Zivot je cudo (2004)

Director:

Emir Kusturica

Writers:

Ranko Bozic (scenario and dialogue) &
Emir Kusturica (scenario and dialogue)

Release Date:

14 May 2004 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Music | Drama | War

Plot:

What could be better for the village than a scenic railway to bring in the tourists? What could be worse for tourism than war? Luka builds the railway and shuts his eyes to war. Then Luka's wife runs off with a musician and his son is called up to the army. Luka's life is a war zone. Then he meets Sabaha..

Plot Keywords:

Civil War | Romeo And Juliet | Train | Balkan | Slapstick

Awards:

5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Slavko Stimac	...	Luka
Natasa Tapuskovic	...	Sabaha (as Natasa Solak)
Vesna Trivalic	...	Jadranka
Vuk Kostic	...	Milos
Aleksandar Bercek	...	Veljo
Stribor Kusturica	...	Captain Aleksic
Nikola Kojo	...	Filipovic
Mirjana Karanovic	...	Nada
Branislav Lalevic	...	President
Davor Janjic	...	Tomo
Adnan Omerovic	...	Eso
Obrad Djurovic	...	Vujan
Dr. Nele Karajlic	...	Cymbal Player (as Dr. Nelle Karajlic)
Dana Todorovic	...	SF TV Reporter (as Danica Todorovic)
Vanessa Glodjo	...	Nurse 1 (as Vanesa Glodjo)
Josif Tatic	...	Doctor 1
Dragan Zurovac	...	Football Manager
Dejan Sparavalo	...	Orchestra Conductor
Dragan Krtolina	...	Djani Rebus
Josep Weber	...	Military Instructor
Milan Janjusevic	...	Soldier
Vladan Milojevic	...	Captain Aleksic's Orderly
Marko Jeremic	...	Petkovic
Bojan Krstovic	...	Bosnian Sniper 1
Zoran Jovanovic	...	Bosnian Sniper 2
Zorica Jovanovic	...	Nurse 2
Branko Ristanovic	...	Doctor 2
Lidija Stankov	...	Dobrila
Aco Sisic	...	Violon Player
Bora Dimic	...	Accordion Player
Petar Samardzija	...	Agresivni vojnik

Directed by
Emir Kusturica

Writing credits
Ranko Bozic		(scenario and dialogue) &
Emir Kusturica		(scenario and dialogue)

Produced by
Farid Chaouche	....	line producer
Pierre Edelman	....	executive producer
Christine Gozlan	....	executive producer
Emir Kusturica	....	producer
Maja Kusturica	....	producer
Marie-Christine Malbert	....	associate producer
Alain Sarde	....	producer

Original Music by
Emir Kusturica
Dejan Sparavalo

Cinematography by
Michel Amathieu		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Svetolik Zajc		(as Svetolik Mika Zajc)

Casting by
Slobodan Dedeic		(as Boban Dedeic)

Production Design by
Milenko Jeremic

Art Direction by
Radoslav Mihajlovic

Costume Design by
Zora Mojsilovic		(as Zora Popovic)

Makeup Department
Halid Redzebasic	....	sfx makeup artist
Marinela Spasenovic	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Christophe Guillerault	....	assistant production manager
Dragan Jovanovic	....	unit manager
Alex Nikolic	....	production consultant
Alex Nikolic	....	production supervisor
Françoise Piraud	....	post-production supervisor
Olivera Varagic	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Zoran Andric	....	first assistant director
Slobodan Dedeic	....	assistant director
Vasilije Nikitovic	....	second unit director

Art Department
Radovan Markovic	....	property master
Zivojin Savic	....	property master

Sound Department
Miroslav Babic	....	sound
Yannick Boulot	....	sound recordist
Pascal Chauvin	....	foley artist
Mathieu Cox	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Grattepain	....	assistant foley artist
Vladan Korac	....	playback recordist
Dejan Pekovic	....	boom operator
Aleksandar Protic	....	sound editor
Nenad Sciban	....	adr recordist
Nenad Sciban	....	wildsound recordist
Bruno Tarrière	....	foley engineer
Bruno Tarrière	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jérôme Thiault	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Kemal Maracic	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Frederic Moreau	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Rémi Canaple	....	stunts wire effects
Rémi Canaple	....	stunts
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunts wire effects
Branislav Fistric	....	stunts
Milan Mitic	....	stunt coordinator: horses
Milan Mitic	....	stunt double: Alexsandar Bercek

