Ciguli Miguli
Encyclopedia
Ciguli Miguli is a 1952 Yugoslav political satire
film directed by Branko Marjanović
and written by Joža Horvat. It was meant to be the first satirical film of the post-World War II
Yugoslav cinema
, but its sharp criticism of bureaucracy
was politically condemned by the authorities and the film was banned as "anti-socialist".
war film that won several awards. This time, however, Horvat wanted something different, hoping that a satire of Soviet
-type bureaucracy would mesh with the wave of liberalization of cultural life in Yugoslavia set in motion by Tito's breakup with Stalin in 1948. Moreover, Horvat believed that this new climate would be the beginning of substantial democratic changes in the country, initiated from within the Communist Party of Yugoslavia itself.
Marjanović took over Ciguli Miguli only after his proposal for Nikola Tesla, a biography of the famous engineer and inventor, had been rejected by Jadran Film
. As an independent intellectual, he was not an ideal choice for directing a politically risky film, but it was believed that Joža Horvat's impeccable reputation and his good standing with the authorities would be sufficient.
Although Marjanović initially chose veteran filmmaker Oktavijan Miletić
as a cinematographer
, the two soon parted ways due to disagreements. Miletić was replaced with Nikola Tanhofer
, cinematographer of Zastava, then still only 25 years old.
Ciguli Miguli was a significantly more complex project than Zastava, but the shooting was finished in six months - which was considered normal for standards of Yugoslav cinema of the era - in contrast with chaotic and protracted shooting of Zastava that lasted for fifteen months.
for cultural and political leaders in Zagreb
, a decision was made not to permit public showing of Ciguli Miguli. A brief but intense media harangue against the film followed in the Vjesnik
daily newspaper, spearheaded by Frane Barbieri, Vjesniks editor-in-chief, and Milutin Baltić, a high-ranking Communist Party official.
Characterization of main antagonist
Ivan Ivanović - whose Russian-sounding name seems to be more than just a coincidence - was not seen as a satire on Stalinism
, or as a criticism of excesses of Yugoslav socialism, but rather as an all-out attack on socialist authorities. The detractors were unhappy with the oafish portrayal of Ivanović, as opposed to depiction of petty bourgeois music societies' leaders as likable slackers. One of the scenes that were particularly problematic was the one in which a music society leader agrees to have his shop nationalized
, only to find it teeming with bureaucracy shortly afterwards. Lines such as "" ("Even if it's for socialism, it's too much") did not help either. Some scenes that Horvat added to the scenario during the filming in order to forestall trouble only incensed the critics further. The film reportedly angered Josip Broz Tito
himself, which meant that its fate was sealed, irrespective of sympathies many high-ranking party members had for Joža Horvat.
Being responsible for the scenario, Horvat bore the brunt of public criticism, to which he was not allowed to respond. Finding that he had had too much, he left the country for France
, and returned to screenwriting only in the 1960s.
Consequences for Marjanović's career, on the other hand, were less serious because, unlike Horvat, he was seen more as an executor. In 1953 and 1954 he proposed changes to the film in order to lift the ban, but Jadran Film was not interested. His next feature film, The Siege (1956), was not well-received, and turned out to be his last. After that, Marjanović turned to nature documentaries
, a genre that brought him more accolades than his feature films.
Ciguli Miguli was banned for 25 years, until it was quietly issued a license for public showing on 30 April 1977. Its broadcast on national television in 1989 generated brief media interest. The film was scheduled to be digitally restored
in 2010.
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
film directed by Branko Marjanović
Branko Marjanović
Branko Marjanovic was a Croatian film director and editor.He graduated from drama school in Zagreb, a movie experience gained in Prague and work on educational film in Zagreb....
and written by Joža Horvat. It was meant to be the first satirical film of the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Yugoslav cinema
Cinema of Yugoslavia
-SFR Yugoslavia:The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had an internationally acclaimed film industry.Prominent male actors included Danilo Bata Stojković, Ljuba Tadić, Bekim Fehmiu, Fabijan Šovagović, Mustafa Nadarević, Bata Živojinović, Boris Dvornik, Ljubiša Samardžić, Dragan Nikolić and...
, but its sharp criticism of bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
was politically condemned by the authorities and the film was banned as "anti-socialist".
