''Signal Over the City'' ( sh, italic=yes, Signali nad gradom) is a 1960 Yugoslav film directed by

Žika Mitrović Živorad "Žika" Mitrović ( sr-Cyrl, Жика Митровић; 3 September 1921 – 29 January 2005) was a Serbian and SFR Yugoslavia, Yugoslav film director and screenwriter. He started his career as a comics artist. Mitrovic directed 20 f ...

. It is based on a screenplay by

Slavko Goldstein Slavko Goldstein (22 August 1928 – 13 September 2017) was a Croatian historian, politician, and fiction writer. Biography Early life Slavko Goldstein was born in Sarajevo in the Jewish family of Ivo and Lea Goldstein. His grandfather Aron h ...

Plot

In Karlovac in 1941, Tomo, a member of the Partisan headquarters, and Pero, a resistance member, are captured by the Ustashe. A group of Partisans, led by commander Ranko, enters the town with the objective to rescue Tomo and Pero before they succumb to torture and give away information. On they way out of the town, they are tracked down by Ustasha major Lukarić. Finding themselves entrapped, the Partisans decide to attempt a risky breakthrough over a bridge...

Cast

* as Ranko * Velimir Bata Živojinović as Tošo * Ivo Šubić as Tomo * Ivo Pajić as Pero *

Tonko Lonza Tonko Lonza (29 September 1930 – 23 December 2018) was a Croatian actor. He appeared in more than thirty films since 1959. Filmography Awards * Vladimir Nazor Award The Vladimir Nazor Award ( hr, Nagrada Vladimir Nazor) is a Croatian prize ...

as major Lukarić

Background

The film is based on actual events that took place on 17 November 1941, when a group of 25 Partisans led by

Većeslav Holjevac Većeslav Holjevac (22 August 1917 – 11 July 1970) was a Croatian and Yugoslav soldier and communist politician. Holjevac was born in Karlovac, at the time in Austria-Hungary. He joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in 1939. Following t ...

, disguised in

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

uniforms, entered Karlovac in order to rescue

Marijan Čavić Marijan Čavić-Grga (10 March 1915 – 1941) was a Yugoslav communist. He was captured in Karlovac and executed 1941 in the Jasenovac concentration camp. Biography He was secretary of the local committee of the League of Communists of Croatia ...

, a prominent Communist Party member captured by the

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...

. Unbeknownst to Partisans, Čavić had already been transferred from the town hospital back to prison, so the actual

raid Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...

, unlike its fictional counterpart, failed to achieve its objective. Nevertheless, it provided a morale boost for the anti-fascist resistance, as the event made the news on Radio London and

Radio Moscow Radio Moscow ( rus, Pадио Москва, r=Radio Moskva), also known as Radio Moscow World Service, was the official international broadcasting station of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1993. It was reorganized with a new name ...

. According to Tatjana Holjevac daughter of Većeslav Holjevac, when Partisans entered Karlovac in reality they had Bosnian

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

zes on their heads and not as shown in the film, with Home Guard hats.

Reception

The

Croatian Film Association The Croatian Film Association ( hr, Hrvatski filmski savez, HFS), also known as the Croatian Film Clubs' Association, is an association of non-professional film and video groups in Croatia. Croatian Film Association was established in 1963. Since 1 ...

's database describes ''Signal Over the City'' as a prime example of the urban, action-based branch of

Partisan film Partisan film ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, partizanski film, партизански филм) is the name for a subgenre of war films made in FPR/SFR Yugoslavia during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In the broadest sense, main characteristics of Partisan films ar ...

, noting clarity and refinement both in its plot development and direction.

References

External links

* 1960 films Serbian war drama films Serbian-language films Yugoslav war drama films Jadran Film films Croatian war drama films World War II films based on actual events Films set in 1941 Films set in Croatia 1960 war films War films set in Partisan Yugoslavia Yugoslav World War II films Croatian World War II films Serbian World War II films {{Yugoslavia-film-stub