Crna macka, beli macor (1998)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Emir Kusturica

Writers:

Emir Kusturica (writer)
Gordan Mihic (writer)

Release Date:

30 September 1998 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Romance

Plot:

Matko is a small time hustler, living by the Danube with his 17 year old son Zare. After a failed business...

Plot Keywords:

Arranged Marriage | Love | Money | River | Pig

Awards:

4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Bajram Severdzan	...	Matko Destanov
Srdjan Todorovic	...	Dadan Karambolo (as Srdan Todorovic)
Branka Katic	...	Ida
Florijan Ajdini	...	Zare Destanov
Ljubica Adzovic	...	Sujka
Zabit Memedov	...	Zarije Destanov
Sabri Sulejmani	...	Grga Pitic
Jasar Destani	...	Grga Veliki
Stojan Sotirov	...	Bulgarian Customs Officer
Predrag Lakovic	...	Priest (as Predrag-Pepi Lakovic)
Miki Manojlovic	...	Priest (as Predrag-Miki Manojlovic)
Salija Ibraimova	...	Afrodita
Zdena Hurtocakova	...	Black Obelisk
Adnan Bekir	...	Grga Mali
Irfan Jagli	...	Bodyguard

Also Known As:

Black Cat, White Cat (UK) (USA)
Chat noir, chat blanc (France)
Mavri gata, aspros gatos (Greece)
Schwarze Katze, weißer Kater (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, drug use and some violence.

Runtime:

127 min | Germany:123 min (DVD version)

Country:

France | Germany | Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | Austria | Greece | USA

Language:

Bulgarian | Romany | German | Serbian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:6 | Iceland:L

Company:

CiBy 2000

Trivia:

In the scene where mob boss Dadan (played by Srdjan Todorovic) talks about his father spinning in his grave, the picture on the wall is of his real life father Bora Todorovic, who played a mob boss in Emir Kusturica's Dom za vesanje (1988).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Zare escapes from Dadan on the ladder, Dadan catches him by the right ear. In the next shot he is holding Zare's left ear.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Darwin's Nightmare (2004)

Soundtrack:

Lubenica

The Sounds of Music

Emir Kusturica's films all pulsate wildly to the wonderful sounds of authentic gypsy music. Guitars, fiddles, accordians and all manor of horns are as much a part of their lives as eating and sleeping.

Song and dance feature heavily in "Black Cat, White Cat," Kustruica's finest and most complete film to date. The music isn't really a soundtrack, but is largely, physically written into each scene (performed with gusto by musicians who often follow the characters around). Indeed, the 'bad-guy' character of Dadan scarcely has a scene where he isn't swinging or dancing along to something (even a bizarre pop/rock song makes a comic cameo). But the other characters have their musical moments as well.

"Black Cat, White Cat" has a large cast and a sprawling storyline, largely resolving around two gangsters - Dadan and the hapless Marko - and their attempts to outwit each other. Things come to a head when Dadan tries to force Marko's son to marry his spinster sister as a repayment for one of his father's debts.

But the plot is largely unimportant in a film of this type. The viewer is simply swept away in a good natured deluge of funny lines, inventive slap-stick, unusual settings and colourful supporting characters (a particular favourite: the old man who continually re-watches the last two minutes of "Casablanca"). All you need to do is sit back and enjoy. Oh...and listen to the music.