Dusan Makavejev

 Dusan Makavejev




Man Is Not a Bird (1965)




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1. Man Is Not a Bird (1965)


Somewhat of a strange artifact, Dusan Makavejev's 1965 Yugoslavian film "Man Is Not a Bird" mixes the simplistic starkness of neo-realism with some stylistic flair borrowed from Nouvelle Vague. It centers on an engineer who comes into a small town to re-industrialize its mining plants. While there, he falls in love with a much younger woman. Although there is a romantic story at the forefront, the film's real themes spring from the Communist town and its restless machinations. The occupants of the small town are trapped in a hypnotic malaise created by the industry that surround them. Their meaningless efforts to industrialize themselves only creates a stagnant atmosphere in which the only resolve in acting out in various ways. Both the array of side characters along with our central couple actively illustrate the behavioral rebellions that stem from their fog of mundanity brought about by oppressive labor and Communist restrictions to liberty.

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