Overview

In the liberal West as in socialist Yugoslavia, the films of Aleksandar Petrovic dramatize how enforced dogmatism can corrode any political system. A case study of the oft-overlooked Yugoslav director’s colorful and eventful career, A Portrait of the Artist as a Political Dissident explores how Petrovic developed specific political and social themes in his films. A response to the political vagaries of his time, these anti-dogmatic views were later to become a trademark of his work. Although interest in socialist Yugoslavia and its legacy has risen steadily since the 1990s, the history of Yugoslav cinema has been scarcely covered, and this book marks a fresh contribution to a burgeoning area of interest.

Full Product Details

9781841505459

Table of Contents

Reviews

Vlastimir Sudar's book is the most ambitious and comprehensive attempt thus far to bring into bold relief Aleksandar Petrovic's role as a world-class film artist, political dissident, and a major figure in bringing about the Yugoslav new film or black film period of the 1960s and early '70s. Using an innovative and updated version of auteur theory as a major strategy of film analysis, Sudar discovers and persuasively articulates four basic thematic political paradigms that cut across all of Petrovic's major films. His analysis is further deepened by a remarkable variety and scope of relevant source materials--historical, biographical, cultural, and political--that he critically brings to bear to substantiate and provide a context for his film analysis. <br>--Daniel J. Goulding, Oberlin College

Vlastimir Sudar's book is the most ambitious and comprehensive attempt thus far to bring into bold relief Aleksandar Petrovic's role as a world-class film artist, political dissident, and a major figure in bringing about the Yugoslav new film or black film period of the 1960s and early '70s. Using an innovative and updated version of auteur theory as a major strategy of film analysis, Sudar discovers and persuasively articulates four basic thematic political paradigms that cut across all of Petrovic's major films. His analysis is further deepened by a remarkable variety and scope of relevant source materials--historical, biographical, cultural, and political--that he critically brings to bear to substantiate and provide a context for his film analysis. --Daniel J. Goulding, Oberlin College

Author Information

Vlastimir Sudar teaches film history and theory at the University of the Arts London.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available