''Montevideo, God Bless You!'' ( sr, Монтевидео, Бог те видео!, Montevideo, Bog te video!; internationally titled ''Montevideo, Taste of a Dream'') is a 2010 Serbian film directed by
Dragan Bjelogrlić
Dragan Bjelogrlić "Bjela" ( sr, Драган Бјелогрлић, ; born 10 October 1963) is a Serbian actor, director and producer.
Career
Bjelogrlić made his acting debut as a 15-year old, playing Sava Jovanović Sirogojno in ''Boško Buha'' ...
about the events leading to the participation of the
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team; hr, Jugoslavenska nogometna reprezentacija; sl, Jugoslovanska nogometna reprezentanca; mk, Фудбалска репрезентација на Југославија, Fudbalska reprezentacija na Jugosl ...
at
the first FIFA World Cup in
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
,
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
in July 1930. The film gained considerable media attention throughout 2010 and achieved significant box office success in Serbia since its release on December 21, 2010. The entire project has been hugely successful regionally thus far. More than 520,000 people in Serbia saw the first film, which won numerous awards.
The story is loosely based on the novel ''Montevideo, Bog te video'' by the prominent Serbian sports journalist
Vladimir Stanković. He drew inspiration to write a romanticized depiction of the late 1920s Serbia and the events that popularized the game of football in the country after having watched the American film ''
The Game of Their Lives''.
The film was awarded the 'Audience Choice Award' for Best Film in the main competition program at the 33rd
Moscow International Film Festival
The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
. It was also Serbia's official submission for
Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards,
but did not make the final shortlist.
A sequel, ''
See You in Montevideo
''See You in Montevideo'' ( sr, Монтевидео, видимо се!/''Montevideo, vidimo se!'') is a 2014 Serbian comedy film written and directed by Dragan Bjelogrlić. It is the sequel to the 2010 film '' Montevideo, God Bless You!'' It w ...
'', was released on January 14, 2014.
Part of the movie was filmed in the city of
La Laguna
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
,
Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
.
Plot
In 1930
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
,
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
, eleven passionate, mostly anonymous but very talented soccer players and their journey from the cobblestone streets of impoverished Belgrade neighborhoods to the formation of the national team before the very first
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
in faraway
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. So far away that the country's capital,
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, seems more a distant dream than a familiar reality. Named after the city where the inaugural World Cup was held, director
Dragan Bjelogrlić
Dragan Bjelogrlić "Bjela" ( sr, Драган Бјелогрлић, ; born 10 October 1963) is a Serbian actor, director and producer.
Career
Bjelogrlić made his acting debut as a 15-year old, playing Sava Jovanović Sirogojno in ''Boško Buha'' ...
's adaptation of journalist Vladimir Stanković's best-selling book centers on the relationship between the two top players: natural talent and poor boy
Tirke (
Miloš Biković
Miloš Biković ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Биковић, ; born January 13, 1988) is a Serbian actor and producer. His best known films are box office hits '' Serf'' and ''South Wind''.
He is also known for his roles in movies ''Sunstroke'' directe ...
) and playboy superstar
Moša (
Petar Strugar
Petar "Pero" Strugar ( sr, Петар "Перо" Стругар; born 23 May 1988) is a Serbian actor and presenter.
Personal life
Strugar is a close friend to fellow actor and ''Montevideo, God Bless You!'' co-star Miloš Biković. Petar was mar ...
).
The two young men eventually become friends when they're thrown together on the front line of the dominant local team,
BSK Belgrade
OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club'') is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, more precisely in Karaburma, ...
. As the club hierarchy is faced with the challenge of keeping the squad afloat, the opportunity arises to create a national team. However, team unity is strained when Tirke and Moša clash over beautiful women. Rosa (
Danina Jeftić), the voluptuous, small-town innocent who adores Tirke, but her soccer-mad uncle conspires to set her up with Moša; and
vampish Valerija (Nina Janković), a rich
flapper
Flappers were a subculture of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptab ...
who seduces Moša and finds much fun in pitting him against Tirke. The initial doubt that surrounded their personal and professional lives is transformed into a shared ambition to prove themselves in Montevideo; as a result, a story about friendship, enthusiasm, persistence and love for the game is unraveled.
Cast
*
Miloš Biković
Miloš Biković ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Биковић, ; born January 13, 1988) is a Serbian actor and producer. His best known films are box office hits '' Serf'' and ''South Wind''.
He is also known for his roles in movies ''Sunstroke'' directe ...
as
Aleksandar "Tirke" Tirnanić
*
Petar Strugar
Petar "Pero" Strugar ( sr, Петар "Перо" Стругар; born 23 May 1988) is a Serbian actor and presenter.
Personal life
Strugar is a close friend to fellow actor and ''Montevideo, God Bless You!'' co-star Miloš Biković. Petar was mar ...
as
Blagoje "Moša" Marjanović
*
Nina Janković Nina may refer to:
* Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname
Acronyms
*National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq
* Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology
* No incom ...
as Valerija, an eccentric Belgrade artist and painter, who hangs out among Belgrade's elite
*
Danina Jeftić as Rosa, Tirke's love interest, who works at her uncle Rajko's tavern
*
Mima Karadžić
Milutin "Mima" Karadžić (born 9 April 1955) is a Montenegrin actor, producer, and occasionally, a singer.
Though he had a few notable supporting roles in feature films, the majority of his acting work is tied to television.
Milutin Karadzic i ...
as Rajko, owner of the local tavern
*
Branimir Brstina
Branimir Brstina ( sr-cyr, Бранимир Брстина; born 4 January 1960) is a Serbian actor.
