Innocence Unprotected
Encyclopedia
Innocence Unprotected is a compilation film by Yugoslavia
n director Dušan Makavejev
. Makavejev's film is based on a 1941 film Nevinost bez zaštite in Serbia
by Dragoljub Aleksić that was never released. In 1968, Makavejev found the film and expanded it with newsreel footage and interviews with surviving cast members.
feature film
made in Serbia
. Nevinost bez zaštite was made by Yugoslav gymnast Dragoljub Aleksić who wrote, produced, directed and starred in the film. Nevinost bez zaštite was never released due to the Nazi censors and was found to be pro-nazi later on.
In 1968 filmmaker (Dušan Makavejev) found the film and expanded upon it with newsreel footage of Nazi Propaganda and German occupation as well. Other footage includes Aleksić performing his acrobatics and filmed interviews with the surviving cast members. Makavejev tinted some of the black and white scenes in the film and hand colored some details. The film was referred to by Makavejev as a "montage of attractions", with a montage styled celebration of Yugoslavian customs, folklore, and humor.
, where it won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury
.
The film received positive acclaim on its initial release. Variety
wrote that the film is "both amusing and interesting. It has value as a documentary but also gives the viewer the chance to laugh at an old amateur feature pic".
Roger Greenspun of The New York Times
wrote that Makavejev "brings an exceptionally sophisticated understanding to his project. But it is also an exceptionally understanding sophistication—ironic, loving, clear-sightedly appreciative of all illusions. For this, rarer than most things on film, I value Makavejev's extraordinary insights into ordinary affairs and his gentle juggling act with Acrobat Aleksic."
Later reviews have also been positive. In 1985, Don Druker of The Chicago Reader
wrote that the film is "funny and genuinely endearing tribute to an innocent folk hero—bizarre in spots, and definitely Makavejev".
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n director Dušan Makavejev
Dušan Makavejev
Dušan Makavejev is a Serbian film director and screenwriter, famous for his groundbreaking films of Yugoslav cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
. Makavejev's film is based on a 1941 film Nevinost bez zaštite in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
by Dragoljub Aleksić that was never released. In 1968, Makavejev found the film and expanded it with newsreel footage and interviews with surviving cast members.
Production
Innocence Unprotected is made from footage of the 1941 film of the same name. Innocence Unprotected was originally filmed in 1941 under the title Nevinost bez zaštite which was meant to be the first soundSound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
made in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. Nevinost bez zaštite was made by Yugoslav gymnast Dragoljub Aleksić who wrote, produced, directed and starred in the film. Nevinost bez zaštite was never released due to the Nazi censors and was found to be pro-nazi later on.
In 1968 filmmaker (Dušan Makavejev) found the film and expanded upon it with newsreel footage of Nazi Propaganda and German occupation as well. Other footage includes Aleksić performing his acrobatics and filmed interviews with the surviving cast members. Makavejev tinted some of the black and white scenes in the film and hand colored some details. The film was referred to by Makavejev as a "montage of attractions", with a montage styled celebration of Yugoslavian customs, folklore, and humor.
Reception
The film was entered into the 18th Berlin International Film Festival18th Berlin International Film Festival
The 18th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 21 to July 2, 1968.-Jury:* Luis García Berlanga * Peter Schamoni* Alex Viany* Georges de Beauregard* Alexander Walker* Domenico Meccoli* Carl-Eric Nordberg...
, where it won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury
Jury Grand Prix
The Jury Grand Prix is a Silver Bear award given by the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition...
.
The film received positive acclaim on its initial release. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
wrote that the film is "both amusing and interesting. It has value as a documentary but also gives the viewer the chance to laugh at an old amateur feature pic".
Roger Greenspun of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that Makavejev "brings an exceptionally sophisticated understanding to his project. But it is also an exceptionally understanding sophistication—ironic, loving, clear-sightedly appreciative of all illusions. For this, rarer than most things on film, I value Makavejev's extraordinary insights into ordinary affairs and his gentle juggling act with Acrobat Aleksic."
Later reviews have also been positive. In 1985, Don Druker of The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded in 1971 by a group of friends from Carleton College...
wrote that the film is "funny and genuinely endearing tribute to an innocent folk hero—bizarre in spots, and definitely Makavejev".