Customer Reviews

Pretty Village, Pretty Flame

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This is a first rate war movie, right up there with Saving Private Ryan or Thin Red Line. But, to really understand it, first you have to be from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia or Bosna/Herzegovina. Second, you must be smart and intelligent enough to see through it and third, you must not have dear friends and family killed in a war.

That's a pretty tall order, I know...

At first sight, the movie looks as pure Milosevic's propaganda and it's obvious why is that. It was the only way it could get made. But the authors were smarter, so they did what Verhoeven did with "Starship Troopers"- an all-out SF action for the masses and clever satire for the classes.

The story revolves around two friends (a Serb and A Muslim) who end up on different sides in the war (naturally), one being sieged by the other (both with their troops) in the unfinished tunnel of "Brotherhood and Unity" (excellent parallel, watch out for many more) somehwere in Bosnia... Terror, despair, friendship turned sour, people fooled by propaganda... All come out through the memories of better times for all peoples of the Balkans.

The telling of the story is rather complex, but you'll get it on your second or third viewing, if you can stomach it. Some scenes are quite disturbing, so watch out. This is not for children at all...

I rented Pretty Village Pretty Flame on an impulse one night because I'm interested in the Boznian situation. I wasn't sure what to expect, though in all honesty, I wasn't sure if it's be any good. I was blown out of the water. It's brutally honest, cynical and yet darkly humorous account of the war in Yugoslavia amazed me. The story, the performances and most of all the directorship were all grade A+. I must say that Dragojevic' has made a powerful, haunting film that is even, if one can call a war movie such, fun for the eyes with it's impressive visuals. I recently purchased this title on DVD and hit a snag. The DVD transfer leaves the film a bit grainy in parts with pixilation present from time to time. Still, a terrific movie that I believe anyone who likes "real" movies should buy.

- (...). This is a triumph of filmmaking (with zero budget) and writing, even though the translation is terrible.
- Pretty Village, Pretty Flame is not about who started what, when or how. It's about people caught up in the midst of something fundamentally senseless. It's about lost souls and desperation.
- This movie is heavy to watch and in my opinion one of the best war movies ever made. Second only to Roman Polanski's The Pianist. I highly recommend it.

This film is great, ok it clearly has not been made with a Hollywood budget but thats besides the point. I first saw this film in Bosnia when it was released and it caused quite a stir. The translation into English on this DVD is at best pathetic, prehaps that is why so many of our self appointed Balkan historians in the USA have missed the point of this movie, its not the war according to CNN, its made by people who understand the history and the culture of the region because they live in it and experience it first hand. The film seeks to draw out the contrast of a people who at one time lived together in brotherhood and unity as Yugoslavians who shared the same childhood experiences together, listened to the same music and went to the same schools and now find themselves in a conflict that is as much about nationalism as it is religion. More importantly the film portrays the normal people of Bosnia as just that normal human beings who are caught up and activly involved in a civil war, be they Croat, Muslim or Serb. A welcome relief from the typical 'bad Serb' properganda normally spouted by people who have never even been to Bosnia let alone live there. The viewer is shown how the thin veneer of civilisation is soon stripped away in such a complicated and bloody conflict. And the film also has the typical humor of the people of Bosnia that was evident even in such dark times. Open your mind and let this film challange the common misconceptions of the war in Bosnia.

Well, enough was said about this film already, so I will only stress that in this film there are some statements that represent the whole essence of all 90's wars on Balkan.

The first one is about comrade Tito who stole a lot but gave some to people; others just stole and didn't give anything back. Well as a citizen of former Yugoslavia I can only say, in old times living was good on territory of whole Yugoslavia nowadays in Slovenia we live quite good as compared to other not so lucky ex-Yugoslavia citizens. Democracy on Balkan is funny thing, for us (ex-Austro-Hungarian part of Yugoslavia) it is composed of full human-rights specter as opposed to others whose priority is safety of basic human rights such as life an right to a property. Comrade Tito gave us just enough human-rights to satisfy both sides, still after the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991 we all felt betrayed since Yugoslavia was still our country, not somebody else's one even though 90% of Slovenians were for independence.

The other one is about the burning villages (beautiful villages burning nicer than ugly-ones). The statement represents insanity of all parties involved in civil war in Bosnia, why all this killing and suffering as we already know the result, all beautiful will die and at the end the one who will profit are they who didn't event dare to be directly involved... you can figure it out who they are.

At the end you have doubts in who actually started this war politics or just ethnic tensions of individuals. There is no universal answer, just more questions, but one thing is certain, every good and patriotic civil war with flags and roses ends up in a pile of garbage and lots and lots of death and suffering.

I saw this movie in every shape and form known, from a movie theater to VHS to DVD, and am amazed by it every time I watch it, again and again. I am a Serb (from belgrade) and have not ever seen the war in Bosnia other than through stories of friends who were there, but I well remember the articles of newspapers about the group being captured at the tunnel. This is a real life story about the lives of two best friends. They never hated each other yet they were on opposite sides. that is exacly what the war was. people never hated "the other side". Many never knew why they were fighting, yet they died. it is sad, and the movie shows the objectively how cruel a war can be no matter who fights in it. A must-see for anyone who is interested in humanity and peace!

I found it extremely interesting to read the politically-oriented reviews which several people posted before. This film is NOT about who was right and wrong in the war. It clearly states that EVERYONE was wrong.

