Maratonci trce pocasni krug

Few Serbian films stand up to the standards expected from the Western cinema, but this one cannot be overpraised: everything that's already been said here is true, and then some! A masterpiece in the purest sense of the word.

If re-watchability of a film is one of its major qualities, than this film beats any other that I know of: you can watch it dozens and dozens of time without ever getting bored - it's so funny& profound at the same time.

If you're a Serb, than you certainly already know this film by heart: if you are not, and are intrigued by this praise= by all means try to find it. I hope there is a good translation of its dialogue somewhere, because a lot depends on a quality rendition of the nuances of the actors' words.

This movie was my first movie. I have one anecdote about this movie. As a child it wasn't allow me to see whole movie, ( my parents says that is because of ticklish scene where two people make love ). I was mad, really mad, I had to leave the room behind the scene, and after that father call me to watch the rest of the movie. But I didn't watch the movie, I was only thinking what was it, what was it...( they never told me what was it, I find out myself ). The movie is classic, and it is appropriate to say that this movie is the best Serbian movie ever made. I think that most of the people in Serbia can agree with me. "Laki is a little bit nervous" was phrase of Billy Piton, and I think that everybody knows that phrase like they was born with those few words.

This movie is for watching all the time. Can not be boring. Every time when I watch movie,I see some new expression, and again and again... Zoran Radmilovic is dead but his spirit is still alive here in my heart, and in hearts every man and woman who loved this movie and the other performances of Zoran Radmilovic.

It is a pity that in spite of it's greatness, the movie is very sensitive to translation ... of language and socio-political environment.

In the magic of the Yugoslav eighties, this film was like something you will never have seen before. The sense of humor those guys had is incredible, comparable only to greatness like Mark Twain, Jaroslav Hasek, Monty Python, in their best years.

Please do also see "Ko to tamo peva" (from two years earlier, same scriptwriter&director).

And remember, if at first you don't succeed.. do yourself a big favor and watch the movie again. Then if you still don't like it, do yourself a bigger favor still and go see 'Airplane II'(also same script,writer&director..) and forget about Serbian comedy.

10/10

Maratonci trce pocasni krug was the first play that 23-year old drama student Dusan Kovacevic wrote. The plot is based on the story about the youngest member of the Topalovic family, which is in the coffin-making business for more than a century. But the youngest member doesn't want to live this kind of life-he wants to marry the mafia boss' daughter and to live the life of an artist, since he is impressed with the movies (this all happens back in the year 1935). But, the mafia boss tries to use him to destroy the opponents - the Topalovic's themselves. This is the shortest possible plot of the best movie ever made. I have seen this movie for over 20 (yes, twenty!!!) times and I think there is not a single person in Serbia that didn't see it. This is the best (and the hardest one to make) kind of movie - it's a comedy without a single moment of triviality. If you were not a habitant of the former Yugoslavia, the names of the actors probably mean nothing to you. But these actors are incredible! They are absolutely hilarious and are the reason for outstanding popularity of the movie. Almost every phrase used in the movie became a part of the usual conversation of the people here in Serbia. I know you probably aren't convinced and still think that The Godfather or Gone With The Wind are the best movies you will see in your lifetime. And I would probably have to agree if there wasn't for that one little movie made 20 years ago in Serbia.

There is a set of movies that leaves me absolutely speechless, actually to be more precise, unable to find superlatives to describe their true genius. It's the case of Wong Kar Wai's Fa Yeung Nin Wa or Ron Fricke's Baraka or Theo Angelopoulos' Eternity and a Day. Those films have absolutely nothing in common as related to topic, genre or style yet they represent lonely peaks in a desert of movies that can not raise up to their stature. It's one of those movies that keeps you breathlessly clinged up to the end, and I am not talking about suspense. When it is over, you will exclaim: "I've never seen anything like it". Even viewed for the tenth time, "the marathon family" will produce a breeze of freshness, exquisite humour(that western people usually don't appreciate...) and astonishment. The metaphor reveals itself towards the end, in an accelerated rhythm - war between brothers and the fall of a nation, also lamented by Kusturica in Underground in a similar humourish yet bitter fashion. I give it a definite ten (10). Chapeau Bas!!!