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Black Cat, White Cat

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by Filmink Magazine (owes us money)

"Shakespearian comedy of manners and morals and lunatic families."

Kusturica's Underground is one of the best movies of the decade - alas, Black Cat, White Cat is not. Which isn't to say it's bad. Far from it. It's very, very good. It's just to say that those expecting another masterpiece may well be disappointed, because BC, WC is a different movie. It doesn't have the politics or the sense of doom that made Underground so immediate and profound. It's lighter, funnier, ruder and it's ambience even closer to that of an orgy reaching full throb than the earlier film, and that's saying something.

Essentially a farce, Black Cat, White Cat covers a couple of days in the lives of a pair of gypsy families; as they trade on the black market, arrange marriages, fail in schemes, and attempt to postpone the inevitable. The plot involves characters so broad they would make Barry Humphries blush. But Kusturica likes his people, so underneath the weirdness, the funny faces, bad teeth and grotesque hair - these wacky provincials remain all too human.

Matko, a good for nothing, cons his old man's best friend, Grga out of a large loan, so he can buy blackmarket petrol. He does this by telling Grga that his father is dead. Overcome with grief and guilt the old garbage dump tycoon willingly hands over the money and decides to visit his old pal's grave. Unfortunately for Matko his blackmarket deal goes wrong and for "punishment" his son has to marry Afrodita. But his son really wants to marry Ida. Kusturica thus sets up the wedding itself as the stage for further craziness...Meanwhile there is a corpse upstairs and gypsy crooks with murder in their eyes.

You might want to take the film as some kind of elaborate analogy for Serbo/Croat politics; where betrayal always returns on the betrayer or you might just want to see it as a Shakespearian comedy of manners and morals and lunatic families.

Either way it's enormous fun. ---Peter Galvin

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link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=1682&reviewer=14
originally posted: 08/23/99 14:17:05

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User Comments

10/03/09 Magda Hilarious! Best comedy ever. 5 stars

11/23/01 boarder33 Best comedy ever made 5 stars

6/27/01 ponette a hilarious, over the top fairy tale!! 5 stars

5/30/01 nina glamuzina nisam mala yorkshire terrier! 5 stars

5/09/01 Mackey Fucking unforgetable! Its just some crappy-ass shit, its a movie with style! GREAT! 5 stars

3/21/01 g-seven zajebisty kurwa film 5 stars

3/04/01 doug wonderful!!!! 5 stars

2/28/01 0tto Absurd, goofy, slap-stick velocity. 5 stars

2/13/01 Krejeck B¤schilicctinstien great movie, PIT BULL TERRIER!!!!!!!! 5 stars

2/08/01 Katia Crazy, hilarious and wonderful. Kusturica is great! 5 stars

11/28/00 Carl De Montigny ***** 5 stars

3/17/00 Mic Absolute hilarity apart from a few slow moments at the start and forgiveable predictability 5 stars

12/12/99 A. I. AWESOME MOVIE !!! WORTH 10 STARS, NOT JUST 5 !!! 5 stars

11/10/99 SFRJ You will laugh at the first sight of any character. Every shot is an art for itself. 5 stars

10/09/99 Ola Klafstad Excellent, very funny 5 stars

10/08/99 Heather ????? doesn't know shit, the genius Kusturica releases another farcical masterpiece! 5 stars

9/29/99 ????? cinematic pretension 2 stars

9/27/99 Danny & Sharon Another Emir Masterpiece .Mindblowing 5 stars

9/13/99 Mr Showbiz The latest Kusturica film is a typically explosive comedy of folly and lust. 4 stars

8/24/99 Ramsay A glorious farce 5 stars

8/23/99 ladislau many directors can learn a lot from Kusturica!He's brilliant! 5 stars

IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
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USA 10-Sep-1999 (R) UK 07-May-1999 Australia 19-Aug-1999 (M)

Directed by Emir Kusturica Written by Emir Kusturica Gordan Mihic Cast Severdzan Bajram Florijan Ajdini Salija Ibraimova Branka Katic Srdjan Todorovic Zabit Memedov

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