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Man Is Not a Bird

Original title: Covek nije tica
  • 1965
  • 1h 21m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Man Is Not a Bird (1965)
SatireComedyDramaRomance

Engineer lodging at hairdresser's home sparks complex relationship. Situation intensifies when young driver enters the picture, altering dynamics between all involved.Engineer lodging at hairdresser's home sparks complex relationship. Situation intensifies when young driver enters the picture, altering dynamics between all involved.Engineer lodging at hairdresser's home sparks complex relationship. Situation intensifies when young driver enters the picture, altering dynamics between all involved.

  • Director
    • Dusan Makavejev
  • Writers
    • Dusan Makavejev
    • Rasa Popov
  • Stars
    • Milena Dravić
    • Janez Vrhovec
    • Eva Ras
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Dusan Makavejev
    • Writers
      • Dusan Makavejev
      • Rasa Popov
    • Stars
      • Milena Dravić
      • Janez Vrhovec
      • Eva Ras
    • 12User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

    Photos71

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    Top Cast29

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    Milena Dravić
    Milena Dravić
    • Rajka
    • (as Milena Dravic)
    Janez Vrhovec
    • Jan Rudinski
    Eva Ras
    Eva Ras
    • Barbuloviceva zena
    Stojan 'Stole' Arandjelovic
    • Barbulovic 'Barbul'
    • (as Stole Arandjelovic)
    Boris Dvornik
    • Vozac kamiona
    Roko Cirkovic
    • Roko hipnotizer
    Lepa Landek
    Bosa Stojadinovic
    Milan Lugomirski
      Dusan Bajcetic
      Mirko Todorovic
      Iva Raickovic
      Dusan Janicijevic
      • Direktor
      • (as Dusko Janicijevic)
      Sreten Sokolov
      Borivoje Perovic
      Sefket Sekirovski
      Ilija Jovanovic
      Djurdjevka Cakarevic
      • Operska pevacica
      • Director
        • Dusan Makavejev
      • Writers
        • Dusan Makavejev
        • Rasa Popov
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews12

      7.11.5K
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      Featured reviews

      chaos-rampant

      Loves of a Blonde

      The guy behind this is clearly a talented man, this is the first of his stuff I see but it's an acquaintance I'm happy to make. It's a Yugoslav Breathless of sorts, or better yet the Czech film Loves of a Blonde which came out the same year, except instead of scenic Paris this unfolds in dour Belgrade, it has actual blood running in its veins instead of just poise, and instead of a boyhood fantasy about movies and movie icons, it locks the story in all sorts of other self-referential illusion.

      The hypnotist who explains to an audience about the power of superstition and illusory belief, a great viewing template that sets up everything else as objectively unreal yet present in the willing viewer. The pompous ceremony where a superintendent is awarded by the communist powers that be before an audience of bored factory workers, some of whom may have even turned up to watch the film. The closing scene with the circus of very real absurdities.

      So this is the journey here, from cinematic hypnotizing to slightly less (or more) real situations through what palpable desires these may unlock.

      It's all centered in a relationship between a blonde hairdresser and a middle-aged superintendent of an energy project. The desires being to trust a lover, to complete a work even as you wonder why, to have dreams survive. I like that it is primarily visual and freeform, while being vital instead of just an artifact of technique; the less you think you have to say, the less of your own self obscures the possibilities of what is before you.

      It isn't great, but it is among the most accomplished debuts of New Wave. Now I set my eyes on later works by this guy.
      8lee_eisenberg

      Eastern and Western blocs stuck in a rut

      Dušan Makavejev's directorial debut looks at the lives of some people in a mining town. I interpreted "Čovek nije tica" ("Man Is Not a Bird" in English) as a satire on Yugoslavian society. Yugoslavia was initially part of the Eastern Bloc, but Tito's disagreements with Stalin led to its expulsion from the alliance. Nevertheless, Eastern Bloc-style policies remained in place. The wealth stayed concentrated among the party, while most people worked dangerous jobs. It may have been easier for people in the US and Western Europe to go to Yugoslavia than to the rest of Eastern Europe, but to its citizens it was little different from the Soviet bloc. And the hypnosis scenes? It might evoke abstract hypnosis, or convincing people of something that isn't true: both the Eastern and Western blocs tried to pass themselves off as defenders of freedom, even as both did unethical things. To be certain, the open-pit mine looks like the sort of thing that one would find in West Virginia.

