Of course, the war, turmoil, separation, joys and sorrows, tears, and misses after the disintegration of Yugoslavia have all become the main elements of Kusturica’s films. From this perspective, it is true that he is a Yugoslavian director. Because he is in the post-Yugoslavia era, he is always expressing the various causal cycles related to the disintegration of Yugoslavia.
Kusturica has a hobby, and he particularly likes to shoot weddings. Whether it’s in the earlier "Black Cat and White Cat" or in his most prestigious film "Underground", he has each shot two weddings, the most important thing is Yes, these two films have a total of four weddings, all of which are unfinished weddings. The weddings were frantically chaotic, guns flying, and houses collapsed. The endless restlessness is simply Kustury. The card is a direct form of expressing the turbulent history and reality of the Balkans.
Weddings that can never be completed, this metaphor runs through many of Kusturica’s films, symbolizing that after the disintegration of Yugoslavia, among the people of all ethnic groups in the Balkans, there will never be a broken mirror, no happiness and peace.
"Black Cat and White Cat" is said to follow the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Gypsy Matt is high and is a person who likes to gamble. So at the beginning of the film, he sat there playing cards with himself, and because his son disturbed him, he still Angry. His addiction to gambling was not entirely playing cards with himself. He would also row a boat to buy and sell second-hand goods with the Russians, hoping to make a fortune. Later, he began to resell the petrol of the train skins, but he was played from childhood to adulthood. The little hooligans of ran out, the money was also robbed, and the wagon was also robbed.
At this time, the little gangster said, you owe me so much money, there is a way to repay the debt, that is, let your Zal take my sister, so there is the first wedding.
However, the little gangster’s sister is a small official, and she does not accept her brother’s marriage arrangements, but has her own wedding ideals, looking for a tall man who is in love at first sight.
At the wedding, it was Kusturica-like Balkan style. People sang and danced, blew and beat, noisy and joyous, and the music at the wedding, this Bubamara, is very typical gypsy music. Dancing along (every time I see a noisy wedding by Kusturica, I think of Gregory’s singing and dancing Cossack wedding in "The Quiet Don". I often watch that two-minute long shot many times. And Gregory’s Ming media is marrying a wife named Natalia, who has the same name as the other Kusturica heroine below).
However, Xiao Gongju did not accept the arrangement of fate, so she took advantage of the excitement of the wedding to jump into the underground passage, escaped, and running through the woods, really met her love at first sight-the grandson of a local gangster. .
The first wedding failed because of Xiao Gong’s escape. But soon, under the auspices of the gangster, the second wedding was held. It was a collective wedding. Xiaogongju and the gangster grandson were a couple. The bridegroom Zal at the previous wedding finally got it. Married to his sweetheart, the granddaughter of the tavern grandmother.
They all found their sweethearts. In this case, this second wedding should be a happy ending, but not necessarily. In the end, Zal took the bride and escaped from the wedding again, hiding him with the grandfather who loved him most. The money in the accordion, and what really allowed or even encouraged him to escape was the grandfather who loved him so much.
Because grandpa said to Zal: It is wise to walk, there is no sun here.
The older generation has a deep attachment to this land, so a plot is repeated repeatedly in the film, that is, the gangster and Zal’s grandfather are old friends who were born and died together in their early years. They care about each other and feel that they are about to die. Also hurry to see the other party's grave. This is the source of their nostalgia for this land, the people here, and their past lives.
But for the grandson, grandpa firmly encouraged him to go because there is no sunshine, no hope, and no warmth in life here.
These two unfinished weddings are like Kusturica’s complex ambivalence towards the land of Yugoslavia: I was born here and grew up here, but for a better life, I still have to leave.
Two unfinished weddings, the failure of the first "arranged wedding" symbolizes the disintegration of Balkan traditions, and the second young people’s journey to the world, just like the title "Black Cat and White Cat", black cat heralds bad luck. The white cat heralds good luck, and only they and God know whether it is bad luck or good luck to travel far away. This is also the profound meaning of the director.
There are also two weddings in Kusturica's other film, "Underground", which won him the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1995.
The first on the ship was the wedding of the revolutionary fighter "Xiao Hei" and actress Natalia. It was held on the ship, and there was also a band playing, Kusturica’s noisy style. There was also a wedding in this wedding. The important person is Xiaohei’s comrade-in-arms Marco. However, it was at this wedding that Marco confessed to Natalia that the comrade-in-arms broke up because of a woman and fought hard. As a result, the Nazi soldiers came. In the battle, grenades and bullets flew together, the Nazis finally caught Xiao Hei, and Natalia escaped with Marco.
What does this first unfinished wedding besieged by the Nazis symbolize? Some people will chant sacrifices, and some people will choose selfish love. This road has never been united in one mind.
The second wedding was many years later. Because Marco escaped from the black wedding, he fought for many years. The rebels fought off the Nazis and Yugoslavia became independent. Marco actually became an important figure in Yugoslavia.
As for Xiao Hei, after being captured by the Nazis, he was seriously injured. Although Marco rescued him, Xiao Hei had to recuperate in the basement. From then on, Xiao Hei took a group of people and lived in Underground, obviously Yugoslavia has been liberated, Marco still lied to Xiaohei and said that the Nazis are still raging, so you have to hold on and let them still live underground.
Finally, Xiao Hei’s son grew up in the sunless underground, and was about to get married. This was the second wedding. Marco took Natalia to attend. At the wedding, Natalia felt that he had deceived Xiao Hei for many years. , I felt guilty and couldn't help but erupt to Marco. Amid the noise and joy of the wedding, the orangutan got into the tank, filled the shells, fired a shot, a hole in the basement collapsed, and Xiao Hei and others were finally able to get out of the ground. , But at this time, Yugoslavia began to collapse and disintegrate.
The first wedding was the reason why Xiao Hei was caught, injured and hid underground. The second wedding became the reason why he went out of the underground. However, in any case, when Yugoslavia existed, he was always underground and was deceived. Utilizing, when he walked out of the ground, Yugoslavia ceased to exist.
This is the biggest irony. The Yugoslavia that he endured the humiliation underground and fought for, when he walked out of the underground, it no longer existed.
Many beautiful ideals only exist in your imagination and longing on the ground when you are underground.
The birth and division of a country are based on these two weddings. As the beginning and the end, Kusturica, isn’t it cool?
The never-finished wedding, the broken hometown, the no longer happy life, this is the Yugoslav complex of Kusturica.
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