The Professional (film)
Encyclopedia
The Professional is a 2003 comedy
/drama
, based on 1990 drama of the same name, written and directed by famous Serbian playwright Dušan Kovačević
. This movie earned its cult status by showing some of the darkest moments in Serbian history in actual and sometimes even comic way. This movie was nominated for seven awards of which it received five.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0339535/
) is now a manager of a big publishing house whose workers are just about to go on strike. During the 1990s Teja was highly involved in overthrowing the regime of Slobodan Milošević
. One day a strange man entered his office carrying a big suitcase. Teja was sure this man was a writer when he gave Teja four books ready to be published. After a short conversation Teja found out that these books were actually his. Teja thought this was a joke when stranger finally introduced himself as Luka Laban (played by Bora Todorović
), a former officer of National Security. He also found out that Luka followed him for ten years, day after day, in order to make the daily report about his movements. After Luka retired he put all his daily reports together and wrote four books about Teja's movements for last ten years.
Teja was surprised when he heard that wherever he was, Luka was behind him. As they continue to talk, the last ten years of their lives begin to appear. Teja heard that Luka intended to kill him during the antiregime demonstrations in March 1991. Teja was amazed with what he heard and from this point movie gives us retrospective view of the past events. In all these situations Teja was fighting against regime and Luka was right behind him monitoring his movements. The first time Luka really tried to kill Teja was in 1995 after one of the demonstrations Teja took part in. When Luka told Teja that it was him who hit him with the car after these demonstrations Teja intended to kill Luka but he was stopped by his secretary. While he was talking to Luka Teja was interrupted in many occasions by the union leader Jovan who threatened to take workers to streets.
In the New Year eve of 1997 Luka found out that his daughter Ana, who was Teja's student, was dating Teja, what gave him personal interest to ruin Teja's life. He made photos of these two which he used to ruin his marriage. Because of these photos Teja lost his job as a university professor. Teja reminded Luka that his daughter finished in a hospital after she suffered nervous breakdown and left university. When he asked Luka why he did that Luka answered: "Yes, she left the university but she also left you." After that Ana went to live in Canada and Luka promised to her that one day he is going to have a friendly conversation with Teja.
Luka than opened the suitcase he brought with himself. The suitcase was full of ordinary things Teja lost during last ten years mostly when he was completely drunk. Luka than started telling him stories related to things he lost. The more he was talking Teja started to remember the miserable moments of his life for last ten years. Now he finally found out that Luka was the man who destroyed his life, ruined his marriage and he even "helped" Teja to lose his job. Stories of these two men described some of the darkest events in Serbian history.
At the end of the movie Luka saved Teja's life when the union leader Jovan, at that point Teja realized he was a National Security agent, tried to kill him. Luka said he wanted Teja to have those four books he brought and a drama they just played because Luka recorded everything they said. Luka than gave Teja Ana's phone number in Canada to call and tell her had friendly talk. After this they departed as friends.
as Teodor Teja Kraj
Bora Todorović
as Luka Laban
Nataša Ninković as Marta
Dragan Jovanović
as Gipsani Teja's friend
Josif Tatić as Maki
Miodrag Krstović as Jovan
Gorica Popović
as Journalist
Renata Ulmanski as Teja's mother
Stole Novaković as Teja's father
Dana Todorović as Ana
Aljoša Vučković as waiter
Branislav Lečić
was intentionally chosen to play the role of Teodor Teja Kraj because he actively participated in overthrowing the Milošević's regime. Videos from the demonstrations that were used in making this movie are real and were not made for the movie purposes as well as Lečić's speeches on these videos.
used the idea of the relationship between these two characters but not the same events covered in the drama.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
/drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, based on 1990 drama of the same name, written and directed by famous Serbian playwright Dušan Kovačević
Dušan Kovacevic
Dušan Kovačević is a Serbian playwright and director best known for his theater plays and movie scripts. He also served as the ambassador of Serbia in Lisbon, Portugal....
. This movie earned its cult status by showing some of the darkest moments in Serbian history in actual and sometimes even comic way. This movie was nominated for seven awards of which it received five.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0339535/
Plot
Former university literature professor Teodor "Teja" Kraj (played by Branislav LečićBranislav Lecic
Branislav Lečić is a Serbian actor, and politician. He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of the University of Belgrade as an actor in 1978...
) is now a manager of a big publishing house whose workers are just about to go on strike. During the 1990s Teja was highly involved in overthrowing the regime of Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
. One day a strange man entered his office carrying a big suitcase. Teja was sure this man was a writer when he gave Teja four books ready to be published. After a short conversation Teja found out that these books were actually his. Teja thought this was a joke when stranger finally introduced himself as Luka Laban (played by Bora Todorović
Bora Todorovic
Borivoje "Bora" Todorović is a Serbian actor...
