IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

When depicting subject matter that is disturbing, infuriating, or depressing, it is often most effective to approach the issue with humor, as Charles Chaplin did with The Great Dictator (1940) and Stanley Kubrick did in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964).  It makes the topic more palatable for the audience and makes the writer’s message more memorable than it would be if the material was presented in a straightforward manner.  Serbian director Emir Kusturica follows the lead of satirists such as Chaplin and Kubrick, as well as surrealists like Luis Buñuel and Federico Fellini, in concocting Underground (1995), a wildly energetic, epic film, which depicts fifty years of Yugoslavian history, from World War II to the breakup of the country during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s.  There is nothing straightforward about Kusturica’s storytelling approach, which presents the history through a satiric parable about two disreputable men and the woman who comes between them.

Kusturica’s film is divided into three chapters, The War (set in World War II), the Cold War (under the Communist rule of Tito) and The War (during the conflicts of the 1990s).  During the initial conflict, Marko (Miki Manojlović), a Serbian Communist, and his best friend, Blacky (Lazar Ristovski), a brash, Montenegrin electrician, are war profiteers who rob, loot, and sell firearms.  The lustful Blacky also carries on an affair with Natalija (Mirjana Joković), a popular stage actress, while his wife is pregnant with their first child.  When his wife dies giving birth to his son, Blacky is intent on marrying Natalija, but she is more interested in maintaining the lifestyle she’s obtained by sleeping with a Nazi commander (Ernst Stötzner).  Marko initially helps Blacky in his amorous liaisons, but he also secretly harbors a lust for Natalija.  Consequently, when Blacky is injured, Marko uses it to his advantage.  Marko hides Blacky in an underground bunker, where Marko’s brother (Slavko Štimac), Blacky’s son, and other friends and relations are sitting out the conflict.  In order to keep Natalija to himself, Marko doesn’t inform Blacky and the others in the bunker when the war ends.  Instead, Marko enriches himself by selling guns and ammunition that his slaves in the underground produce to supposedly stave off the Nazi menace, while he rises in the political ranks of Tito’s Communist regime.

It is obvious that the character of Marko represents the corruption of Tito’s government that took advantage of the Yugoslav people.  However, I must admit that much of the rest of the allegory within the film escaped me.  Underground was made for Eastern Europeans, who experienced the wars and political strife depicted, so it is only natural that much of the film’s political satire may elude Western audiences.   However, the surface story is so engaging, the characters are so colorful, and the movie is so stylishly beautiful (in a riotously disordered way) that the film can be enjoyed even if you have no prior knowledge of Yugoslav history.  It is a testament to the talents of writer/director Emir Kusturica that a story that is ultimately very sad is so enjoyable to watch.

Underground is one of the most purely energetic films that I have ever seen.  From the opening scene, which literally opens “on the run,” the movie is bursting with loud, anarchic ebullience.  That’s not to say that Underground doesn’t have its quiet, reflective moments.  But even when the film stops to take a breath, the frame is filled with a rough beauty that dazzles the eye.  To give you an idea, the style of the film is situated somewhere between the circus-like atmosphere of the films of Fellini (8 1/2, Amarcord) and the darkly cartoonish world of Jean-Pierre Jeunet (The City of Lost Children).

The fact that Underground features no actors that U.S. audiences are likely to recognize should not deter anyone from seeing the film.  The three leads, Predrag “Miki” Manojlović, Lazar Ristovski, and Mirjana Joković, are so dynamic and likable (despite the disreputable natures of their characters) that it is impossible not to be enraptured by their performances.  After viewing this highly original film, I plan to seek out more of the work of director Emir Kusturica and of his leading actors.

It should be noted that Underground exists in several different versions of varying lengths.  Emir Kusturica’s original edit ran 340 minutes, but the producers naturally insisted that cuts be made.  The film ran at the Cannes Film Festival at 192 minutes, and this version won the the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top award.  Subsequently, the film was distributed to theaters worldwide at 167 minutes; and eventually, the longest cut was developed into a 6-part television mini-series, which aired in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (later renamed Serbia and Montenegro) and France.  

The new video release from Kino Lorber provides a 170 minute version (slightly longer than the theatrical cut) on Blu-ray, as well as the 5-hour miniseries on DVD.  I would suggest beginning with the 170 minute version to enjoy the movie in optimum picture and sound quality, followed by the television version, which fleshes out both the characters and the narrative.  However, no matter which version you choose to watch, Underground comes highly recommended.

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-France-Germany-Bulgaria-Czech Republic-Hungary/C-170m./Dir: Emir Kusturica/Wr: Dušan Kovačević, Emir Kusturica/Cast: Predrag “Miki” Manojlović, Lazar Ristovski, Mirjana Joković, Slavko Štimac, Ernst Stötzner, Srđan Todorović, Mirjana Karanovic, Milena Pavlovic, Bora Todorovic

For fans of: If you like the stylized foreign films of Federico Fellini, Luis Buñuel, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Underground will probably appeal to you as well.

Video: Kino Lorber has provided a fantastic package for their release of the Underground [Blu-ray + DVD combo], which overflows with special features.  Some may complain that the television version is only included on standard definition DVDs, but it is unlikely that the television version exists in high definition form.  It was standard practice in the 1990s to edit and finalize TV episodes on video tape, so the final television version probably never existed in anything but standard definition.

Here is the full content of the Kino Lorber release:

DISC ONE – BLU-RAY

• Theatrical Version of the film (170 min.)

DISC TWO/THREE – DVDs

• Once Upon a Time There Was a Country: six-part TV VERSION of Underground (327 min.)
• Behind-the-scenes footage
• Interviews with cast and crew
• Shooting Days – 1996 documentary on the making of Underground (76 min.)
• Original Trailer
• Booklet essay by Giorgio Bertellini

Streaming: At the time of this review, Underground (1995) was not available on any of the major streaming services.

More to Explore: After Underground, I’d suggest digging into the political satires of Armando Iannucci (the creator of the television series The Thick of It and Veep). His 2009 film In the Loop took a satiric spin on the run up to the Iraq War; and his upcoming Death of Stalin walks a tightrope in humorously depicting the power struggle and collateral damage following the death of the murderous Soviet leader.

Trivia: Director Emir Kusturica has a brief cameo in the final chapter of the film as an arms dealer negotiating with Marko during the Yugoslav Wars.

For more info: There are multiple English-langange books available on director Emir Kusturica, including Emir Kusturica (Contemporary Film Directors) by Giorgio Bertellini, Emir Kusturica by Dina Iordanova, and The Cinema of Emir Kusturica: Notes from the Underground by Goran Gocic.