| Yugoslav Black Wave | |
|---|---|
 Poster advertisingŽelimir Žilnik'sEarly Works which prompted the publication ofA Black Wave in Our Cinema, coining the movement's name | |
| Years active | early 1960s to early 1970s |
| Location | Yugoslavia |
| Major figures | Dušan Makavejev,Žika Pavlović,Aleksandar Petrović,Želimir Žilnik,Mika Antić,Lordan Zafranović,Mića Popović |
| Influences | French New Wave,Italian Neorealism,Czechoslovak New Wave,realism,1968 student demonstrations in Yugoslavia |
Yugoslav Black Wave (also referred to asBlack Wave;Serbo-Croatian:Crni val /Црни вал orCrni talas /Црни талас) is a blanket term for aYugoslav film and broader cultural movement starting from the early 1960s and ending in the early 1970s. Notable directors includeDušan Makavejev,Žika Pavlović,Aleksandar Petrović,Želimir Žilnik,Mika Antić,Lordan Zafranović,Mića Popović,Đorđe Kadijević and Marko Babac. Black Wave films are known for their non-traditional approach to filmmaking,dark humor and their critical examination of socialist Yugoslav society.[1]
Black Wave auteurs largely drew inspiration from similar trends in world cinematography, primarily theFrench New Wave,[2]Italian Neorealism and theCzechoslovak New Wave. It was additionally inspired by1968 student demonstrations in Yugoslavia, as well asother student and civil rights protests throughout the world.[3] The filmmakers were linked by a common wish to increase the freedom of artistic expression, as well as the wish to openly criticize the policies of the socialist state. The liberalization of the film form and expression reached its peak in 1967–68.
In the following years, the counter-offensive against the new movement intensified. The films provoked a reaction from the rulingLeague of Communists of Yugoslavia, whose official newspaperBorba published an article written byVladimir Jovičić titledCrni val u našem filmu (A Black Wave in Our Cinema)[4] on August 3, 1969, which coined the movement's name. On October 27, 1969, the Commission of the Presidency of the League held a session regarding the "Conditions and Problems in Yugoslav Cinematography". A conclusion was reached that certain films have a tendency to becounter-revolutionary and degrading. Numerous films and other artworks were banned, with some directors being forced to leave the country.[5]
On July 5, 1971, a large public discussion was held inNovi Sad aboutDušan Makavejev's filmW.R.: Mysteries of the Organism, where the film's portrayal ofStalin was criticized and groups feared thatJosip Broz Tito would be the next subject of such criticism.[3] The film was banned and sealed away for 15 years.Lazar Stojanović, director of the 1973 student filmPlastic Jesus was imprisoned for "spreading enemy propaganda". In 1973 the Black Wave was officially banned and the so-called Red Wave appeared. Red Wave films, which were in complete opposition to the Black Wave, were primarilyPartisan films:Battle of Neretva (1969),Walter Defends Sarajevo (1971),Battle of Sutjeska (1973),Guns of War (1974),Partisans (1974),Doctor Mladen (1975),Red Earth (1975),Partisan Squadron (1979),Great Transport (1983) and others. These events marked the end of the Black Wave and the beginning of theYears of Lead in Yugoslav cinematography, characterized by the stifling of creative freedoms in the country.
Black Wave films, both fictional and documentary, largely criticized Yugoslav society and its socialist ideology, particularly government officials and the extent of their authority. They represent the opposite of classic socialist cultural aestheticism (most often seen inPartisan films) which depictedYugoslavia's resistance movement during World War II and its postwar social and economic progress. Many Black Wave films featured a recontextualized view of Yugoslav Partisans and depicted them in a more realistic manner, such asAleksandar Petrović'sThree, whose protagonist's moral struggles and hopelessness in the face of war set the film apart from other representatives of the genre.[6][7] Black Wave films focused on the everyday reality of regular people, individuals living in poverty, petty criminals, etc.[8] One of the main characteristics of the movement was cinematic socialrealism,[9] reminiscent ofItalian neorealism and inspired by theFrench New Wave and other European movements of the period. Black Wave films were oftenindependent,low-budget, filmed withhand-held cameras, contained explicit violence and nudity and featured actors who were largely unknown at the time (such asDragan Nikolić, who had his breakthrough role inWhen I Am Dead and Gone).[10] They are marked by asatirical overtone and extensively featureblack comedy. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, directors started taking on a moreavant-garde approach to filmmaking and often utilized more surrealist and allegorical cinematic language. This approach is most notably seen inDušan Makavejev's filmography of this period (Innocence Unprotected,W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism andSweet Movie).[11][12]
Notable Black Wave filmmakers includeAleksandar Petrović,Živojin Pavlović,Đorđe Kadijević,Dušan Makavejev,Mića Popović,Lordan Zafranović,Želimir Žilnik,Lazar Stojanović,Ljubiša Kozomara,Gordan Mihić,Vojislav Kokan Rakonjac,Jovan Jovanović,Bahrudin Čengić and others.
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Dušan Makavejev is considered to be among the most significant Black Wave filmmakers.[13] His most successful film was the 1971 political satireW.R.: Mysteries of the Organism, which he wrote and directed. The film was banned and Makavejev fled the country, not working there again until 1988. He shot his surrealist political satireSweet Movie (1974) in Canada, the Netherlands, and France.[14]
Aleksandar "Saša" Petrović was another of the major figures of the Black Wave. He contributed to the popularization of the movement, both in Yugoslavia and abroad. Two of his works were nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film:Three (1965) in1966[15][16] andI Even Met Happy Gypsies in1967.[17][18]
Želimir Žilnik'sEarly Works (1969) contains the typical characteristics of Black Wave films: unusual uses of film techniques, political and social concerns, a tendency towards oppositional ideology and a fatalistic climax.[19] Žilnik's film prompted writer and journalistVladimir Jovičić to writeCrni val u našem filmu (A Black Wave in Our Cinema), published inBorba on August 3, 1969, which gave the movement its name.[20][21]
Although the majority of Black Wave directors and films wereSerbian, numerousCroatian filmmakers emerged, most notablyLordan Zafranović andKrsto Papić. A significant Croatian film of this era is Papić'sHandcuffs (1969),[21] the first film to take on a critical approach to the 1948Tito-Stalin split.
Significant Black Wave films include:
Significant representatives of the Black Wave in literature areMirko Kovač,Dragoslav Mihailović,Slobodan Selenić,Antonije Isaković,Milisav Savić,Vidosav Stevanović,Ivan Ivanović,Bogdan Tirnanić and others.
Significant literary works include:
Black Wave is one of the most successful and internationally recognized cinematic movements ofSoutheast Europe, besides theRomanian New Wave of the 2000s. Films from the wave won a plethora of international recognition, including aGolden Bear,Silver Bear for Best Director, Cannes Grand Prix, six nominations for Cannes Palme d'Or and four nominations forAcademy Award for Best International Feature Film, with success continuing through directors emerging from the wave, including twoPalme d'Or awards in 1980s and 1990s. Today, several of the films are considered classics of world cinema and were released as part of influential collections such asCriterion Collection in the United States. Film historian Mina Radovic presented the first international retrospective of the Yugoslav Black Wave at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in September 2023.[25] The restored version ofBahrudin Čengić's 1972 filmLife of a Shock Force Worker was nominated for the Best Restored Film at the80th Venice Film Festival.[26]
