''Love Affair, or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator'' ( sh, italic=yes, Ljubavni slučaj ili tragedija službenice P.T.T.) is a 1967 Yugoslav film directed by

Dušan Makavejev Dušan Makavejev ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Макавејев, ; 13 October 1932 – 25 January 2019) was a Serbian film director and screenwriter, famous for his groundbreaking films of Yugoslav cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s—many of wh ...

Plot

The film begins with a

sexologist Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions. The term ''sexology'' does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sexuality, such as social criticism. Sexologists app ...

in his office, talking about the history of sex. Izabela ( Eva Ras), an ethnic Hungarian

switchboard operator In the early days of telephony, companies used manual telephone switchboards, and switchboard operators connected calls by inserting a pair of phone plugs into the appropriate jacks. They were gradually phased out and replaced by automated system ...

, meets and falls in love with a

Sandžak Sandžak (; sh, / , ; sq, Sanxhaku; ota, سنجاق, Sancak), also known as Sanjak, is a historical geo-political region in Serbia and Montenegro. The name Sandžak derives from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former Ottoman administrative dis ...

Muslim sanitation inspector named Ahmed (

Slobodan Aligrudić Slobodan Aligrudić ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Алигрудић; 15 October 1934 – 13 August 1985) was a Serbian actor known for some of the most memorable roles in the history of former Yugoslav cinema. Biography Aligrudić was born in ...

), who soon moves into her apartment and has a bathtub installed. The film then cuts away to a police investigation of the death of a young woman by drowning. Ahmed goes away on business for a month. During his absence, Izabela finally gives in to a persistently amorous postman. When Ahmed returns, he finds Izabela different, less loving. (She has found out she is pregnant.) He gets very drunk, and when Isabella chases after him to keep him from harm, he threatens to commit suicide by jumping into an underground vat of water. However, Ahmed ends up accidentally pushing Izabela in instead, killing her. He goes into hiding, but is arrested by the police for murder. The film concludes with a scene of Ahmed and Izabela walking down a staircase.

Cast

* Eva Ras - Izabela *

- Ahmed *

Ružica Sokić Ružica Sokić ( sr-cyr, Ружица Сокић; 14 December 1934 – 19 December 2013) was a Serbian actress and writer. Born in Belgrade, then Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Sokić began her acting career in 1957 and was credited in over 40 films a ...

- Ruža *

Miodrag Andrić Miodrag Andrić (28 January 1943 – 22 January 1989), commonly known by his nickname Ljuba Moljac (''Ljuba The moth''), was a Serbian actor. He appeared in more than sixty films from 1963 to 1989. Selected filmography References External ...

- Mića

Home media

It was released as part of the three-film DVD collector's set Eclipse Series 18: Dušan Makavejev—Free Radical by

the Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Love Affair, Or The Case Of The Missing Switchboard Operator 1967 films Yugoslav avant-garde and experimental films Films directed by Dušan Makavejev Political satire films 1967 romantic drama films Serbo-Croatian-language films Serbian romantic drama films 1960s avant-garde and experimental films Yugoslav romantic drama films Switchboard operators Films set in Yugoslavia