First job of the XXI st century, and of new millennium, by the great Bosnian filmmaker Emir Kusturica, although the work,
being a documentary, save such distances as nearnesses relative to a conventional
feature film. After finishing his formidable comedy Black Cat, White Cat (1998),
the filmmaker had ended the twentieth century and the second millennium, and
three years later materializes his next film, a sort of documentary on one of
which, next to the cinema, it is among his greatest passions: music. Emir
Kusturica is, while an extraordinary filmmaker, a man of music, and with his
band, the No Smoking Orchestra, is the protagonist of this work, which can be
considered a documentary, a compilation of various aspects and details of the band that lines up the director, along with his brother. Thus, we have a particular picture,
in a filmography peculiar as well, the short filmography of Balkan director, which so
clearly reflects chords and feelings aimed to a same guideline, but in this film we find an exception. Kusturica was opening the XXI Century with this documentary, in which
he and his band audio-visually recorded many of the moments that the group experienced through various
scenarios in different places on the planet, ending up the picture being unable in this way of continuing with movie director progressions, to become more of a diary or
documentary of his band.
The musicians who form the band will
be what the first sequences show, interspersed with clips in black and white of the
childhood years of the Bosnian himself. That is
one of the stories that
Kusturica inserted in his documentary, interspersing as said images of the band at various times in its tours, with the parallel story of growing infants. Among
the sequences that record events outside of the band, we can highlight images in black
and white just mentioned, depicting the childhood years of Emir and his brother, both
members of the No Smoking Orchestra; but in
other images also we can appreciate that visual treatment, ticking away and generating certain secrecy of those moments. In the same way, the treatment of closeness and simplicity is maintained as far as possible in
portraying his people, his countrymen, this of course in the few segments of
this type. Filmmaker speaks of his origin, of his brother, of Pushkin, of Tito, and why he
considers Bosnia, Sarajevo, different than Bulgaria or other countries; in the
early stages of the film, the director is telling us some of the main aspects
that he considers that runs and set both its historical, social and political context,
as well as its artistic feeling, with the presence of Pushkin as a luminaire. In that
regard, one of the meanings of the film is also to record the evolution of the
former Yugoslavia, about to become the current Bosnia and other Balkan countries.
Though few, we will see sequences that summarize this historical journey, we will see a
sort of audiovisual collage, historically summarizing the dying Yugoslavia,
Marshal Tito, indivisible-to-the-land-and-the-ruler communism; a sort of brief historical overview is appreciated.
However, the film is rather a
collection, a collection of interviews with musicians, backstage moments,
moments of their privacy behind racks, it feels more like a commercial product such
as DVDs packs which bring certain material, with plenty unofficial information, not too
public material, that make the delight of the fans of the respective artist.
It is indeed the film, except for a few segments, rather than a documentary
film with cinematic guidelines, a compendium, a DVD-style touring musical of the band, a musical group
that the filmmaker has led around the whole world. Then, it records conversations,
discussions, any eventual fight, trivial and various anecdotes, highlighting
among them, when one of the band members dislocates a shoulder during a live
performance. But the film is not seen as much more than that, it is as if the
work does not finish taking off as more than nearly audiovisual diary, a documentary
version of his band, with some additional, a few artistic sketches. Certain debate grows for this matter, known debate about exactly what place should the documentary take, if a
film genre like the other ones (western, science fiction, comedy), or if it's
something subordinate even to own cinema. But not entering fully to this debate,
which certainly feels like another story, we see a picture that as an artistic unit, as movie brick construction, adds little, almost nothing, to the filmography and artistic
growth of the filmmaker.
It is certainly a job that breaks
progression, breaks the sustained growth that had been generated in his creations before Underground; is that after the last mentioned picture, they came a couple of
works, a television project, the other one was a short film, and afterwards we see Black Cat,
White Cat, one of the greatest creations of Kusturica. But this film brings a
novelty, it is the first documentary of the Bosnian, and breaks the observed progression, because is something apart from her sister creations, perhaps influenced by the constant accusations and political harassment that his work was being more and accused of. To some point, unfortunate situation, after reaching the
tops of his creative abilities as a filmmaker with works by the likes of the
lately cited features, Emir seemed to decline in his normal development; and since
then, with the exception of the immediately subsequent
Life Is a Miracle (2004), did
not Kusturica produce another of those powerful elements, such severe film
constructions his tapes are. More than a decade of silence, too long for a
narrator of the Balkan power and temperament. In this regard, precisely among
some segment between the TV series and some short film made to a work not fully of his own, Kusturica produces his other documentary,
Maradona by Kusturica, again honoring his other
passion, football, and one of its greatest icons, Maradona. After his particular
artistic journey, following his particular career as a creator, Kusturica
seemed to set aside the purely artistic matters to honor and pay tribute to his concerns and passions, music and football.
Obviously, we will recognize during
the picture reminiscences and echoes
of previous works of the director, more than a
familiar tune, a familiar topic that the follower of the films of the Bosnian will readily recognize. Thus, more than one of the tracks the band
performs live evoke the respective film in which it is used, we can feel the movies flowing through
the documentary, with its rhythms, tones, also traditional instruments, as well as, of course, the nature or soul of the music. We will ppreciate the passion for music of the filmmaker flowing through
the amalgamation of blues, folk, rock and roll, rumba, violins, accordions, among
many other elements, because although film and music are different arts, a
connoisseur of Kusturica films can easily
get an idea of the music that he would create. It is evident in the testimony of one of the
band members the Gypsy pride for their music, other musicians also disowns to see on
his land what he considers impostors listening reggae rhythms, considers they, Gypsy, have their own blues with Roma music. As
mentioned, if we continue the obsession of labeling films, the picture could be part
of the documentary, a genre that is not characterized by excessive aesthetic
contributions, not in advance, so we can not continue to see the progress of
the good Balkan as film maker. Except the above sequence shots of outdoors and
youth, captured in black and white, the film does not set much more than a
documentary about the band of one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, who unfortunately recent years suggest sets aside that undeniable and recognized talent of his.