Plot
Ivan Ivanović, a party functionary, arrives in a provincial town as a temporary replacement for a cultural official. The newcomer is fanatically eager to reform the town's cultural life in accordance with socialist ideals. He abolishes all five music societies and orders a monument of the town's most revered native, late composer Ciguli Miguli, removed from the main square. Ivanović's actions, however, meet stiff resistance from the townspeople, especially the youth.Background and production
Prior to Ciguli Miguli, director Branko Marjanović and writer Joža Horvat had collaborated on Zastava (1949), a socialist realistSocialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
war film that won several awards. This time, however, Horvat wanted something different, hoping that a satire of Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-type bureaucracy would mesh with the wave of liberalization of cultural life in Yugoslavia set in motion by Tito's breakup with Stalin in 1948. Moreover, Horvat believed that this new climate would be the beginning of substantial democratic changes in the country, initiated from within the Communist Party of Yugoslavia itself.
Marjanović took over Ciguli Miguli only after his proposal for Nikola Tesla, a biography of the famous engineer and inventor, had been rejected by Jadran Film
Jadran Film
Jadran Film is a film production studio and distribution company founded in 1946 in Zagreb, Croatia. In the period between the early 1960s and late 1980s Jadran Film was one of the biggest and most notable film studios in Central Europe, with some 145 international and around 120 Yugoslav...
. As an independent intellectual, he was not an ideal choice for directing a politically risky film, but it was believed that Joža Horvat's impeccable reputation and his good standing with the authorities would be sufficient.
Although Marjanović initially chose veteran filmmaker Oktavijan Miletić
Oktavijan Miletic
Oktavijan Miletić was a Croatian cinematographer and director. His avant-garde work in the period from 1928 to 1945 remains as one of the foundations of Croatian film....
as a cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
, the two soon parted ways due to disagreements. Miletić was replaced with Nikola Tanhofer
Nikola Tanhofer
Nikola Tanhofer was a Croatian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. His film It Was Not in Vain was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival.-Filmography:* Plavi 9...
, cinematographer of Zastava, then still only 25 years old.
Ciguli Miguli was a significantly more complex project than Zastava, but the shooting was finished in six months - which was considered normal for standards of Yugoslav cinema of the era - in contrast with chaotic and protracted shooting of Zastava that lasted for fifteen months.
Reception and aftermath
After a private screeningPrivate screening
A private screening refers to a screening of a commercially made film to a group of people somewhere other than one of their homes. The legal issues can be complex, as the rules and regulation vary from country to country.-United Kingdom:...
for cultural and political leaders in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, a decision was made not to permit public showing of Ciguli Miguli. A brief but intense media harangue against the film followed in the Vjesnik
Vjesnik
Vjesnik is a Croatian daily newspaper, published in Zagreb. Through its history, it has been considered a newspaper of record.The paper was originally printed as a monthly publication by the League of Communists of Croatia starting in 1940...
daily newspaper, spearheaded by Frane Barbieri, Vjesniks editor-in-chief, and Milutin Baltić, a high-ranking Communist Party official.
Characterization of main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
Ivan Ivanović - whose Russian-sounding name seems to be more than just a coincidence - was not seen as a satire on Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
, or as a criticism of excesses of Yugoslav socialism, but rather as an all-out attack on socialist authorities. The detractors were unhappy with the oafish portrayal of Ivanović, as opposed to depiction of petty bourgeois music societies' leaders as likable slackers. One of the scenes that were particularly problematic was the one in which a music society leader agrees to have his shop nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
, only to find it teeming with bureaucracy shortly afterwards. Lines such as "" ("Even if it's for socialism, it's too much") did not help either. Some scenes that Horvat added to the scenario during the filming in order to forestall trouble only incensed the critics further. The film reportedly angered Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
himself, which meant that its fate was sealed, irrespective of sympathies many high-ranking party members had for Joža Horvat.
Being responsible for the scenario, Horvat bore the brunt of public criticism, to which he was not allowed to respond. Finding that he had had too much, he left the country for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and returned to screenwriting only in the 1960s.
Consequences for Marjanović's career, on the other hand, were less serious because, unlike Horvat, he was seen more as an executor. In 1953 and 1954 he proposed changes to the film in order to lift the ban, but Jadran Film was not interested. His next feature film, The Siege (1956), was not well-received, and turned out to be his last. After that, Marjanović turned to nature documentaries
Nature documentary
A natural history film or wildlife film is a documentary film about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat...
, a genre that brought him more accolades than his feature films.
Ciguli Miguli was banned for 25 years, until it was quietly issued a license for public showing on 30 April 1977. Its broadcast on national television in 1989 generated brief media interest. The film was scheduled to be digitally restored
Film preservation
thumb|300px|Stacked containers filled with reels of [[film stock]]The film preservation, or film restoration, movement is an ongoing project among film historians, archivists, museums, cinematheques, and non-profit organizations to rescue decaying film stock and preserve the images which they contain...
in 2010.