''Rondo'' is a 1966 Yugoslavian film by

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n director

Zvonimir Berković Zvonimir Berković (1 August 1928 – 9 June 2009) was a Croatian film director and screenwriter. Berković had studied film directing at the Zagreb Academy of Drama Arts. His screenwriting career began in the mid-1950s, his most notable work ...

. It was filmed in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

(then a part of

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

Plot

One Sunday, the lonely bachelor and sophisticated judge Mladen arrives to the apartment of his friend, the sculptor Fedja. The two men are chess fanatics and want to play through the entire afternoon. At the apartment, Mladen meets Fedja's wife Neda and becomes smitten by her. She is not interested in chess, but seems to love his husband very much. At night, the couple invites Mladen to dinner, and the three talk about chess, love and music. Mladen learns that Leda used to study classical music. She knows how to play the piano, but lost the love for doing that a long time ago. They decide to repeat that routine every Sunday, and with time their bond grows stronger. Both Mladen and Neda start showing signs of attraction towards each other. He buys her recordings of musicians performing pieces by Mozart, and the two connect through their love of classical music. One night, during a moment in which they are left alone, he decides to kiss her. Neda does not resist the kiss, but does not comment on it either. At the end of the night, she simply says goodbye to him. Things become more tense afterwards. Mladen and Neda start acting more aggressively towards each other, and they are also more distant with Fedja, who starts to suspect something is going on. A Sunday, Neda decides to secretly visit Mladen at a bar he frequents. At the same time, Mladen goes to Fedja's apartment to talk things out with her. Despite failing to rendezvous, they both get to talk to Fedja at different moments in the day and notice their behaviour is taking a toll on him. Neda starts ignoring Mladen at every chance she gets, so he decides to break the pattern and visit the couple on a Saturday with the excuse of celebrating his birthday. In the ensuing party, Neda confesses to Mladen that she has feelings for him. While a very drunk Fedja is distracted setting up fireworks for the celebration, Neda and Mladen make love. Realizing he not only loves Neda but both of his friends, Mladen decides to stop visiting them, not wanting to destroy their marriage. Meanwhile, Neda tells Fedja what happened, and he forgives her. A Sunday, Fedja invites Mladen to another afternoon of chess. After the two hash things out, Mladen accepts the invitation. Fedja, Mladen and Neda spend that Sunday like they used to, and resume their relationship.

Cast

Relja Bašić Relja Bašić (14 February 1930 – 7 April 2017) was a Croatian actor. With a career that lasted more than half a century, he is considered one of the most prolific performers of that country. Biography Bašić was born on 14 February 1930 i ...

as Fedja * Stevo Žigon as Mladen *

Milena Dravić Milena Dravić ( sr-Cyrl, Милена Дравић, ; 5 October 1940 – 14 October 2018) was a Yugoslav and Serbian film, television and theatre actress. Biography Born in Belgrade, Dravić became involved with performing arts at the age of fou ...

as Neda *

Zvonimir Rogoz Zvonimir Rogoz (10 October 1887 – 6 February 1988) was a Croatian actor who played in German, Croatian, Slovenian, Czech and Slovakian, on stage and in cinema, during a career long 81 years. A native of Zagreb, Rogoz started his actor's ...

* Boris Festini * Rudolf Kukić

Background and themes

Produced in 1966, ''Rondo'' was the first full-length film by former musician and screenwriter

, screenwriter of '' H-8'', a famous Croatian 1950s classic. In both films, he uses musical form as a source for the narrative. As in Mozart's Rondo (which is repeatedly played in the soundtrack) in Berković's film the basic situation - Sunday afternoon chess party - is repeated with small variations, slowly bringing the three character towards a crisis. Very formal, very intimistic and set in a cosy middle-class environment, ''Rondo'' was very different from previous Yugoslav film tradition, introducing aesthetic of the modernist

psychological novel In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...

into Croatian cinema.

Reception

''Rondo'' is still considered as one of three biggest classics of Croatian 1960s modernism. In 1999, a poll of Croatian film critics found it to be one of the best Croatian films ever made.

Awards

For her portrayal of Neda,

won a Silver Arena Award for "Best Actress" at the (1966)

Pula Film Festival Pula Film Festival ( hr, Pulski filmski festival) is an annual Croatian film festival, established in 1954. It is held in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula Arena. Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival and is usually held in ...

References

External links

*
''Rondo''
at hrfilm.hr
Rondo
entry in ''Filmski leksikon'' {{Zvonimir Berković 1966 films 1960s Croatian-language films 1966 drama films Films shot in Croatia Jadran Film films Films directed by Zvonimir Berković Croatian drama films Films set in Zagreb Croatian black-and-white films Yugoslav drama films 1966 directorial debut films Films set in Yugoslavia