Devicanska svirka

Locations can make a big difference in certain movies. I am thinking of the location work in the two versions of Nosferatu (or about any Werner Herzog movie for that matter). The Virgin's Music benefits from authentic locations. The western viewer feels he is watching the drama take place in a startling, foreign world. Along with its black and white photography, the settings are this film's strength.

The plot begins like Dracula. The plot has a traveler being stranded at an inn when the carriage driver ominously says he will go no further. Trying to walk the rest of the way, the traveler sees a castle in the distance with strange music coming from it, but a young boy warns the traveler to not go there. Suddenly, a quick moving carriage runs over the boy. Its owner is Sibila (Olivera Katarina) the castle's owner. She has the child and the traveler brought inside the castle. From there the tension builds slowly as Sibila constantly flirts with the traveler, who is bewitched by this beauty.

Olivera Katarina is certainly right for the part, sensual and mysterious. However, a half-hour of flirtation and build-up (who is playing that strange music?) occurs before the big reveal at the end. I found it too much set-up and not enough pay-off. I had a similar reaction to Leptirica, also from director Djordje Kadijevic. Others may like Devicanska Svirka more than I did.