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Cinematic Representations of Nationalist-Religious Ideology in Serbian Films during the 1990s Milja Radovic Doctor of Philosophy The University of Edinburgh March 2009 THESIS DECLARATION FORM This thesis is being submitted for the degree of PhD, at the University of Edinburgh. I hereby certify that this PhD thesis is my own work and I am responsible for its contents. I confirm that this work has not previously been submitted for any other degree. This thesis is the result of my own independent research, except where stated. Other sources used are properly acknowledged. Milja Radovic March 2009, Edinburgh Abstract of the Thesis This thesis is a critical exploration of Serbian film during the 1990s and its potential to provide a critique of the regime of Slobodan Milosevic. In this dissertation I focus upon how selected films provide insight into the ideological discourse of the 1990s within the Serbian socio-political and cultural context. I discuss a range of Serbian films produced during the 1990s, and I analyse in detail several films, in particular Pretty Village, Pretty Flame (Lepa sela, lepo gore, Srdjan Dragojevic, 1995) and Wounds (Rane, Srdjan Dragojevic, 1998), in which I focus on the depiction of nationalist and religious elements in the films. I analyse cinematic representations of the nationalist-religious ideology, its characteristics, impacts and promotion. On the basis of this analysis I consider the extent to which these cinematic representations are subversive. My dissertation has seven chapters. In chapter 1, which is an introduction to the thesis, I state my research questions and methodology. In chapter 2 I discuss the research context and I consider literature relevant to my research. Since I am basing my research upon different fields, I divide this chapter into three parts: the first one is devoted to the field of film and religion in which I position this study; the second part is on the literature that I used for the exploration of the socio-political context of the 1990s; and the last part is devoted to literature written on Balkan, Yugoslav and Serbian cinema. In chapter 3 I provide an analysis of the Serbian socio-cultural and political context of the 1990s. Chapter 3 is divided into eight parts, in which I primarily focus on the creation, characteristics and impacts of the nationalist-religious ideology. This discussion includes an analysis of the interaction between the Church and the state in the promotion of this ideological discourse. This chapter is important for the further analysis of Serbian film, its contextualization, and understanding the main issues which films communicated. In chapter 4 I analyse Serbian films produced during the 1990s. In the first part of this chapter, and for the purpose of contextualization of Serbian film, I first briefly discuss the cinematic tradition of former Yugoslavia: the Black Wave movement. I move on to discuss the cinematic context of the 1990s and the films produced over this period of time. I particularly focus on several films which dealt with the political-ideological context of the 1990s. I discuss the most significant films which dealt with the war, violence, ideology and the collapse of Serbian society under the Milosevic regime. The aim of this chapter is to provide a cinematic context for the analysed films and a clearer understanding of Serbian film of the 1990s as politically engaged cinema. Chapter 5 is devoted to the film Pretty Village, Pretty Flame while in chapter 6 I analyse the film Wounds. I analyse these two films separately because of their unique depictions of the nationalist-religious ideology. Both chapters are structured the same way and are divided into two major parts. In the first part of each chapter I consider the film's plot, its genre and its production, as well as discussing the film's critical reception. In the second part of each chapter I analyse the film narrative and images. At the end of each chapter I discuss the results of my analysis. Chapter 7 is the last chapter of my thesis and is devoted to the conclusion. In this final chapter I discuss the findings based on the cinematic and contextual analysis in the previous chapters. As part of my final remarks, I outline the contributions this study has made and future research that can be developed on the basis of this thesis. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Dr Jolyon Mitchell for his support, help, understanding and guidance over the last few years which has been outstanding in every respect. Without the help of Dr Mitchell I would not be here in the first place. I have learnt a lot from him, which has been crucial for my academic and also my personal development. I would also like to thank to Clare Mitchell for her great help with proof-reading and editing this thesis. Clare welcomed and hosted me and my son many times with a warmth and kindness which made us feel that we had found a second home. I take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to Dr Mitchell and his family. Sadly, during the course of this thesis, my second supervisor Professor Marcella Althaus-Reid has passed away. I am indebted to her for all her support, time and expertise throughout my PhD work. I am in great debt and extremely thankful to two organizations which enabled me to study at the University of Edinburgh: the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and the Porticus International Study Commission for Research in Media, Religion and Culture. Without them my Mth and PhD studies would not be possible. I am grateful to them for their financial and moral support and their trust and belief in my work. I would like to thank to all the members of the Committee and Fellows, colleagues from all over the world, especially Dr Peter Horsfield, Dr Stewart Hoover, Mr Adan Medrano, Dr David Morgan, Dr Lynn Schofield Clark, Ms Gianna Urizio, Mr Philip Lee, Mr Piet Halma and Mr Randy Naylor. I would also like to thank the Church of Scotland and Dr Sheilagh Kesting for supporting my research. I am very thankful to Mr Hans Hodel who introduced me to Interfilm. Interfilm and Mr Hodel were crucial for my professional and academic development and research; thanks to them I participated as a member of the Jury at two important international film festivals and I met film critics who were important for this thesis. I would like to thank to Professor Filip David from the University of Belgrade and Srdjan Dragojevic, the film director, for participating in this research. Many thanks to professors and colleagues from Belgrade who supported me in the difficult times: Dr Srbobran Brankovic, Dr Milan Vukomanovic and Mr Dalibor Petrovic. I have had a great support from my friends and colleagues in Edinburgh: many thanks to Tijana, Zoran, Karine, Amy, Ljilja, Sandra, Dario, Milan,Carys, Yam, Vlastimir, Dwight and Denise. I would like to express my enormous gratitude to my family and friends back home in Serbia, especially to my parents Milena and Djuro, my uncle Milan and my life-long friend Vladimir Perovic. Many thanks to Jelena, Filip, Bora, Goca, Duska, Bojan, and Ivana. Special thanks to Alexander Mantzaris, for all this time, support and love. My deep gratitude to Fr John Maitland Moir. I devote this work to the most important person in my life, my son Mina, whose love and trust give me strength for everything. Thank you Mina. Milja Radovic Edinburgh, 2009 Content: Chapter 1: Introduction 1.0. Serbia as a Focus of the Study 1 1.0.1. The Focus of this Thesis and Research Questions 5 1.1. Methodology 7 1.1.1. Cultural Studies Approach to Cinema 7 1.1.2. Contextual Analysis 8 1.1.3. (A) Narrative Analysis 12 1.1.3. (B) Visual Analysis 13 1.1.3. (C) Critical Responses to the Films 16 1.1.3. (D) Ideological Criticism 17 1.2. The Structure of the Thesis 19 1.3. Conclusion 24 Chapter 2: The Research Context 2.0. Introduction 25 2.1. Film and Religion 2.1.1. Introduction 26 2.1.2. Early Beginnings of Cinema and the Development of the Field of Film and Religion 27 2.1.3. Film and Religion in Dialogue 28 2.1.4. Biblical Approach 31 2.1.5. Theological Approach 33 2.1.6. Cultural Studies Approach 36 2.2. Socio-Political Background Literature 43 2.3. Balkan Cinema Literature 51 2.3.1. Historical Frame: Yugoslav Cinema 51 2.3.2. Studies of the 1990s Serbian Cinema 53 2.4. Conclusion 62 Chapter 3: The Socio-Political Context of the Milosevic Regime 3.0. Introduction 65 3.1. People against Liberals 68 3.2. The Rise of Serbian Nationalism 71 3.3.