Kultura / Culture
slav Marshal Josip Broz Tito. “Ti- to once requested that he tell him a joke about him, during a time when it was strictly forbidden. My father shied away slightly, saying in jest that he was afraid of being arrested. Ti- to responded to that by saying – it is known who makes arrests in this country, referring, of course, to him- self,” explains Miljko, describing the nature of their relationship. Bata was a real professional when it came to film, never turn- ing down a single role. Specifically, he considered that he was enriched by every role. He learned his lines eas- ily, while lying on a sofa reading 10 scripts simultaneously. Despite his eternal smile, he also portrayed vil- lains convincingly. If the job demand- ed it, he would spend months at fu- ture shoot locations. “He learned the Romani language with Roma people, for Aleksandar Petrović’s I Even Met Happy Gypsies, and for the film The Birch Tree he spent a month living in Zagorje, Croatia, learning their di- alect,” notes Kondić. Bata also per- formed in the Macedonian, Albanian, German, French, Italian, English and Russian languages. Fourteen of his films received Oscar nominations, while seven of them competed at the Cannes Film Festival. Two Cinematheque exhibitions will go on tour after their Belgrade runs, further transmitting the myth of Bata. The Legacy will preserve the dignity of his art and life, which will also be served by the future Muse- um in Koraćica, as well as the Foun- dation bearing his name that will be led by Dina Živojinović Bata’s grand- daughter. Despite the Legacy having only opened on the occasion of the 90 th anniversary of his birth, the idea it- self dates back to the time when Lu- la was still alive. The initiative was launched by Jugoslav Pantelić. Bata departed this world in 2016, though he remains alive in the hearts of the public. Another curious fact of his life is that Lula was actually born in a street that would be renamed af- ter her husband much later.
Bata sa sinom Miljkom i suprugom Lulom Bata with son Miljko and wife Lula
fore midnight. It was only late once and ended 20 minutes into 1 st Janu- ary, so celebrations were also delayed. Specifically, no one dare interrupt the broadcast, fearing the nation’s reaction,” explains Bata’s son, Mil- jko Živojinović. This anecdote, which is just one of many, forms part of the narrative that accompanies the multimedia exhibition, in which excerpts, text, photography and posters are used to present eight of Bata’s most signifi- cant and award-winning works. “He considered his greatest achievement as being Stole Janković’s film Mo- ment, for which he won the Grand Prix for best role at the International Film Festival in Moscow,” says exhi- bition curator Irina Kondić. Visitors have an opportunity to check out the exhibition Private and Working at the Cinematheque until June. Among the private photos in- cluded, Miljko highlights an enlarged version of Bata’s student I.D. card. “That’s the only document where it states that he was born in Sveto- zarevo (today’s Jagodina), while all others state Koraćica, where my fa- ther was registered in the birth regis- try,” reveals Miljko. However, neither claim is true: Bata was born aboard a train, where his mother just hap- pened to be accompanying his fa- ther, a bailiff, on his official trips. Almost half a century later, Živoji- nović shone in Goran Paskaljević’s film The Dog That Liked Trains, as though he was destined to have had such a birthplace. The Legacy’s posthumous show- case presents a bronze bust of him by sculptor Dragan Radenović. The
rustic strokes of the sculptor’s fin- gers have preserved Bata’s character – “a hero of epic folk poems”, as Mil- jko describes his father. “He was the personification of a true native of Šumadija, a peaceable and hospita- ble host, until someone touches his family”, as if the real world and film fiction have once again fused in the description of Bata’s character, but also this work of sculpture. Živojinović’s family formed the base of his professional success, and his wife Julijana, better known as Lu- la, was his safe haven during the en- tire 55 years of their marriage. “My father was her project,” laughs Mil- jko. “The setting of Private and Work- ing is partly dedicated to Lula, be- cause without her dedication Bata wouldn’t have risen to such heights,” continues curator Kondić. Bata reciprocated Lula’s love with equal measure and even helped her with household chores, which dif- fers somewhat from the image of a typical Šumadija native. “In the pho- to where we see him at the kitch- en sink, he’s not washing dishes af- ter all, but rather crunching ice for whisky,” says Miljko, again laughing. The Živojinović house was al- ways filled with guests, and laugh- ter and singing could also often be heard there. “He never shouted at me and my sister Jelena. If we some- times exaggerated with mischievous- ness, he would just go silent,” the son recalls of his famous father. Ba- ta was even gentler with his grand- children, but he also taught them the values of his time. His smile captivated every- one who met him, including Yugo-
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