Deeming this a pro-Serbian film is fundamentally wrong - the stereotypical caracters depict different political and social groups within Serbian society, and criticize them to a great extent. Yes this film does show Bosnians killing Bosnian Serbs. However, it also shows those same Serbs burning Bosnian houses, and killing their family members. By no means is this film biased towards one side - the story that it is based on might be, but Dragojevic manages to superbly move away from petty differences. (depicted masterfully by Tanic in "No Man's Land" with the "Who started the war?" discussion)

This film is about an ogre which lives in a tunnel. An ogre which is in all of us, the inner evil which needs to come out. Moreover, this film is about the refusal of human society to accept that the forces which drive us to do evil are within ourselves.

This film must not be looked at solely at the plot-level. It is filled with metaphors, similes, and symbolism. Very strong religious Christian and Muslim symbols are present, and different criticisms of the past - especially the communist era.

Pretty Village, Pretty Flame brings me to tears, not only because it includes a part of my past which I do not appreciate remembering, but also because it so clearly shows how the innate human need for mazochism eventually overcomes any social boundaries. The more boundaries it overcomes, says Dragojevic, the more dangerous its consequences are.

I recommend this movie to anyone interested in Yugoslavia - the full effect and understanding of the war can only be achieved by watching it together with "No Man's Land".

What a shame this DVD transfer is so aweful, because the movie is great. I have seen this movie before on SBS TV (Australia) and have been wanting a copy since. But this DVD looks like a transfer from an already poor quality VHS copy. Very disappointed.

There isn't much I could say that others haven't already. No single movie could ever hope to describe what happened in the Balkans. No mortal soul could for that matter. But the movie does surprisingly well in showing us the two most important lessons: what happens when neighbor turns against neighbor, and the insanity of it all. Some previous reviewers have said that this movie has a pro-Serb bias..I disagree entirely..And to those people, I would pose the question of what it would take to make them happy? Would another scene of Serbs burning Muslim houses make them happy? Or two scenes, or three?? Such statements are ridiculous.

This next bit is for the Yugoslavs out there...

Placem svaki put kad razmislim o tom svemu. Ako ste vi jedni od tih koji verujete da je vasa strana (Srpska, Muslimansa, ili Hrvatska) bila nevina, onda ste vi cisto budale. Ne zelim da vas uvredim, ali stanite malo i razmislite o tom svemu. Svi smo u tim prokletim ratovima izgubili. Dok smo bili zajedno bili smo jaki i nezavisni. A sad smo svi slabi i ponizeni. Ceo svet nam zapoveda sta da radimo, i kako da radimo, i Amerika i Evropa. Koriste nas za njihove licne igre...I ekonomske, i politicke, i socialne. Jedino su se Sloveni nekako srecom izvukli. Ali mi je drago, sto vidim da sa prolaskom godina ima ipak nekog oprostaja. Tek ovih dana mogu prici nekom nasem ovde u inostranstvu bez straha i bez tog pitanja..Odakle si?... I hvala bogu davno nisam cuo te reci Ustasa ili Cetnik od nasih..Samo na starim filmovima i na ustima stranaca. Ne moramo se ponovo sjedinjiti, al se MORAMO pomiriti. I ovaj film tome pomaze ja mislim.

I remember years ago sitting and watching the conflict in Bosnia on my TV, a news report I think it was and realizing that everyone looked alike. There were no special characteristics of Croatians, Serbians or Muslims that set them apart visually and yet they were at war. I wondered how people knew whom to kill? Couldn't one simply change sides if one found themselevs in a situation where they needed to be on the otherside to survive. Odd things like that strike me about the world and so I tend to collect odd films that say something about the world we're in (or perhaps other ones). This film accomplishes pulling the viewer in, I always know a good film if I forget that I'm watching actors for a second, if my disbelief is suspended. Which is why my choices tend to be so esoteric, so wide ranging, it takes a lot to get me not thinking about the film (having made a few) and thinking instead about the story (having written many), the quality of a war picture, I generally shy away from them because I believe that war is an abomination and not for entertainment purposes, but this one transcends that. The beginning is a little experimental, jumping between time and place, between character in a way that sets up the viewer for an entirely different film than the second half. There are many storylines going on here, almost too many but at the same time I felt that the subtitles made it work, the constant shifting. The final time spent in a tunnel, when the question of survival seems the most in question for so many in teh film is both funny, brutal and real. Each soldier and one reporter are pushed further and further beyond the boundaries of humanity by the enemy surrounding them and their own personalities. Quickly their informal ranks break down and we see them as marauders who don't quite know how they got that way, some for noble reasons, others by accident and some for loyalty to state or family. There are several moments when everyone appears to be a type---the smart one, the old one, the hero, the crazy one, the funny one, etc. in this foxhole and then they unveil themselves, become something entirely different. This film is about a specific war, a specific breakdown that pitted friends and family against each other, that tore a country apart and it does fall back on easy conventions because they are true but it also shows a brutality and senselessness of battles and war and even that in the foxhole, no one ever comes up with a concrete plan to get out, none of these peopel are the stereotypical soldier. In the end, one man drags himself to detah trying to kill another in a hospital simply because of ethnicity and it was almost worth the entire film to see his friend try and stop him. War isn't glory or wonderful PearlHarbor special effects, it's garbled communicatiosn and convincing one man to kill another simply because another man has told you to and hwo easily we all fall for the political okey-doke to do so.