Comedy Comes to Croatia / 'Singing' shines in best of anti-war tradition
One wouldn't expect a film from Croatia to deliver a rollicking good time, but that's exactly what Krsto Papic's black comedy does. "When the Dead Start Singing" is a throwback to the kind of absurdist farce in which Eastern European cinema used to specialize, and, despite some obviousness here and there, it's great fun.
Showcased recently in competition at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, where it tied for the jury prize for best film, it could well be a sleeper success on the art house circuit for an adventurous distributor.
The film centers on two Croatian emigrants in Germany seeking to return to their homeland. One hatches a scheme to fake his death and return to Croatia in a coffin, ensuring comfortable death benefits and a pension for his family. Unfortunately, he's being pursued by a mafia figure who wants to kill him and sell his organs to a dying mobster.
The other, who emigrated for political reasons, is still being hunted by a zealous member of the secret police looking to end his career with a bang. A wild series of complications ensues, particularly when the men finally manage to return home, only to find themselves amid the civil war.
Some of the film's humor is predictable -- the supposedly deceased character says "over my dead body" far too many times -- but "Dead Start Singing" is a beautifully constructed black comedy filled with riotous visual and verbal humor in the best anti-war tradition. Director Papic keeps things moving at a frenetic enough pace that you never stop to question the wild plotting, yet he allows enough warmth and character development to prevent the film from seeming overly mechanical.
WHEN THE DEAD START SINGING
Jadran Films
Credits: Director: Krsto Papic; Screenwriters: Mate Matisic, Krsto Papic; Producer: Ljubo Sikic; Director of photography: Vjekoslav Vrookjak; Editor: Robert Lisjak; Music: Zrinko Tutic. Cast: Ivo Gregurevic, Ivica Vidovic, Mirjana Majurec, Kesnija Pajic, Jatija Prskalo. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 104 minutes.
One wouldn't expect a film from Croatia to deliver a rollicking good time, but that's exactly what Krsto Papic's black comedy does. "When the Dead Start Singing" is a throwback to the kind of absurdist farce in which Eastern European cinema used to specialize, and, despite some obviousness here and there, it's great fun.
Showcased recently in competition at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, where it tied for the jury prize for best film, it could well be a sleeper success on the art house circuit for an adventurous distributor.
The film centers on two Croatian emigrants in Germany seeking to return to their homeland. One hatches a scheme to fake his death and return to Croatia in a coffin, ensuring comfortable death benefits and a pension for his family. Unfortunately, he's being pursued by a mafia figure who wants to kill him and sell his organs to a dying mobster.
The other, who emigrated for political reasons, is still being hunted by a zealous member of the secret police looking to end his career with a bang. A wild series of complications ensues, particularly when the men finally manage to return home, only to find themselves amid the civil war.
Some of the film's humor is predictable -- the supposedly deceased character says "over my dead body" far too many times -- but "Dead Start Singing" is a beautifully constructed black comedy filled with riotous visual and verbal humor in the best anti-war tradition. Director Papic keeps things moving at a frenetic enough pace that you never stop to question the wild plotting, yet he allows enough warmth and character development to prevent the film from seeming overly mechanical.
WHEN THE DEAD START SINGING
Jadran Films
Credits: Director: Krsto Papic; Screenwriters: Mate Matisic, Krsto Papic; Producer: Ljubo Sikic; Director of photography: Vjekoslav Vrookjak; Editor: Robert Lisjak; Music: Zrinko Tutic. Cast: Ivo Gregurevic, Ivica Vidovic, Mirjana Majurec, Kesnija Pajic, Jatija Prskalo. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 104 minutes.
- 12/7/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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