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Saturday, May 8, 2010

Emir Kusturica - Sjecas li se Dolly Bell AKA Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (1981)

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Quote:

Local politicians in late 60s Sarajevo are concerned about youth delinquency and decide that Sarajevo's problem is that its local youth club does not have a band. Teenager Dino and his brothers are roped in to play in the band.

Dino meets Sonny who is just out of prison, who asks Dino to hide one of his prostitutes Dolly Bell. Dino keeps Dolly in their pigeon coop and starts to fall for her as his first love. When Sonny takes her back Dino rushes to her rescue only to learn a few harsh lessons.

One of the clever things about Dolly Bell is its satire. The film opens with out of touch politicians thinking that disaffected youth can be solved by creating a band and throughout the rather wishful thinking of scientific socialism is laid bare. Dino's father is interested that scientists believe that by "correcting" the rotation of the Earth much more people can be fed and refuses to bow to the weather when a family feast is ruined by rain. Similarly when Dino explains to Dolly about the road to Socialism, she asks where it is and he explains that it is the condition where everyone has what they need. She replies, "It must be nice there!"

The centre of the film is Dino becoming a man, learning that Sonny is not cool, becoming a performer and sharing real affection with Dolly Bell. There is a wonderful contrast in the scenes where the boys get a go with Dolly and where Dolly and Dino are together. Dino watches his brothers pump away at Dolly whilst her face is seen amongst the cracks in the wall of the coop and his heart is breaking. When the film concludes and again we see the town Dino lives in, he repeats the self help dictum, "Every day in every way I am getting a little bit better." This seems a little ironic given the circumstances Dino later finds himself in.

Kusturica's début feature is a quieter, less ebullient film than his later more confident pieces, but it perfectly captures a sense of time without resorting to parody. The themes of discovery and the sanguine nature of becoming an adult are well done and the straight style of the camera work and editing keeps the film very real.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Emir Kusturica - Maradona by Kusturica (2008)

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Acclaimed filmmaker Emir Kusturica traces the remarkable story of soccer legend Diego Maradona in this documentary featuring music by composer Manu Chao.

The clue to the perspective of this documentary is in the title ; this is Maradona as the two-time Palme D'Or winner Emir Kusturica sees him. In the director's eyes Maradona can do no wrong and is practically a living God. The director's voiceover that punctuates archive footage and interviews with Maradona even finds excuses for the world cup winner's obvious faults from his cocaine abuse to neglecting his family.
The England versus Argentina ''hand of God'' match dominates this engaging documentary about Diego Armando Maradona the man rather than the footballer. Kusturica uses the win against England as the springboard to highlight the anti-imperialist political rhetoric that Maradona is seen spouting most of the time a microphone is put in front of him. He also shows off the Fidel Castro tattoo that now graces the finest left peg to set foot on a football pitch and talks about the victory against England as revenge for the Falklands war.
Maradona is introduced at an anti-Bush rally in 2005 during a period when his weight ballooned and he almost lost his life through drug abuse. Kusturica keeps on cutting to an animation sequence that shows Maradona on the football field bamboozling British and American political figures in turn, Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles and the Queen, Tony Blair and George W. Bush are all bamboozled to the soundtrack of the Sex Pistol's God Save the Queen.
The detailed autobiography ''I Am Maradona'' is used as a double for a bible by the Church of Maradona. The church is the great find of this documentary. The religion revolves around the footballer ; to be baptised you have to score a ''hand of God'' goal and their Lord's Prayer has hilarious Maradona related verse.
The director is not a good journalist. There is much that Kusturica chooses not to discuss with the man he idolises. Maradona doesn't talk about his illegitimate son, his relationship with the Neapolitan mafia or anything about his career in Barcelona. The most preposterous moment is when Kusturica in all seriousness says that analysing Maradona play football could be as valuable for understanding the human condition as the works of Freud and Jung. Kusturica should have no trouble joining the church of Maradona.