branko lustig Životna priča kao motiv i razlog razgovarali interviewed by Vera Grimmer Željko Luketić fotografije photographs by Hrvatski filmski arhiv / Croatian Film Archive (hfa), Arhiv Hrvatskog filmskog saveza / Croatian Film Association Archive (ahfs), Arhiv Sveučilišta u Michiganu / University of Michigan Archive (asm), Arhiv Universal Pictures / Universal Pictures Archive (aup) branko lustig portreti portraits Damil Kalogjera Razgovarali u Zagrebu, 8. srpnja 2013. Hollywooda, nego i refleksija na doživotni aktivizam nekoga Interviewed in Zagreb 8 July 2013 tko je uskraćivanje ljudskih prava najprije osjetio na vlastitoj ¶ Producent Branko Lustig dugo je vremena živio na dvjema A Life Story koži, a sada ispunjenje nalazi u edukaciji onih najmlađih. Povi- ¶ Producer Branko Lustig lived on two addresses, in Los adresama, između Los Angelesa i Zagreba, gdje su se i dogo- jest se uči da se ne bi ponovila, kažu, a ovom prilikom sazna- Angeles and Zagreb, for a long time and there he enjoyed the dili najvažniji trenuci njegove bogate karijere. Njegov povra- jemo i dijelove povijesti koja je odredila njegov umjetnički rad; most important moments of his career. His return to Zagreb tak u Zagreb dogodio se bez pompe i svjetla reflektora, baš od početaka u Jadran filmu, preko zlatnog doba jugoslaven- occurred without a fuss and inconspicuously, as it fits the kako i priliči zanimanju producenta čiji je posao na filmu pre- as a Motive skih koprodukcija, pa sve do velikog međunarodnog uspjeha i profession of a film producer, whose work on a film is crucial, sudan, ali i širokoj publici nevidljiv. Bogata životna povijest prijateljevanja sa Stevenom Spielbergom, Ridleyem Scottom i but also invisible to the wider public. A rich life history of ovog filmaša, dva puta nagrađenog Oscarom, teško se može drugim imenima svjetskog filma. Lustig je danas i predavač na this film maker who has won two Oscars can hardly be told svesti u jedan intervju jer priča o Lustigu nije samo priča o Akademiji dramskih umjetnosti u Zagrebu te osnivač i počasni in one interview since the story about Lustig is not only the Osječaninu koji je preživio strahote Auschwitza i stigao do and a Cause predsjednik Festivala židovskog filma. story of a man from Osijek who survived the atrocities of 204 oris, broj 84, godina 2013 oris, number 84, year 2013 Branko Lustig, Intervju Branko Lustig, Interview 205 ORIS — Kad sam nedavno pogledala film Ne okreći se, sine, Auschwitz and made it to Hollywood, but also the reflection mi je u pamćenju jer je za mene bio početak. Počeo sam raditi Branko Bauer jedan od najvažnijih filmova hrvatske kinematografije koji on a life-long activism of someone who felt the violation of u hrvatskom, odnosno u ono vrijeme jugoslavenskom filmu, Branko Bauer možda u svojim najboljim sekvencama čak i podsjeća na human rights on his own skin and now feels fulfilled when he no mada smo bili Jugoslavija i mada je Jugoslavija film una- Rosselinijeve filmove iz ‘40.-ih godina, na špici mi je upalo educates the youngest members of the society. It is said that prijed odlučivala koji će film kupiti, a koji neće, to je uvijek (ahfs) u oči Vaše ime kao direktora filma. Shvatila sam dvojakost history is taught so that it would not repeat itself. On this bio hrvatski film. Iz Ne okreći se, sine imam jednu fantastičnu Vašeg djelovanja u javnosti; djelovanje filmskog radnika te occasion we learn about the parts of history which set the uspomenu. Asistent režije Branku Baueru, Simo Dubajić, bio je aktivnost u smislu prosvjetljavanja i edukacije onih koje se course of his artistic work; from his start in Jadran film to the veliki nacionalist. Kad sam ja došao u ekipu, rekao je: Branko, u njemačkom govornom području naziva die Nachgebore- golden period of Yugoslav co-productions and a huge inter- pa šta će nam ovaj Židov, bolje da ga je Hitler spalio! Na to je, nen. Što je za Vas to, dakle, u to doba značilo? ¶ Branko national success and friendship with Steven Spielberg, Ridley što me također jako začudilo i iznenadilo, sekretar partijske Lustig — Ja bih se zadržao na ovom vašem die Nachgebore- Scott and other famous film makers. Currently, Lustig also organizacije filmskih radnika grada Zagreba, njegovo je ime nen, što znači naknadno rođeni, kasnije rođeni ili rođeni nakon. teaches at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb and is the bilo Štef Draganić, hitno reagirao i toga odmah dao izbaciti Ne okreći se, sine snimljen je ‘56. godine, znači, to je bilo prije founder and honorary president of the Jewish Film Festival. iz ekipe. Važno je da je Branko Bauer odmah zvao Draganića točno 57 godina i upravo je tužno i žalosno da u ovoj Lijepoj i rekao mu da više ne želi da taj čovjek ostane samo zato što našoj još dan danas ima tih Nachgeborenen, odnosno ljudi koji ORIS — When I recently saw the movie Ne okreći se, sine je bio član Partije. To su mi doživljaji iz Ne okreći se, sine. U su rođeni nakon i koji uopće ne znaju što se dogodilo, a što je (Don’t Look Back, My Son), one of the most important mov- završnom prizoru filma u kojem se motor vrti u krug, a za koji najstrašnije, njih to uopće ne zanima. Obilazeći grad kolegica ies of the Croatian film industry, which in some of its best svi misle da je genijalna zamisao, dogodilo se zapravo to da se i ja zaustavljali smo mlade ljude na cesti, na Trgu bana Josipa sequences even reminds me of Rosselini’s movies from the pokvario volan, ispao je, zaustavio se na rubu šume i počeo se Jelačića, i pitali ih: Znate li što je to holokaust?, Znate li tko su 1940s, I saw your name as executive producer on the closing vrtiti u krug. To je bio izvrstan kadar. partizani?, Znate li što je antifašizam? Ostali smo zapanjeni credits. I realized that you had a double public role: you were a ORIS — Koja se godina smatra početkom producentske da 80 % ljudi nije znalo odgovor na postavljena pitanja. Ne film maker but you also enlightened and educated those who, kinematografije kod nas, ‘56.?¶ Branko Lustig — Pa ‘56. Branko Bauer, Ne okreći okreći se, sine film je koji je, kao što ste spomenuli, jako sličan in the German speaking world, are called die Nachgeborenen. je kinematografija još bila državna i Jadran film je imao fondove se sine, 1956., prizori Rosseliniju; to je zato što je Branko Bauer bio pod utjecajem What did it mean to you at the time? ¶ Branko Lustig — I od Ministarstva kulture. Tada je radilo dosta dramaturga. Mladi iz filma Rosselinija i njegovi filmovi, poput Tri Ane, Ne okreći se, sine, would like to stop here a bit to say a few words about what dramaturzi koji danas izlaze s Akademije nemaju posla jer naši Branko Bauer, Don’t Samo ljudi, Boško Buha, filmovi su koji su na neki način pod you mention, die Nachgeborenen, which means those born mladi režiseri ne trebaju dramaturge; oni su i dramaturzi i reži- are still those who are the Nachgeborenen, people who are Look Back My Son, neizravnim, ali ipak utjecajem neorealizma. Ti filmovi poka- subsequently, later or after. Ne okreći se, sine was made in seri, što je krivo. born after and have no idea what has happened, but who, 1956, scenes from the film zuju da je Branko Bauer bio među našim najboljim režiserima. 1956, which means this was exactly 57 years ago, and it is ORIS — Tada su filmovi imali svojeg dramaturga, a kasnije and that is most disturbing, are not interested in the history (hfa) Osim toga, bio je jako dobar čovjek. Ne okreći se, sine ostao very sad that here today, in Our Beautiful Homeland, there se kinematografija smatra autorskom jer je režiser radio sve at all. My colleague and I walked around the city and stopped young people in the street, at the Ban Jelačić Square, and asked them: Do you know what Holocaust is? Do you know who the Partisans are? Do you know what anti-fascism is? We were shocked that almost 80% of the people didn’t know the answer to those questions. Ne okreći se, sine is, as you have mentioned, very similar to Rosselini’s movies; it is because Branko Bauer was influenced by Rosselini and his movies like Tri Ane (Three Girls Named Ana), Ne okreći se, sine, Samo ljudi (Only People), Boško Buha, were indirectly influenced by Italian Neorealism. These movies showed that Branko Bauer was one of our best film directors. Besides, he was a very good man. I remember Ne okreći se, sine because it was the start for me. I began working in the Croatian or, at that time, Yugoslav film industry, but although the production house Jugoslavija film used to decide in advance which movies were going to be bought, there was always a Croatian film. I remember a great anecdote from Ne okreći se, sine. Assistant director, Simo Dubajić, who worked for Branko Bauer, was an extreme nationalist. When I joined the film crew, he said: Branko, we don’t need this Jew! If only Hitler had burned him! I was very 206 oris, broj 84, godina 2013 oris, number 84, year 2013 Branko Lustig, Intervju Branko Lustig, Interview 207 ORIS — At that time movies had their dramaturges, and later, film industry was considered to be author-driven because film directors did everything, even wrote scripts.¶ Branko Lustig — Yes, but it depends on the director. Vatroslav Mim- ica always wrote his own scripts, whereas Veljko Bulajić never did so, and they are contemporaries. Veljko Bulajić’s scripts were written by his brother – Stevo Bulajić.