Camera and Electrical Department
Milorad Glusica	....	camera operator: second unit
Gez Josip	....	focus puller
Safet Kutlovac	....	key grip
Aleksandar Letic	....	still photographer
Dusan Marinovic	....	gaffer
Petar Popovic	....	camera operator
Miroslav Radojicic	....	assistant camera
Spasoje Todorovic	....	assistant camera: second unit
Dragoslav Vilotic	....	focus puller: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irena Rajnvajn	....	wardrobe
Mirko Sirkovic	....	animal dresser

Editorial Department
Branislav Krstic	....	assistant editor
Yvan Lucas	....	color timer
Gordana Othnin-Girard	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Emir Kusturica	....	music supervisor
Valérie Lindon	....	music supervisor
Aleksandar Perisic	....	music editor
Aleksandar Perisic	....	music recordist

Transportation Department
Ilija Svetac Nikolic	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Andjela Ilic	....	script supervisor
Nathalie Radovic	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Les Films Alain Sarde
• Rasta Film
• Rasta Films
• Studio Canal

Distributors

• 1More Film (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Bac Films (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Bazuca Films (2005) (Chile) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Filmhouse (2004) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• GAGA (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Mars Distribution (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Orlando Films (2004) (Israel) (theatrical)
• SPI International (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Fandango (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Paradise Group (2004) (Russia) (all media)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Switzerland) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Life is a Miracle" - International (English title) (imdb display title), USA (imdb display title)
"Hungry Heart" - International (English title)
"La vie est un miracle!" - France
"La vita è un miracolo" - Italy
"La vida es un milagro" - Argentina, Spain
"A Vida É um Milagre" - Brazil (festival title)
"A Vida é um Milagre" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"Az élet egy csoda" - Hungary
"Bir mucizedir yasamak" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Das Leben ist ein Wunder" - Germany
"Elu on ime" - Estonia
"I zoi einai ena thavma" - Greece (imdb display title)
"Livet är ett mirakel" - Sweden
"Livet er et mirakel" - Denmark
"Zycie jest cudem" - Poland

Runtime:

France:155 min | Germany:154 min | Argentina:155 min

Country:

Serbia and Montenegro | France | Italy

Language:

Serbian | English | German | Hungarian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Germany:12 | Hungary:16 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:16 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Cacak, Serbia

Company:

Les Films Alain Sarde

Trivia:

When the tunnel is blasted, the bazooka operator sings a medley of songs by The Doors, in particular "Touch Me" and "The End".

Goofs:

Continuity: The movie was shot along a narrow gauge railway but Mayor Radovan arrives to the village on a normal gauge railcar. (00:07:38-00:09:33)

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Mi nismo andjeli 2 (2005)

kusturica's best

This is the best Kusturica's film i have seen. I was very pleased and smiling when i got out of the cinema. It's is very nice to watch that, being always himself, the director was able to improve his style and understand the most powerful elements of each of his previous films, so this time he mixed the lightness and joy of "Crna macka, beli macor" (black cat white cat) with the seriousness and dramatic feelings of "underground".. plus a romance, which is truly explored for the first time in a Kusturica's film, and with high sensitivity i must say.

So, in this one the scenery is a typical Black cat, a almost wild village near the serbia - bosnia border, where a railroad is being built, in the middle of a feeling of pre war. Here we find the main character, this humble man with a (devily insane) wife and a son. Things move forward and he looses both when she escapes with some Hungarian and he goes to war where becomes a prisoner. Than we have the last important character showing up, Sabaha (performed by a dazzling Natasa Solak, truly beautiful). Around this context Kusturica builds a very intense psychological diary of the man, who has constantly to decide whether to save his son or stay with his love (you'll understand how when you get to watch the film), as well as to deal with his returning wife vs his new lover. Better to observe that in the film than to talk about it. Apart from that you get a lot of Kusturica elements and typical way of making laugh, such as through a mule who is constantly trying to commit suicide in the railroads or the fantastic scene in the football game. In opposition to this you have this scene where Luka (main character) desperately grabs his son foot ball and cries over it. Powerful. Mixing the beautiful Balcan's landscapes and the ambiguous, but typical and enjoyable "no smoking" soundtrack and never loosing the posture of portraying ex yugoslavia social environment (like in the references to Tito, ex dictator of the balcans), kusturica creates this romantic but also dramatic comedy, which is the most difficult thing to put in films, as far as i observe. You have in this one that strange laughing/crying effect you find in for instance La Vita e bella or in most of Chaplin's movies. You spend the movie laughing but suddenly you feel very sad, and disturbed and understand you saw something sensitive and great...

From time to time pace gets to slow and if the film was 15 min shorter it wouldn't be worst. Apart from that it's a powerful European creation. It's Kusturica for sure. 8/10