Gata Preta, Gato Branco

A return welcome for Emir Kusturica. His BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT is light entertainment, fun and uplifting. It's great to see all the "old Gypsies" back. They haven't aged much in 12 years. Maybe TIME OF THE GYPSIES, the English title of his darker classic on the subject, meant that the gypsies, and Kusturica's in particular, are TIME-less. Vibrant, and colorful, this master director's latest masterpiece turns cliche' into new fresh entertainment.

"Underground" may still be the most monumental and brilliant work from Kusturica, yet this movie is just so damn feel-good and enjoyable that the man earns my highest praises yet again. Being a sort of comedic parallel to "Time of the Gypsies," old ways clash with the new in this hilarious comedy about Gypsies living on the bank of Danube river. Gangsters, dirty deals, weddings, eccentric characters, great music (played by the orchestra from "Underground"), delicious Eastern European atmosphere - "Black cat, white cat" has it all. I love it. Kusturica is a master of his craft. I tink, dis is de begining of a beautiful frendship...

First warning. This movies *does not* reveal "some deep mystery of life", like you might expect from Kusturica. It's pure (and beautifully filmed) comedy that delivers what most other comedies promise.

Second warning. This move does make "politically uncorrect" jokes, however it does not do it for the sake of attracting an audience that's proud of "understanding" and tolerating such jokes. Comparison with "There's Something About Mary" comes to my mind - with one huge difference: "Crna macka, beli macor" works! Anyway, this is not the major point of this movie.

Third warning. Most of humor in this movie is situation comedy type. If you liked Oliver Hardy swallowing nails you will laugh to a fat lady pulling them out of wood with her buttock and vice versa. Two friends I saw this movie with were not amused at all!

Besides the comedy part, it is a typical Kusturica movie. Geese running everywhere, special air-condition face cooling system type inventions etcetera. Everything you love. Plus one sparkling and one plain funny and sweet love story.

Emir Kusturica's films all pulsate wildly to the wonderful sounds of authentic gypsy music. Guitars, fiddles, accordians and all manor of horns are as much a part of their lives as eating and sleeping.

Song and dance feature heavily in "Black Cat, White Cat," Kustruica's finest and most complete film to date. The music isn't really a soundtrack, but is largely, physically written into each scene (performed with gusto by musicians who often follow the characters around). Indeed, the 'bad-guy' character of Dadan scarcely has a scene where he isn't swinging or dancing along to something (even a bizarre pop/rock song makes a comic cameo). But the other characters have their musical moments as well.

"Black Cat, White Cat" has a large cast and a sprawling storyline, largely resolving around two gangsters - Dadan and the hapless Marko - and their attempts to outwit each other. Things come to a head when Dadan tries to force Marko's son to marry his spinster sister as a repayment for one of his father's debts.

But the plot is largely unimportant in a film of this type. The viewer is simply swept away in a good natured deluge of funny lines, inventive slap-stick, unusual settings and colourful supporting characters (a particular favourite: the old man who continually re-watches the last two minutes of "Casablanca"). All you need to do is sit back and enjoy. Oh...and listen to the music.

This is a gangster film with lively, exaggerated characters, excentric men and resolute women, a weird plot and many visual gags. Kusturica shows the gypsies' life-style again in his last movie, with less depth and power than in „Underground`, but with more ribald humour. Ugly and not too intelligent people (without exception!) chase and kill each other and their animals through a nice-looking landscape in the Balcans, listening to modern but also traditional gypsy music; loud, sometimes too loud, but original and in love with life. It's refreshing to see a convincing gangster movie without people in black suits and sun-glasses.