Cinema
Balkan Express
Балкан експрес
Branko Baletić · 1983
Synopsis
Serbia, spring 1941, in the last days of peace. A gang of petty thieves and swindlers, Popaj, Pik, Lili and their accomplices, goes from town to town disguised as an orchestra, the Balkan Express, and the music covers their thefts. The German invasion puts an end to this carefree life: under the occupation, the gang has no other concern than saving its own skin, caught between the German soldiers, the police and the resistance fighters.
Context
The screenplay is by Gordan Mihić, and the film was shot under a working title, Popaj ne doit pas mourir, taken from the name of the main character. The film treated occupation and resistance in a comic mode, subjects that Yugoslav cinema had until then reserved for the epic, and the public gave it a great success. This success called for a sequel, with a short television series in which other actors took over the roles. The Theatre on Terazije in Belgrade drew a musical from it, built on the music of Zoran Simjanović.
Who it is for
An hour and forty minutes, in Serbian, with a lot of music. It is best to know that Germany invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941 and that Serbia remained occupied until 1944.
Prizes and reception
Prize for best screenplay at the Vrnjačka Banja festival in 1983, and one of the one hundred Serbian films declared cultural property of great importance.