), a former officer of National Security. He also found out that Luka followed him for ten years, day after day, in order to make the daily report about his movements. After Luka retired he put all his daily reports together and wrote four books about Teja's movements for last ten years.
Teja was surprised when he heard that wherever he was, Luka was behind him. As they continue to talk, the last ten years of their lives begin to appear. Teja heard that Luka intended to kill him during the antiregime demonstrations in March 1991. Teja was amazed with what he heard and from this point movie gives us retrospective view of the past events. In all these situations Teja was fighting against regime and Luka was right behind him monitoring his movements. The first time Luka really tried to kill Teja was in 1995 after one of the demonstrations Teja took part in. When Luka told Teja that it was him who hit him with the car after these demonstrations Teja intended to kill Luka but he was stopped by his secretary. While he was talking to Luka Teja was interrupted in many occasions by the union leader Jovan who threatened to take workers to streets.
In the New Year eve of 1997 Luka found out that his daughter Ana, who was Teja's student, was dating Teja, what gave him personal interest to ruin Teja's life. He made photos of these two which he used to ruin his marriage. Because of these photos Teja lost his job as a university professor. Teja reminded Luka that his daughter finished in a hospital after she suffered nervous breakdown and left university. When he asked Luka why he did that Luka answered: "Yes, she left the university but she also left you." After that Ana went to live in Canada and Luka promised to her that one day he is going to have a friendly conversation with Teja.
Luka than opened the suitcase he brought with himself. The suitcase was full of ordinary things Teja lost during last ten years mostly when he was completely drunk. Luka than started telling him stories related to things he lost. The more he was talking Teja started to remember the miserable moments of his life for last ten years. Now he finally found out that Luka was the man who destroyed his life, ruined his marriage and he even "helped" Teja to lose his job. Stories of these two men described some of the darkest events in Serbian history.
At the end of the movie Luka saved Teja's life when the union leader Jovan, at that point Teja realized he was a National Security agent, tried to kill him. Luka said he wanted Teja to have those four books he brought and a drama they just played because Luka recorded everything they said. Luka than gave Teja Ana's phone number in Canada to call and tell her had friendly talk. After this they departed as friends.
Cast
Branislav LečićBranislav Lecic
Branislav Lečić is a Serbian actor, and politician. He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of the University of Belgrade as an actor in 1978...
as Teodor Teja Kraj
Bora Todorović
Bora Todorovic
Borivoje "Bora" Todorović is a Serbian actor...
as Luka Laban
Nataša Ninković as Marta
Dragan Jovanović
Dragan Jovanovic
Searching Football manager - Dragan Jovanović see Dragan Jovanović Dragan Jovanović was a Serbian and Yugoslav football forward....
as Gipsani Teja's friend
Josif Tatić as Maki
Miodrag Krstović as Jovan
Gorica Popović
Gorica Popović
Gorica Popović is a Serbian theatre, television and film actress.-Selected filmography:*The Fall of Italy *The Dark Side of the Sun *Battle of Kosovo -External links:...
as Journalist
Renata Ulmanski as Teja's mother
Stole Novaković as Teja's father
Dana Todorović as Ana
Aljoša Vučković as waiter
Branislav Lečić
Branislav Lecic
Branislav Lečić is a Serbian actor, and politician. He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of the University of Belgrade as an actor in 1978...
was intentionally chosen to play the role of Teodor Teja Kraj because he actively participated in overthrowing the Milošević's regime. Videos from the demonstrations that were used in making this movie are real and were not made for the movie purposes as well as Lečić's speeches on these videos.
Drama and Movie
Although these two share the same theme there are many differences between the drama and the movie of the same name. The earliest events described in the movie are from 1991 while the drama was written in 1990. Therefore, director Dušan KovačevićDušan Kovacevic
Dušan Kovačević is a Serbian playwright and director best known for his theater plays and movie scripts. He also served as the ambassador of Serbia in Lisbon, Portugal....
used the idea of the relationship between these two characters but not the same events covered in the drama.
Awards
| Year | Festival | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Montréal World Film Festival | Best screenplay |
| 2003 | Montréal World Film Festival | FIPRESCI prize |
| 2003 | Viareggio Europa Cinema | Best film |
| 2003 | Viareggio Europa Cinema | Best screenplay |
| 2004 | Istanbul International Film Festival | Special prize of the jury |
External links
- The Professional at IMDB