Simon MacCorkindale (writer)

Release Date:

11 July 1989 (Yugoslavia)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

It was an ordinary summer. Then the Germans came.

Plot:

It's the last summer of the Second World War in Yugoslavia, but so far nothing much of this has touched Andrea...

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Tom Conti	...	Andrija Gavrilovic
Susan George	...	Ana
Nitzan Sharron	...	Dane / Danny
Rod Steiger	...	Martin
Alun Armstrong	...	Zemba
John Sharp	...	Gradonacelnik / The Mayor
John Gill	...	Doktor
Miljenko Brlecic	...	Ostoja
Slobodan Sembera	...	Kurt (prevoditelj)
Vanja Drach	...	Major Von Richter
Geoffrey Whitehead	...	Cinovnik / The Clerk
Tomislav Srebacic	...	Cos
Stanka Gjuric	...	Bijela Ruza / The White Rose
Branko Cvejic	...	Svecenik / The Priest
Toso Jelic	...	Crkvenjak / The Deakon

Also Known As:

That Summer of White Roses

Runtime:

USA:98 min | France:100 min

Country:

Yugoslavia | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Yugoslavia

Company:

Amy International Artists

Gently evocative WW2 tale

I discovered this film in the mid 1990's, and was so impressed I bought my own copy on video. I would call this a film-buff's film. The performances of Tom Conti and Susan George are exceptional - I believe this to be Conti's best work since 'The Glittering Prizes' - and the locations are stunning, evoking the gentle and simple life of the riverside resort before the Germans turned up.

The characters played by George and Conti are thrown together in a marriage of convenience, as she and her son are hiding from the German invaders. The best scenes are when Conti and George share the screen, and this mysterious woman begins to develop respect, even affection, for the simple man who has been nominated to protect her.

Sensitively directed, the story is told in brief vignettes which help to convey the easy lifestyle of the characters who live at and near the resort. In essence, this is the story of Anrija's (Conti)true coming-of-age, when he's thrust into an adult situation he would never have had the chance to experience had the war not happened in his particular neck-of-the-woods. An all-round superb piece of film-making.