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Walter Defends Sarajevo
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Wikipedia article
'Walter Defends Sarajevo' ( / ) is a 1972 Yugoslav partisan film, directed by Hajrudin Krvavac and starring Bata ivojinovi, Ljubia Samardi and Rade Markovi.
Plot
In late 1944, as the end of World War II approaches, the Wehrmacht's high command determines to pull out General Alexander Lhr's Army Group E from the Balkans back to Germany. They plan to supply the tank columns with fuel from a depot in Sarajevo. The Yugoslav partisans' leader in the city, a mysterious man known as Walter, presents a grave danger to the operation's success, and the Germans dispatch Standartenfhrer von Dietrich of the SD to deal with him. As no one in the city seems to know what Walter even looks like, Dietrich manages to have an operative infiltrate the resistance under the guise of Walter himself. The partisans are caught in a deadly game of betrayal, fraud and imposture while trying to frustrate the Germans' plans.
Iconic ending
At the end of the movie, von Dietrich muses that he has finally realised why he never managed to defeat his nemesis Walter; standing on a hill he points at Sarajevo below and remarks in German: 'Sehen Sie diese Stadt? Das ist Walter!' ("You see that city? That's Walter!") This was intended to send a message of unity consistent with the official politics of the multi-ethnic state of Yugoslavia.Cast
*Bata ivojinovi as Pilot (Walter)
*Ljubia Samardi as Zis
*Rade Markovi as Sead Kapetanovi
*Slobodan Dimitrijevi as Suri
*Neda Spasojevi as Mirna
*Dragomir Gidra Bojani as Kondor
*Pavle Vuisi as train dispatcher
*Faruk Begolli as Branko
*Stevo igon as Dr Mikovi
*Jovan Janiijevi as Josic
*Relja Bai as Obersturmfhrer
*Hannjo Hasse as Col. von Dietrich
*Rolf Rmer as SS-Hauptsturmfhrer Bischoff
*Fred Delmare as Sgt. Edele (credited as Axel Delmare)
*Herbert Kfer as German general
*Wilhelm Koch-Hooge as Lieutenant Colonel Hagen
*Helmut Schreiber as Lieutenant Colonel Weiland
*Emir Kusturica as a young man
Production
Although not aiming to reflect history, the film's leading character was named after the partisan leader Vladimir Peri, known by his 'nom de guerre' 'Walter', who commanded a resistance group in Sarajevo from 1943 until his death in the battle to liberate the city on April 6, 1945. Hajrudin Krvavac dedicated the picture to the people of Sarajevo and their heroism during the war.Pavle Levi. 'Disintegration in Frames: Aesthetics and Ideology in the Yugoslav and Post-Yugoslav Cinema'. Stanford University Press (2007). . pp. 64-66.
The film marked the beginning of Emir Kusturica's career in cinema. Sixteen years of age at the time, it was his first appearance on film in a small role playing a young communist activist.Goran Goci. 'Notes from the Underground: The Cinema of Emir Kusturica'. Wallflower Press (2001). . p. 16.
Release
The film premiered in Sarajevo on Wednesday, 12 April 1972 in front of 5,000 spectators at the recently built Skenderija Hall. The venue thus hosted another lavish partisan film premire, two and a half years after Veljko Bulaji's 'Battle of Neretva' premiered in October 1969. Marshal Josip Broz Tito wasn't in attendance this time, though the premiere still saw its share of Yugoslav celebrities and functionaries including the film's cast as well as the Red Star Belgrade head coach Miljan Miljani, actress pela Rozin, Skenderija's director and former Sarajevo mayor Ljubo Kojo, Bosna Film chairman Neo Pareanin, etc. Following the premiere, a lavish invitation-only dinner was organized at Hotel Evropa.
Reception
'Walter Defends Sarajevo' received a favorable response from the Yugoslav audience, especially in Sarajevo itself.Robert J. Donia. 'Sarajevo: A Biography'. University of Michigan Press (2006). . p. 238.
The picture was distributed in sixty countries, and achieved its greatest success in the People's Republic of China, becoming the country's most popular foreign film in the 1970s. Owing mainly to the Chinese audience, 'Walter Defends Sarajevo' became "one of the most-watched war films of all time."
Legacy
serving Sarajevo-style evapi.
Stressing brotherhood and unity of the Yugoslav population in the face of foreign occupation, the film became a point of reference for the New Primitives' punk sub-culture: Zabranjeno Puenje, one of the movement's leading bands, named their first album 'Das ist Walter', in honour of the film.
In China, children and streets were named after characters from the film, and a beer brand called 'Walter' was marketed with Velimir ivojinovi's picture on the label. It still enjoys great popularity in the country.Dina Iordanova. 'The Cinema of the Balkans'. Wallflower Press (2006). . p. 115.
The names of numerous hospitality venues throughout the Balkans (mostly in Bosnia and Serbia) have been inspired by the film.
References
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