      I found it to be a good movie. I now hope to see Makavejev's other movies.
      7zetes

      Interesting

      The debut feature film of Yugoslavian director Dusan Makavejev, best known for his films WR: Mysteries of the Organism and Sweet Movie. These are the three films of his I've so far seen (and, along with Man Is Not a Bird, I also own two more in a recently released Eclipse box set). He's very clearly a unique director. Man Is Not a Bird is kind of a mixture of avant garde, semi-documentary film-making mixed with wry comedy, social realism of the sort you often see from countries behind the Iron Curtain and French New Wave stylistic touches. It's a real mishmash, but it works pretty well. If the stories of the film had been a tad more interesting, I could see this film having a greater impact. As it is, it follows a couple of stories in the mining town of Bor, one involving a middle-aged man who has arrived in the town to work as an engineer. He begins an affair with a much younger hairdresser (Milena Dravic, who is also featured in WR). The other major plot line involves a worker at the smelting plant who treats his homely wife cruelly. Much like Sweet Movie, which is by far my favorite Makavejev film so far, the true value of the film is in its gorgeous imagery, here in black and white. Makavejev especially finds wonderful ways of shooting Milena Dravic, with whose form he seems obsessed at times. I would say this doesn't feel like a fully-formed film, but it's definitely of interest.
      9framptonhollis

      an often comical and melodramatic romance with sprinkles of absurdist delight

      In Dusan Makavejev's somewhat brilliant debut feature, he does not go full on crazy like he does in some of his later works; however, sprinkles of such insanity can be found all throughout this charming, tragic, funny, and wild romance. Combining various elements that range from the comic to the dramatic and the gritty to the surreal, "Man Is Not a Bird" functions primarily as a tribute to the common, everyday working man, as well as an unconventional love story focusing on an unlikely couple's stunningly sensual transgenerational relationship. These two portraits of society merge into a single small scale epic tragicomedy, one that sparkles with emotion and delight. Although a bit slow at first, by the second half of this movie I was mostly hooked. The Beethoven concert scene is moving, both in its camera-work and emotional intensity, and within the last ten or so minutes Makavejev really seems to go bonkers. Playing with and crossing the boundaries of everyday occurrences and fantastical, almost Felliniesque moments of mild fantasy, Makavejev begins to really blur the line between tragedy and comedy; the film's final moments work as both masterworks painted with both tears and laughter.
      8AdamSixties

      Man is not a Bird: Yugoslav Filmmaking at its Best

      One of Makavejev's 1st films, the title, Man is Not a Bird refers to a hypnotist who makes people act like birds. It seems to be a veiled reference to the authorities; one line actually mentions the "authorities", but that's as specific as it was allowed to be at the time.

      Shot is black and white in 1965 Covek Nije Tice depicts a man who cheats on his wife, but is still considered a heroic worker for propaganda purposes. Another man, an engineer who comes to town finds himself attracted to the daughter of his landlord.

      It's a great film because of the atmosphere it creates of the Yugoslav world, especially significant since the destruction of that world.

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      Related interests

      Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
      Satire
      Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
      Comedy
      Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
      Drama
      Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
      Romance

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        As of 2016 it was included in the #100 Serbian movies list (1911-1999) and protected as cultural heritage of great importance.
      • Quotes

        Roko hipnotizer: Placing a bat's wing on a person's chest won't keep him from getting out of bed, just as scratching a girl won't make her fall for you. A stone left for 12 days under a rooster's tongue, an owl's eyes, moles, frogs, and so on. If someone carrying empty plates overtakes you, you interrupt your trip for fear of bad luck. Likewise if a cat crosses your path. If the clock hands come together, young girls think that some boy is thinking of them and try to guess his name. You see how we unconsciously use magic in the 20th century. Someone with a headache must have been jinxed. A red thread is tied to him, and burning coals are cast on water. Historical monuments around Kismet have begun to be vandalized. Rumor has it that a person with a sickness or sores who takes mortar from the Murat Memorial, mixes it with spring water and eats it or dabs it on himself will be completely cured. Frescoes have also begun to suffer damage. Rumor has it that a barren woman who crawls beneath the stone underlying St. Mark's monastery and eats mortar from the fresco there will become pregnant. So you see, some people are eating mortar, while others are preparing to fly to the moon. The moral is: Magic is absolute nonsense.

      • Connections
        Featured in Balkan Spirit (2013)
      • Soundtracks
        Symphony No. 9 - Ode to Joy
        (uncredited)

        Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

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      FAQ12

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      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • March 6, 1965 (Yugoslavia)
      • Country of origin
        • Yugoslavia
      • Language
        • Serbo-Croatian
      • Also known as
        • Čovek nije tica
      • Production company
        • Avala Film
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        • 1h 21m(81 min)
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.66 : 1

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