''Marshal Tito's Spirit'' ( hr, Maršal) is a 1999 Croatian film

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Vinko Brešan Vinko Brešan (; born 3 February 1964) is a Croatian film director who emerged into international renown with three critically acclaimed and award-winning films that, each in its own way, broke some of the perceived taboos of Croatian cinema in ...

. It was Croatia's submission to the

73rd Academy Awards The 73rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best of 2000 in film and took place on March 25, 2001, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / ...

for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Synopsis

The film centers on the

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 island of

Vis Vis, ViS, VIS, and other capitalizations may refer to: Places * Vis (island), a Croatian island in the Adriatic sea ** Vis (town), on the island of Vis * Vis (river), in south-central France * Vis, Bulgaria, a village in Haskovo Province * V ...

in 1998. During the funeral of a local

Yugoslav Partisan The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, Slovene language, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НО� ...

veteran, his elderly comrades start seeing the ghost of Marshal

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...

. After rumours about the apparition spread around, a

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertain ...

-based policeman who goes by the name Stipan is ordered to investigate the suspicious movements of members in his hometown, a remote Adriatic island whose only connection with the mainland is a ferry that comes around once a week. Stipan's investigation goes awry, because the leader of former local fighters, Marinko Čičin, considers him a traitor to

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

and a collaborator with the enemy, while locals only speculate of what happened. Stipan learns about the ghost of Comrade Tito from a middle-aged married couple of painters from

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Sl ...

who are looking for inspiration on the island. After a week of investigation, Stipan returns to Split on a ferry together with a large group of locals. The Split mayor Luka, who had previously

privatized Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

all state objects in the town, smells a

business opportunity A business opportunity (or bizopp) involves sale or lease of any product, service, equipment, etc. that will enable the purchaser-licensee to begin a business. The licensor or seller of a business opportunity usually declares that it will secure ...

and begins organizing communist-era events to attract tourism (

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

parades,

Relay of Youth The Relay of Youth (Serbo-Croatian and Slovenian: ''Štafeta mladosti'' (Cyrillic: ''Штафета младости''), Macedonian: ''Штафета на младоста'', Albanian: ''Stafeta e Rinise'') was a symbolic relay race held in Socia ...

, etc.) and maximise profits. Local Partisan veterans of the 7th Dalmatian Brigade led by Marinko decide to take arms and control the town, turning it into the communist-era shape. The island becomes a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

destination for retired fighters, who come in droves from the mainland to the island in belief that the time has come for the return of socialism.

Cast

Dražen Kühn Dražen Kühn (born 1965) is a Croatian actor. He has appeared in more than forty films since 1991. Selected filmography Film References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuhn, Drazen 1965 births Living people People from Špišić Buko ...

as Stipan * Linda Begonja as Slavica *

Ilija Ivezić Ilija Ivezić (20 July 1926 – 14 April 2016) was a Croatian film actor. He was born in Ričice, Gračac and died shortly before his 90th birthday. In a career that spanned more than five decades, Ivezić worked with directors such as Fadi ...

as Marinko Cicin *

Ivo Gregurević Ivo Gregurević (; 7 October 1952 – 1 January 2019) was a Croatian film, theatre and television actor. Throughout over a quarter of a century, Gregurević played rural bullies and arrogant nouveau riche and became one of Croatia's best known ...

as Luka *

Boris Buzančić Boris Buzančić (13 March 1929 – 9 October 2014) was a Croatian actor and politician who served as the 47th Mayor of Zagreb between 1990 and 1993. A native of Bjelovar, Buzančić began acting very early. He appeared in numerous films and ...

as Jakov * Ljubo Kapor as Bura *

Inge Appelt Ingeborg "Inge" Appelt (born 1 January 1943) is a Croatian actress. She appeared in more than eighty films since 1967. Selected filmography References External links * 1943 births Living people Croatian film actresses People from ...

as Mare * Bojan Navojec as Miuko *

Predrag Vušović Predrag "Pređo" Vušović (29 August 1960 – 17 February 2011) was a Croatian actor. He appeared in more than fifty films from 1983 to 2011. Selected filmography References External links * 1960 births 2011 deaths People from Koto ...

as Toni * Boris Svrstan as Lijan Mulderić *

Ksenija Pajić Ksenija Pajić (born 30 June 1961) is a Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map ...

as Danica Skulić

Awards and nominations

The film received 3 nominations and won 9 awards at various international film festivals. Among them, Vinko Brešan won the

Best Director Award Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation, ...

at the 36th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

References

External links

* 1999 films 1999 comedy films 1990s political comedy films Croatian comedy films Films set on islands Films set in the Mediterranean Sea Cultural depictions of Josip Broz Tito Films about Josip Broz Tito {{1990s-comedy-film-stub

Synopsis

Cast

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links