Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1985
Three for Happiness
Buy Three for Happiness now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Three for Happiness' (a.k.a. 'Three's Happiness') is a 1985 Croatian romantic drama film directed by Rajko Grli.
Plot
A man (Miki Manojlovi) is forced by poverty and desperation to use a children's plastic gun to rob a small bank and gets captured. Three years later, he is released from prison. He starts a romantic relationship with Zdenka, a factory worker, but still has strong feelings for his ex-wife Nina, who is now a mistress of Ivan, a well-to-do man. At the same time, Zdenka remains the love interest of Jozo, the factory doorkeeper...
Cast
* Miki Manojlovi as Drago
* Mira Furlan as Zdenka Robi
* Bogdan Dikli as Jozo
* Vanja Drach as Ivan
* Duan Jovanovi as eljezniar
* Miodrag Krivokapi as Montenegrin Ticket Buyer
* Dubravka Ostoji as Nina Korbar
* Ksenija Paji as Jagoda ("Strawberry")
* Mladen Budiak as Pilar ("Sawyer")
* Nina Erak-Svrtan as Shoe Factory Shift Leader
* Drago Kra as Judge
* Vitomira Lonar as Telephone Operator
* Lana Golob as Shoe Factory Worker
* Mladen Crnobrnja as Kroja ("Tailor")
* Jadranka Matkovi as Shoe Factory Worker
* Damir Saban as Shoe Factory Worker
* Ljudevit Gali as Train Ticket Agent
Reception
The film won the FIPRESCI, Grand Prix and the Peter Karsten award for 'Best Script' by the International Federation of Film Critics for Rajko Grli at the 1986 Valencia Festival of Mediterranean Cinema. It also won the Grand Prix at the Salso Film Festival in Italy, and many awards from Yugoslavian film festivals, including the Golden Arena for Scenography at the 1986 Pula Film Festival. The film was distributed in 14 countries.
Croatian film historian Ivo krabalo compared 'Three for Happiness' unfavorably to Grli's earlier works, noting more simplistic direction and failure to fulfill the genre's determinants. krabalo also remarked that the film steers clear of a more pronounced social criticism, limiting itself to showing contrast between social backgrounds.
Eleanor Mannikka of All Movie Guide wrote that the film "is an amusing and enjoyable romantic comedy buoyed by witty dialogue."
References
Buy Three for Happiness now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1985