KULTURA / CULTURE
Ova izložba, između ostalog, ima za cilj i to da sagledamo neke aspekte Čkaljinog lika i dela kojih možda i nismo bili svesni This exhibition aims, among some aspects of Čkalja’s character and works that we perhaps weren’t aware of previously other things, to provide an overview of
MIODRAG PETROVIĆ, AKA ČKALJA Touching tribute to the king of comedy The Yugoslav Film Archives Cinematheque is commemorating the centenary of the birth of Miodrag Petrović with an exhibition symbolically entitled Victory of Smiles that runs until September
tor of the Yugoslav Cinematheque, while Yugoslav Film Archives Direc- tor Jugoslav Pantelić reminds us that the phenomenon of Čkalja’s acting has long since come to repre- sent the personification of film and television comedy in these lands. “It is always exciting to return afresh to the personalities, artworks or phenomena that have become part of popular culture to such an extent that it feels as though we know everything about them. Čkalja began moving into people’s homes from the start of the radio show Merry Evening, while the televi- sion series Service Station led to him experiencing the kind of pop- ularity that would previously have been tough to imagine. Alongside his unforgettable roles in the TV shows Truckers, Love, Village-Style and Hot Wind, Čkalja played equally important roles in cinematography, initially in the films of Soja Jovano- vić and Radivoje ‘Lola’ Đukić, but also in works of other directors,” says Pantelić. He mostly portrayed charac- ters who were honest and good scallywags, led more by the heart than the head, who were unable to acquire high social positions or wealth, but who managed to pre- serve their spirit. He represented the so-called ordinary guy or little
man, or those versions of his that remain cheerful and vibrant despite all adversities. His acting style con- tained something specific and local; something that belonged to the lo- cal mentality, while simultaneously seeming worldly – in terms of per- formance, he resembled the tradi- tion of French and American film comedies, the roots of which trace back to Chaplin – the man Čkalja also admired the most. Čkalja’s most diverse and fa- mous roles in domestic cinematog- raphy are encapsulated in inserts, photographs and posters in one part of the exhibition. The second part consists of the famous actor’s personal belongings and objects, as well as prints of photos made available to the Cinematheque by the Petrović family and represent- ing Čkalja’s private life and a large part of his career – his early youth, family scenes, film shoot images, photos with colleagues, emotion- al moments etc. We can remind ourselves of the wonderful Čkalja at the Cin- ematheque until the end of Sep- tember, so be sure to take the op- portunity to see and learn some things you might not have known about this man who was among the most beloved actors of the former Yugoslavia.
BORN ON THE TOTALLY APT DATE OF APRIL FOOLS’ DAY a hundred years ago, the birth- day alone is ample reason for us to celebrate one of the most impor- tant comedians of Yugoslav cine- matography: Miodrag Petrović, who will forever remain better known as Čkalja (1924-2003). The Yugoslav Film Archives Cinematheque has organised a multimedia exhibition dedicated to this man, who contin- ues to bring happiness and joy to this day, whose lines are recount- ed and whose acting even prompts laughter among generations who were only born after his death. With the metaphorical title Vic- tory of Smiles, this exhibition has been authored by Irina Kondić, cura-
50 | Izložba » Exhibition
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