Old Balkan Charm
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Found some more gems on europafilmtreasures. These are even more interesting from the ethnological point of view .
They are from Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia filmed in 1950-ies.
First is the account of practices of Rifai- mystic Islamic sect.
An evening of Ramadan, Skopje, 1951. Silhouettes slip down a deserted little street and enter an old house. Several men sitting cross-legged are sipping on coffee. The modest building houses the tomb of an ancient Rifai dignitary and his family. Strange practices are going to take place in this temple. In an adjacent room, one of the men dons the attire of sheikh, the officiating priest, and breaks into the prayer for Ramadan.
Bowing down, the believers chant the incantations faster and faster, louder and louder. They enter a trance, rise and form a circle. Side by side, they sway from one foot to the next, banging on percussion instruments.
The mortification rituals can begin. The sheikh pierces the cheeks of the young men with a stylet. The older men skewer their own cheeks with a dagger. An iron ball with jingle bells hangs heavy at the end of the sharp knife. Stoic, the dervishes do not spill a drop of blood. This is not something for the faint of heart!
Dervishes 1955
The other one is following St.Peters Day wedding in the Orthodox Christian mountainous village in Macedonia, close to border with Albania.
Apart from the detailed account of folk ancient practices and superstitions related to wedding it is also a great testimony of versatility and agility of Balkan Mountain Horse, a breed that is now almost extinct.
Galichnik Wedding 1955
And the last one although polished, staged and in color comes across as quite beautiful and poetic.
Rhythm and Sound 1955
here is the review:
This Trajce Popov film aesthetizes Macedonian folklore with lyricism, while paying a discreet homage to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
After World War II, Vardar Macedonia became a federated Republic of the new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Under communist rule but autonomous, Yugoslavian Macedonia was able to cultivate the Macedonian identity for the first time in its history. All the more so that it took in the Aegean Macedonian populations that had fled the Greek civil war between 1945 and 1948.
In keeping with this approach, the film emanates great nostalgia (tradition, the precious balance of the community), but also a real enthusiasm for socialist fraternity. “These dances are a vestige of the past, exclaims the voice-off. But all that is a thing of the past for the people of this country.” The camera lingers on the Wheel Dance that began during the opening ceremonies. The men performed this dance back when they had to go find bread far from their village.
At this precise moment, a procession interrupts the dance. Two flags lead the march. The first is red, the second flies the colours of Yugoslavia. In an umpteenth farandole, the men and women finally mix, dancing together towards a glorious future. True poetry emanates from Popov’s work, with his flare for the dramatic that marked several generations of Macedonian film directors.
Ritam i Zvuk is more than just an ethnographic film. It praises stoicism and virtue, the living power of dance and community life. It resounds like a panegyric of the Macedonian people and their memory in dance.
They are from Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia filmed in 1950-ies.
First is the account of practices of Rifai- mystic Islamic sect.
An evening of Ramadan, Skopje, 1951. Silhouettes slip down a deserted little street and enter an old house. Several men sitting cross-legged are sipping on coffee. The modest building houses the tomb of an ancient Rifai dignitary and his family. Strange practices are going to take place in this temple. In an adjacent room, one of the men dons the attire of sheikh, the officiating priest, and breaks into the prayer for Ramadan.
Bowing down, the believers chant the incantations faster and faster, louder and louder. They enter a trance, rise and form a circle. Side by side, they sway from one foot to the next, banging on percussion instruments.
The mortification rituals can begin. The sheikh pierces the cheeks of the young men with a stylet. The older men skewer their own cheeks with a dagger. An iron ball with jingle bells hangs heavy at the end of the sharp knife. Stoic, the dervishes do not spill a drop of blood. This is not something for the faint of heart!
Dervishes 1955
The other one is following St.Peters Day wedding in the Orthodox Christian mountainous village in Macedonia, close to border with Albania.
Apart from the detailed account of folk ancient practices and superstitions related to wedding it is also a great testimony of versatility and agility of Balkan Mountain Horse, a breed that is now almost extinct.
Galichnik Wedding 1955
And the last one although polished, staged and in color comes across as quite beautiful and poetic.
Rhythm and Sound 1955
here is the review:
This Trajce Popov film aesthetizes Macedonian folklore with lyricism, while paying a discreet homage to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
After World War II, Vardar Macedonia became a federated Republic of the new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Under communist rule but autonomous, Yugoslavian Macedonia was able to cultivate the Macedonian identity for the first time in its history. All the more so that it took in the Aegean Macedonian populations that had fled the Greek civil war between 1945 and 1948.
In keeping with this approach, the film emanates great nostalgia (tradition, the precious balance of the community), but also a real enthusiasm for socialist fraternity. “These dances are a vestige of the past, exclaims the voice-off. But all that is a thing of the past for the people of this country.” The camera lingers on the Wheel Dance that began during the opening ceremonies. The men performed this dance back when they had to go find bread far from their village.
At this precise moment, a procession interrupts the dance. Two flags lead the march. The first is red, the second flies the colours of Yugoslavia. In an umpteenth farandole, the men and women finally mix, dancing together towards a glorious future. True poetry emanates from Popov’s work, with his flare for the dramatic that marked several generations of Macedonian film directors.