First job of the XXI st century, and of new millennium, by the great Bosnian filmmaker Emir Kusturica, although the work,
being a documentary, save such distances as nearnesses relative to a conventional
feature film. After finishing his formidable comedy Black Cat, White Cat (1998),
the filmmaker had ended the twentieth century and the second millennium, and
three years later materializes his next film, a sort of documentary on one of
which, next to the cinema, it is among his greatest passions: music. Emir
Kusturica is, while an extraordinary filmmaker, a man of music, and with his
band, the No Smoking Orchestra, is the protagonist of this work, which can be
considered a documentary, a compilation of various aspects and details of the band that lines up the director, along with his brother. Thus, we have a particular picture,
in a filmography peculiar as well, the short filmography of Balkan director, which so
clearly reflects chords and feelings aimed to a same guideline, but in this film we find an exception. Kusturica was opening the XXI Century with this documentary, in which
he and his band audio-visually recorded many of the moments that the group experienced through various
scenarios in different places on the planet, ending up the picture being unable in this way of continuing with movie director progressions, to become more of a diary or
documentary of his band.
The musicians who form the band will
be what the first sequences show, interspersed with clips in black and white of the
childhood years of the Bosnian himself. That is one of the stories that
Kusturica inserted in his documentary, interspersing as said images of the band at various times in its tours, with the parallel story of growing infants. Among
the sequences that record events outside of the band, we can highlight images in black
and white just mentioned, depicting the childhood years of Emir and his brother, both
members of the No Smoking Orchestra; but in other images also we can appreciate that visual treatment, ticking away and generating certain secrecy of those moments. In the same way, the treatment of closeness and simplicity is maintained as far as possible in
portraying his people, his countrymen, this of course in the few segments of
this type. Filmmaker speaks of his origin, of his brother, of Pushkin, of Tito, and why he considers Bosnia, Sarajevo, different than Bulgaria or other countries; in the
early stages of the film, the director is telling us some of the main aspects
that he considers that runs and set both its historical, social and political context,
as well as its artistic feeling, with the presence of Pushkin as a luminaire. In that
regard, one of the meanings of the film is also to record the evolution of the
former Yugoslavia, about to become the current Bosnia and other Balkan countries.
Though few, we will see sequences that summarize this historical journey, we will see a
sort of audiovisual collage, historically summarizing the dying Yugoslavia,
Marshal Tito, indivisible-to-the-land-and-the-ruler communism; a sort of brief historical overview is appreciated.
It is certainly a job that breaks
progression, breaks the sustained growth that had been generated in his creations before Underground; is that after the last mentioned picture, they came a couple of
works, a television project, the other one was a short film, and afterwards we see Black Cat,
White Cat, one of the greatest creations of Kusturica. But this film brings a
novelty, it is the first documentary of the Bosnian, and breaks the observed progression, because is something apart from her sister creations, perhaps influenced by the constant accusations and political harassment that his work was being more and accused of. To some point, unfortunate situation, after reaching the
tops of his creative abilities as a filmmaker with works by the likes of the
lately cited features, Emir seemed to decline in his normal development; and since
then, with the exception of the immediately subsequent Life Is a Miracle (2004), did
not Kusturica produce another of those powerful elements, such severe film
constructions his tapes are. More than a decade of silence, too long for a
narrator of the Balkan power and temperament. In this regard, precisely among
some segment between the TV series and some short film made to a work not fully of his own, Kusturica produces his other documentary, Maradona by Kusturica, again honoring his other
passion, football, and one of its greatest icons, Maradona. After his particular
artistic journey, following his particular career as a creator, Kusturica
seemed to set aside the purely artistic matters to honor and pay tribute to his concerns and passions, music and football.
Obviously, we will recognize during
the picture reminiscences and echoes of previous works of the director, more than a
familiar tune, a familiar topic that the follower of the films of the Bosnian will readily recognize. Thus, more than one of the tracks the band performs live evoke the respective film in which it is used, we can feel the movies flowing through
the documentary, with its rhythms, tones, also traditional instruments, as well as, of course, the nature or soul of the music. We will ppreciate the passion for music of the filmmaker flowing through
the amalgamation of blues, folk, rock and roll, rumba, violins, accordions, among
many other elements, because although film and music are different arts, a
connoisseur of Kusturica films can easily get an idea of the music that he would create. It is evident in the testimony of one of the
band members the Gypsy pride for their music, other musicians also disowns to see on
his land what he considers impostors listening reggae rhythms, considers they, Gypsy, have their own blues with Roma music. As
mentioned, if we continue the obsession of labeling films, the picture could be part
of the documentary, a genre that is not characterized by excessive aesthetic
contributions, not in advance, so we can not continue to see the progress of
the good Balkan as film maker. Except the above sequence shots of outdoors and
youth, captured in black and white, the film does not set much more than a
documentary about the band of one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, who unfortunately recent years suggest sets aside that undeniable and recognized talent of his.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario