It Rains In My Village

The End Of The World Is Near, Let It End It Won’t Be A Pity

“The end of the world is near,
it doesn’t matter, it is ugly,
it doesn’t matter, it is ugly…”

Before his last film Migrations, Alexandar Petrovic considered It rains in my village his best film.

(Biće skoro propast sveta nek propadne nije šteta)

 

 

 

 

 

Production company: Avala film, Beograd 1968
Les productions artistes associés S.A. Paris 
Screenplay: Aleksandar Petrović
Director: Aleksandar Petrović
Set Design: Veljko Despotović
Cinematography: Alain Levent, Djordje Nikolić
Film Editing: Katarina Stojanovć
Choice of Music: Aleksandar Petrović, Vojislav Kostić
Music: Biće skoro propast sveta(Todor)
Divan je kićeni Srem (Nikola)
Ciganska je tuga pregolema (Todor i Đoka Bas)
Što se bore misli moje (Nikola)
U selu bejaše ciganka stara (Todor, Nikola, Đoka Bas, Čika Miša)
U pustinji čuvao sam svinje (Mija Aleksić)
I mi smo Sremci (Đoka Bas, Todor, Nikola, Čika Miša)
Slava Srbinu (Nikola, Čika Miša, Đoka Bas, Todor)
Bećarci (Nikola, Todor, Đoka Bas)
Cast:  Annie Girardot, Ivan Paluch, Eva Ras, Mija Aleksić, Dragomir Bojanić-Gidra

 

Gallery:

bice skoro propast sveta 5 bice skoro propast svet bice skoro propast sveta 1 bice skoro propast sveta7 Additional photos

Press book:

Press book 1968.
press Book1 press Book2 press Book3 press Book4 press Book5 press Book6 press Book7 press Book8 press Book9 press Book10 press Book11 press book scena A Zirardo Paluch

 

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After  “I  even met Happy Gypsies”,  Aleksandar  Petrovic  has  numerous interesting  proposals  from  Hollywood;  however,  he  chooses  to  stay independent.  He  feared  he’d  be  forced  to make  commercial  films.  His European  proposals  allow  him  more  artistic  liberty.  He  wanted  to continue to make real “auteur” films. Thankfully, the “Artistes Associés de Paris”  wanted  to  make  a  film  with  Petrovic.  He  proposes  a  possible subject for this film.
Inspired by  true  facts  (a  father  took  the blame  for a murder  that his son was  accused  for)  and  by  “The  Possessed  “  by  Dostoyevsky,  Petrovic discovers  that  the  subject  and  various  elements  that  enter  in  the construction  of  his  film  are  a  product  of  the  current  political  and  social situation.
This musical film, mixed with fantastical elements, differs from his other films due to its’ internal structure and its’ formal technique. A small, local group of gypsy musicians played the music for the film and, through the lyrics of traditional gypsy songs, was able to reflect the plot, the images and the thoughts of all of the characters.
The arrival of a professor in the small village begins to create chaos due to the effect she has on the men of the village.

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Plot Summary:

It_rains_in_my_village_sasa_petrovic

 

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Eva Ras as Gotza

All  villages  have  their  designated  insane  person, at  least  in  Yugoslavia.  In  the  middle  of  the countryside  of  Vojvodine,  where  one  can  see everything by simply standing up on a squash, the mute  Gotza  is  the  town’s  crazy  person. She vagabonds  in her own  little world  in  the dust and mud, until she  finds a man, any man, who  rapes her and makes fun of her. The swineherd Tricha is different from the others. He protects her.

The  other men  of  the  village  do  not  like  this. During  a wedding, when once  again Tricha  protects  her,  the men  decide  to  take  revenge. They get him drunk and bring him to a small church to have him marry Gotza. Once Tricha sobers up, he repudiates his crazy wife who gives birth to a son a year later. Tricha’s father decides to take care of the child.

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Annie Girardot as the teacher Reza

Reza,  a  new  teacher and an occasional painter, arrives  in  town. She promises  to  local authorities that she will teach the women of the town to paint so well that they will be able to sell their paintings in America. The authorities ask Tricha to carry her painting materials every Sunday out in the fields.

One Sunday, Reza decides to paint inside her home, which proves fatal for  poor  Tricha.  She  undresses  herself,  as  does  he,  and  what  should happen, happens:  for Reza  this  is meaningless, whereas Tricha  falls  in love. The gypsies sing:

“I will kiss you,
Oh my dear,
I will tell the whole world
From only you will I hide my secret…”

The  swineherd  is  certain  that  the  teacher  feels the  same way about him, as  is  confirmed by  the town  bum,  Jochka.  Tricha’s  hopes  and  dreams are  crushed  one  hot  Sunday  afternoon.  A  plane lands on a  tree by accident and  the mustachioed pilot  falls  on  Tricha’s  head.  Milantche,  the  pilot, doesn’t  lose a second: he goes  to  find Reza who does  him  a  lot  better  than  his  plane  landing.

11

Tricha is forgotten. The gypsies sing:

« Trust, trust the beast
do not trust the teacher
her faith is
like the faith of a stray dog… »

The  miserable  swineheard  does  not  sober  up. Jochka and  the simple men  try  to comfort him by explaining  that  the  teacher  is  looking  for  an unmarried man and that he has his wife, Gotza.

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The next day, Gotza  is  found dead. Tricha’s  father says  that he  is guilty although  the police does not believe him. They want  to arrest Tricha.  In the end, his father is able to convince them of his guilt.

The Gypsies sing:

“The end of the world is near,
it doesn’t matter, it is ugly,
it doesn’t matter, it is ugly…”

Milantche’s plane is fixed and he flies off.
Thinking  that  things  must  not  have  changed,  Tricha  goes  to  Reza’s home, only to find a naked military man.
After  the  pilots  departure,  the  local  authorities  begin manifesting:  they ask for the right to have a plane for their village. We hear: “The students manifest, why  can’t we  do  it  too? Down  to  red  bourgeoisie!” Someone proposes:  “What  if  we  send  a  telegram  to  those  that  are  up  there?” Another question: “Who’s up there? The pilots?” The gypsies sing :

“The wind, the wind blows,
The plums fall,
The miserable poor are decaying eternally…”

The  demonstrators  stop.  The  villagers  suddenly  see  strange  people camping  outside  the  village.  These  are  Czech  tourists  who  ended  up there  during  the  soviet  invasion  of  Czechoslovakia.  The  villagers disperse. The gypsies sing:

“The end of the world is near,
it doesn’t matter, it is ugly,
it doesn’t matter, it is ugly…”

 Tricha hasn’t  stopped drinking. Everyone makes fun of him. Everyone tortures him. Everyone hates him  because  his  innocent  father  is  in  prison instead of him. News arrives of his  father’s death in  prison.  Jochko  and  the  other men  take  drunk Tricha, tie each of his limbs to the rope of the bell of  the church. Tricha struggles,  the bells begin  to toll.
The  villagers  arrive  in  a  fury.  They  hit  him  and beat him to death.

Ivan Paluch as Tricha

The next day  is election day. The whole village votes. Everyone arrives with  flags.  Everyone  except  for  Tricha.  We  bury  him.  Only  a  couple miserable villagers and the orthodox priest attend his burial.
The priest preaches in the new church.

bice skoro propast sveta 17
The  teacher Reza appears under  the porch of  the church and stares at the  priest  with  provocative  eyes.  He  begins  to  stutter,  interrupts  his homely, sweats and we hear the gypsies sing:

“My eyes are like two little demons,
Two little demons,
Who could have made the priest leave the altar…”

The gypsies are sitting on the hearse that passes through the village and sing:

“Jean made a car without wheels,
Jean made a car without wheels,
He drives it every day,
He is drunk every day.
“Oh, the end of the world is near,
it doesn’t matter, it is ugly,
it doesn’t matter, it is ugly…”

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Awards, honors, festivals:

  • XVI Pula  Film  Festival  (Yugoslavia),  1969: Bronze Medal (Velika bronzana arena)
  • XVI Pula  Film  Festival  (Yugoslavia),  1969: Bronze Medal for mise en scene (Velika Bronzana arena za režiju)
  • XXII Nominations at Cannes Film Festival, Palme d’Or, 1969
  • XXII Nominations at Cannes Film Festival,  Jury Prize, 1969
  • XXII Nominations at Cannes Film Festival, Best Director 1969
  • Nations Festival in Messine, July – August 1970
  • Taormina Film Festival, July 1970.
  • Human Rights Film Festival du film Chicago, 29.03-26.04.1980
  • Georges Pompidou Center, Paris, Yugoslav Cinema, 1986
  • V Film Festival of Mediterranean culture in Bastia, Corsica, 10/21-10/28 1989
  • Documentary Film Festival in Rennes (Special Program) 11/17-11/22 1992
  • International Film Festival Cinema City, Novi Sad, 2009 – Hommage to the national author Aleksandar Sacha Petrovic
  • Europe  around  Europe  festival,  Silence  and Noise, March 2012
  • 36th Film  Festival  of  Douarnenez,  Gouel  ar Filmoù,  Roms,  Gipsies  and  Travellers  23-31  of August 2013
  • 16th International Film Festival IFF Bratislava Slovakia, November 2014
  • Film review, Banja Koviljača, Serbia, 2015
Festival l’Europe autour de l’Europe

 

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Press excerpts:

We  find  in  Aleksandar  Petrovic’s  “It  rains  in  my  village”  the  same social  context  and  presentation  of  misery  as  in  “I  even  met  happy gypsies”. This time however, the folklore allows the viewer to focus on a critical  and  aggressive  representation  of  village  life.”  Pierre  Billard, L’EXPRESS

“…All of  it shines with vitality and sexual rage  that  the ugly  is shown as beautiful  in a breathtaking manner. An authentic  chef-d’oeuvre.” Michel Maurdor, NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR

“… The film shows an atmosphere of reality and make-believe and paints a  chaotic  picture  of  the  struggle  between  good  and  bad  in  our world.” Aldo Scagnetti

“The  story  is  simple,  strong  and  down  to  earth  but  under  Petrovic’s influence, it gains meaning. He demonstrates that the population doesn’t change as quickly as governments and  ideologies. Even  if  the  film  isn’t anti-socialist,  he  emphasizes  on  the  crises  that  can  come  out  of difference  in  opinion  and  individual  theories.”  Gene  Moskowitz, VARIETY, USA

“Petrovic would have missed humanity if the end of the world ever came. Not knowing how to stop it, he cautions us, all the while knowing that an artist’s  work  can  not  stop  neither  tanks  nor  bombs.  But  what  would happen  if  these  works  multiplied  and  sparked  not  ten  thousand signatures  but  millions?  Petrovic’s  political  film  is  artistic  genius;  our distributor should hurry up and  translate and distribute  this  film and pay special attention to it.” Otokar Van, FILMOVE A TELEVIZNI NOVINY

“The  auteur  offers  us  a  sort  of  villager  rhapsody,  grotesque  but  one  in which he knew how to stay away from anecdotes and folklore. The lyrical tension,  the  emotion,  the  sincerity,  the  humanism,  we  are  far  from  a Stalinist  film  that  is supposed  to help  transform  the structure of society. In  opposition,  Petrovic  proves  that  nothing  is  changing,  that  man  has conserved in himself a knowledge of good and bad. The most important thing is the brutal and raw way that Petrovic extracts eternal themes in a countryside microcosm.” Hugues Vehenne, LE SOIR

“It  rains  in my  village”  is a  very painful and aggressive  film, with  it’s concrete  and simple  symbolism,  with  no  pity.  A  passage  between  the East  and  the  West  is opened,  it’s  the  moment  of  truth,  when  man decides  his  own  destiny,  as  a filmmaker  and  a  man. With  a  style  of writing so different than Jancso’s, Petrovic, in a harsh and rigorous way, says almost the same things.” Henri Chapier, LE COMBAT

When  the  film  came out,  there were dozens of  critiques  in  the French, Italian, German, Czechoslovakian, Polish  and  other European  presses. Petrovic  was  recognized  as  an  artist  representing  modern  European cinema.
The  Yugoslavian  press  reproached  that  he  was  showing  too  much misery  in  the  gypsies.  He  responded  “In my  film,  the  gypsies  are  the same as  the Serbs,  the Romanians,  the Slovaks and others. Actually,  I treat my characters ironically, but this is how I treat most people.” A.P.

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Aleksandar Petrovic about  It Rains In My Village:

From an interview with Alexandre Petrovic:

It rains in my village  is an antipode of I even met happy gypsies.

 

While  the  earlier  film  spoke  of  the  problem  of  liberty  in  a  world  of absolute  liberty,  with  no  obligations  to  society,  It  rains  in  my  village shows  the  problem  of  liberty  in  a  world  without  liberty,  framed  by traditions, customs and social and psychological  restrictions. Therefore, despite  the  similar  atmosphere,  It  rains  in  my  village  speaks  of  the problem  itself whereas  I  even met  happy  gypsies  speaks  of  another aspect of life.

Alexandre Petrovic and Annie Girardot during filming of It Rains in my Village

Alexandre Petrovic and Annie Girardot during filming of It Rains in my Village

 Alexandre Petrovic and Annie Girardot during filming of  It Rains in my Village It  rains  in  my  village  is,  in  my  creative  work,  the  most  significant example  of  the  shock  between  good  and  bad.  I  wanted  this  film  to destroy boundaries between reality and make-believe, placing  itself  in a dreamland  and  in  life.  While  evolving  in  this  universe  of  the  make-believe,  I  suddenly  discovered  that  the  present,  with  soviet  tanks  in Prague,  with  all  the  possible  subjects  of  life  whether  they  be  social, political,  ideological,  becomes  very  relevant  in  my  film.  These  events become a part of  the  theme of  the  film and, given where  the  film  takes place,  of  reality  and  make-believe.  Because  one  doesn’t  have  to  be especially  smart  to  realize  that  what  has  happened  this  past  year  is something that would have seemed impossible a couple of months ago. Starting from my main subject, I discovered, while filming, new elements that incorporated themselves in the film. Furthermore, in the political and social  context,  these  elements  incorporate  themselves  perfectly  in  the reality  of  our  current  world.  For  example,  the  portrait  of  Ernest  Che Guevara  in  the  small  village of Vladimirovac, or  the  tents of  the Czech tourists  in  the countryside of Vojvodine, or  the  torn up newspapers with the  picture  of  the  Biafra  tragedy.  Therefore,  it  became  clear  that  the subject  that  is  so  identical  to  Fyodor  Dostoyevsky’s  “The  possessed” becomes  a  clear  product  of  our  current  world.”  (While  Petrovic  was filming, Soviet tanks invaded Prague, it was the Prague Spring).
…I  go  to  a  universe  that  is,  in  a  certain  sense,  the measure  and  the structure of society.  I come back  to Earth.  I don’t have  the capability  to go  off  on  random  themes.  For  me,  only  naked  man  exists,  in  the psychological, moral and social situation of present day…

Filming It Rains in My Village

Filming It Rains in My Village

…I made  the  film, with  it’s  subject  and  poetic  spirit, with  the  hopes  of creating what is to me the most important: and artistic work.
All artistic works, without a doubt, have a social influence, but one cannot exaggerate  it  because  only  a  Stalinistic  approach  to  art  and  society started with the supposition that social influence was extremely important and  beneficial  to  human  consciousness  and  the  transformation  of  our world.  It  is  probably  because  of  this  supposition  that  the  soviet  tanks stayed longer in front of the writer’s association than in front of the army. But  this  is  only  an  illusion!  Art  is  only  a  molecule  of  what  forms  the human mind.  It  is  sociology’s  job  to  resolve where  this  influence  goes and  how  it  is  formulated.  My  position,  from  the  very  start,  was  not political  but  poetic. The  political  implications  that  come  out  of my work are the result of a projection of the artistic work in society.
…It is, without a doubt, my hardest film! In it’s creation and in it’s theme. It was hard to connect all of these different forms of mankind, all of these different forms of a human soul. Difficulties in style aside, other questions came up during filming, especially with the actors.

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More  than  for my other  films,  It  rains  in my village  had  a  strong  contrast  between  the choices made by these artists. On one hand, the  famous  star Annie Girardot,  and  on  the other  hand,  many  actors  who  had  never acted. To bring coherence,  I was very much helped  by  the  fact  that  the  star  of  the  film, Annie Girardot, was also a great actress.

 



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