Ritam i Zvuk is more than just an ethnographic film. It praises stoicism and virtue, the living power of dance and community life. It resounds like a panegyric of the Macedonian people and their memory in dance.
Mayb
Jedi Master
Very interesting video about derviches.
There are around 50 000 still in the region of Bosnia , Macedonia and Kosovo.
The Rifai sect is one of the 12 sufi sects still active in Kosovo. Most of the members of dervishes now are Albanias ,but there is also Bosnians, Turks and even Gipsies.
During the religios wars here , they havent been the targets of any religious side , unfortunately, arount 1500 books have been burned , together with 39 documents from 1719...
There are around 50 000 still in the region of Bosnia , Macedonia and Kosovo.
The Rifai sect is one of the 12 sufi sects still active in Kosovo. Most of the members of dervishes now are Albanias ,but there is also Bosnians, Turks and even Gipsies.
During the religios wars here , they havent been the targets of any religious side , unfortunately, arount 1500 books have been burned , together with 39 documents from 1719...
Yes, that is an all time classic.
Here is synopsis from IMDB
The story is set between the two World wars. The Topalovic family consists of five generations of males, with the youngest one aged 25 and the oldest aged 120. Conflicts break out in the family because the youngest member refuses to carry on the morticians' trade, which for decades, from generation to generation has been his family's occupation. The manufacturing of coffins is more and more lucrative, new technologies are introduced, burials are faster and easier, the era of crematoriums is here. But the youngest member of the family, Mirko, is not interested. He believes in a "better, nicer and more honest occupation". In this belief he is supported and encouraged by his girlfriend Kristina and his best friend Djenka, owner of a small cinema. Kristina's father Billy Python supplier of coffins to the Topalovic company, demands a larger share in the earnings, i.e. a fair division of work and profit. Thus these two families come into conflict. In the showdown all means are permitted. This is American gangsterism in Balkan style. Greatly disappointed because both his friend and his girlfriend betrayed him, Mirko commits murder. As a murderer, he returns to his family where he is received with open arms as the new leader of the family, aware of his strength and power, a representative of the new generation whose basic moral principle is ruthlessness.
While "Maratonci..." is made in burlesque style and can be viewed as pretty light comedy, there is another "comedy" of much darker flavor
called "Ko to tamo peva?" Another gem no to be missed, although you will be left with slightly bitter taste in your mouth...
On April 5, 1941, a date Serbs will recognize, men on a country road board Krstic's bus for Belgrade: two Gypsies who occasionally sing about misery, an aging war vet, a Nazi sympathizer, a dapper singer, a consumptive, and a man with a shotgun. Krstic is a world-weary cynic, out for a buck; the driver is his son, the simple, cheerful Misko. En route they pick up a priest and young newlyweds going to the seaside. Along the way, mis-adventure strikes: a flat tire, a rickety bridge, a farmer who's plowed the road, a funeral, two feuding families, an army detail, and a lost wallet slow the bus and expose rifts among the travelers. On April 6, amid rumors of war, they reach Belgrade...
Here is synopsis from IMDB
The story is set between the two World wars. The Topalovic family consists of five generations of males, with the youngest one aged 25 and the oldest aged 120. Conflicts break out in the family because the youngest member refuses to carry on the morticians' trade, which for decades, from generation to generation has been his family's occupation. The manufacturing of coffins is more and more lucrative, new technologies are introduced, burials are faster and easier, the era of crematoriums is here. But the youngest member of the family, Mirko, is not interested. He believes in a "better, nicer and more honest occupation". In this belief he is supported and encouraged by his girlfriend Kristina and his best friend Djenka, owner of a small cinema. Kristina's father Billy Python supplier of coffins to the Topalovic company, demands a larger share in the earnings, i.e. a fair division of work and profit. Thus these two families come into conflict. In the showdown all means are permitted. This is American gangsterism in Balkan style. Greatly disappointed because both his friend and his girlfriend betrayed him, Mirko commits murder. As a murderer, he returns to his family where he is received with open arms as the new leader of the family, aware of his strength and power, a representative of the new generation whose basic moral principle is ruthlessness.
While "Maratonci..." is made in burlesque style and can be viewed as pretty light comedy, there is another "comedy" of much darker flavor
called "Ko to tamo peva?" Another gem no to be missed, although you will be left with slightly bitter taste in your mouth...
On April 5, 1941, a date Serbs will recognize, men on a country road board Krstic's bus for Belgrade: two Gypsies who occasionally sing about misery, an aging war vet, a Nazi sympathizer, a dapper singer, a consumptive, and a man with a shotgun. Krstic is a world-weary cynic, out for a buck; the driver is his son, the simple, cheerful Misko. En route they pick up a priest and young newlyweds going to the seaside. Along the way, mis-adventure strikes: a flat tire, a rickety bridge, a farmer who's plowed the road, a funeral, two feuding families, an army detail, and a lost wallet slow the bus and expose rifts among the travelers. On April 6, amid rumors of war, they reach Belgrade...
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