References
External links
*
1960 births
Living people
People from Kikinda
Serbian male television actors
Serbian male film actors
Z ...
as Bogdan Brica
*
Vojin Ćetković
Vojin Ćetković ( sr-cyr, Војин Ћетковић; born 22 August 1971) is a Serbian actor. He is best known for his role in the TV series ''Porodično blago''.
Selected filmography Television
Film
Personal life
He is married to Sloboda ...
as
Mihajlo "Andrejka" Andrejević
*
Nebojša Ilić as
Boško "Dunster" Simonović, who becomes the national team's coach later in the film
*
Nikola Ðuričko as Živković
*
Sergej Trifunović
Sergej Trifunović ( sr-cyr, Сергеј Трифуновић, ; born 2 September 1972) is a Serbian actor, comedian, singer, politician and citizen activist. as Načelnik Komatina
*
Viktor Savić as
Milutin "Milutinac" Ivković
*
Predrag Vasić as Little Stanoje, a shoeshine boy, he considers himself as Tirke's best friend, and he lives in poor conditions and has a leg deformity
*
Srđan Todorović
Srđan "Žika" Todorović ( sr-cyr, Срђан "Жика" Тодоровић, ; born 28 March 1965) is a Serbian actor and musician. He has played in numerous bands, including Ekatarina Velika, Disciplina Kičme, Radnička Kontrola and Bezobraz ...
as Bora Jovanović
*
Boda Ninković as Kustodić
*
Anita Mančić
Anita Mančić ( sr-cyr, Анита Манчић; born 30 September 1968) is a Serbian actress. She appeared in more than forty films since 1990.
Selected filmography
References
External links
*
1968 births
Living people
People ...
as Đurđa
*
Marko Živić
Marko Živić (4 April 1972 – 14 October 2021) was a Serbian actor and comedian. Dubbed as a great "showman" by media, Živić started his theatre career in 2002 at the Belgrade Drama Theatre. He initially rose to prominence for his role as L ...
as Isak
*
Aleksandar Radojčić as
Milorad "Balerina" Arsenijević
*
Uroš Jovicić as
Đorđe "Ðokica Nosonja" Vujadinović
*
Bojan Krivokapić as
Momčilo "Gusar" Đokić
*
Andrija Kuzmanović as
Milovan "Jakša" Jakšić
*
Ivan Zekić as
Ivan "Ivica" Bek
*
Nenad Heraković as
Dragoslav "Vampir" Mihajlović
*
Aleksandar Filimonović as
Ljubiša "Leo" Stevanović
*
Rade Ćosić as
Teofilo Spasojević
Teofilo Spasojević (Serbian Cyrillic: Теофило Спасојевић; 21 January 1909 – 28 February 1970) was a Serbian football player.
Biography
Playing as a left-back, he was known for his classy, elegant style, correctness and excelle ...
*
Milan Nikitović as
Branislav "Bane" Sekulić
*
Tamara Dragićević as Eli
*
Branislav Lečić
Branislav Lečić ( sr-Cyrl, Бранислав Лечић; born 25 August 1955) is a Serbian actor, director, academic, writer, politician. Known for his versatile portrayals of emotionally vulnerable characters with strong senses of moral justic ...
as
King Alexander
Accolades
DVD and TV series
The movie was released on DVD during 2011.
On 1 January 2012 it was broadcast on
RTS1
RTS1 (Serbian Cyrillic: РТС1; First program of RTS ( sr, Први програм РТС-а/), First channel of RTS (/ ) or only First (/ )) is a Serbian public mainstream TV channel operated by RTS.
Previously on RTS1
Serbian TV series
*Ј ...
, achieving stellar ratings with over 3.1 million viewers.
The extended version of the film, including 5 hours of footage unseen in the theatrical cut, began to be broadcast as the eponymous television series on RTS starting 13 February 2012, and onwards weekly every Monday in the 8pm prime time slot. Nine episodes aired, with the first season concluding on 9 April 2012.
The second series, titled ''Na putu za Montevideo'', (season two) began on 31 December 2012, this time airing Sundays. The plot now moved to the preparations for the long trip to Uruguay. Nine more episodes were shown concluding on 10 March 2013.
In July 2013, the first series began airing in Croatia on
RTL Televizija
RTL (previously known as RTL Televizija) is a Croatian free-to-air television network founded on 30 April 2004. It was owned by the RTL Group from 2004 to 2022. Since 1 June 2022, it is owned by the CME Group. The logo consisted of three prima ...
.
On 3 August 2013, ''Montevideo, God Bless You!'', aired on the Chinese
CCTV-6
China Movie Channel (), the trade name of (), an agency at the Chinese Government's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. In mainland China, the agency provides programming to the China Central Television chan ...
network.
"Montevideo" gledali milioni Kineza
B92, 3 August 2013
On 15 January 2014, the sequel feature film '' Montevideo, vidimo se!'' got released in theaters.
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
*
{{Serbian submissions for Academy Awards
2010 films
2010s Serbian-language films
Serbian sports comedy films
Films based on non-fiction books
Films set in 1930
Sports films based on actual events
Films set in Serbia
Films set in Belgrade
Films set in Yugoslavia
Films set in Uruguay
Films set in Montevideo
1930 FIFA World Cup
Association football films
History of Serbia on film
2010s sports comedy films
2010 comedy films
Films shot in Belgrade
Cultural depictions of Serbian men
Cultural depictions of Alexander I of Yugoslavia