Davitelj protiv davitelja
Encyclopedia
Strangler vs. Strangler is a 1984 Yugoslav film featuring elements of comedy
, thriller and horror
genres.
finally gets its first serial killer
: an awkward carnations seller named Pera Mitić (Taško Načić
). Mitić is an overweight 48-year-old man who is in an Oedipus
kind of way connected to his aging mother. His mother often punishes him when he does not sell any of the carnation flowers. His punishments include kneeling on nutshells while being slapped by his mother or being locked in the water tank. This is the reason why he starts killing every girl who refuses to buy his flowers. Mitić's character can be compared to Norman Bates
's character and relationship with his mother.
After the first murder, mostly incompetent inspector Ognjen Strahinjić (Nikola Simić) starts the investigation. His attempt to catch the strangler by employing an undercover agent, Rodoljub Jovanović (Branislav Zeremski), ends up tragically. Strahinjić is a loner who lives only with his cat George, who is his best friend. He is a short man, with a thin mustache and is similar to Inspector Clouseau
from the Blake Edwards
's The Pink Panther
series. The plot gets even more complicated when a rock star Spiridon Kopicl
(Srđan Šaper) obsessed with the strangler records the song "Bejbi, bejbi" ("Baby, Baby"), with his band VIS Simboli
, dedicated to the strangler which immediately became nationwide hit.
Mitić, having heard the song, becomes delighted; he even strangled his own mother in order to hear it on the TV. While Mitić's number of victims becomes bigger, Kopicl is focused on Sofija (Sonja Savić
) who is a host of a popular musical show on the radio. While attempting to strangle Sofija, Mitić gets on his way and while attacking her gets his ear bitten by Sofija in self defence. Kopicl gets the credit of a savior and a hero and gets married to Sofija. On their honey moon, in the climax of his obsession, Kopicl strangles Sofija while Mitić, dressed as his mother, is watching the whole thing. Mitić then enters the room and asks for his ear. Kopicl runs to an abandoned building where, after a struggle, hangs Mitić who bit his ear. In the end all of the crimes, including Sofija's death, are credited to the late Mitić. Kopicl, while getting his ear bitten hears a melody on which he composed a symphony
inspired with crime and, after the death of his father, gets married to his attractive stepmother.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, thriller and horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
genres.
Plot
In the mid 1980s BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
finally gets its first serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
: an awkward carnations seller named Pera Mitić (Taško Načić
Taško Nacic
Taško Načić was a popular Serbian actor.He studied acting at The Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, where he graduated in 1956. In 1954 he became a member of National Theatre in Belgrade, where he acted in plays Stanoje Glavaš and Gospođa Ministarka. Soon after that he went to theater Boško...
). Mitić is an overweight 48-year-old man who is in an Oedipus
Oedipus
Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family...
kind of way connected to his aging mother. His mother often punishes him when he does not sell any of the carnation flowers. His punishments include kneeling on nutshells while being slapped by his mother or being locked in the water tank. This is the reason why he starts killing every girl who refuses to buy his flowers. Mitić's character can be compared to Norman Bates
Norman Bates
Norman Bates is a fictional character created by writer Robert Bloch as the central character in his novel Psycho, and portrayed by Anthony Perkins as the main antagonist of the 1960 film of the same name directed by Alfred Hitchcock...
's character and relationship with his mother.
After the first murder, mostly incompetent inspector Ognjen Strahinjić (Nikola Simić) starts the investigation. His attempt to catch the strangler by employing an undercover agent, Rodoljub Jovanović (Branislav Zeremski), ends up tragically. Strahinjić is a loner who lives only with his cat George, who is his best friend. He is a short man, with a thin mustache and is similar to Inspector Clouseau
Inspector Clouseau
Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther series. In most of the films, he was played by Peter Sellers, with one film in which he was played by Alan Arkin and one in which he was played by an uncredited Roger Moore...
from the Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
's The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther is a series of comedy films featuring the bungling French police detective Jacques Clouseau that began in 1963 with the release of the film of the same name. The role was originated by, and is most closely associated with, Peter Sellers...
series. The plot gets even more complicated when a rock star Spiridon Kopicl
Spiridon Kopicl
Spiridon Kopicl is a fictional character created by Slobodan Šijan as one of the main characters of the Davitelj protiv davitelja movie.- Fictional character biography :...
(Srđan Šaper) obsessed with the strangler records the song "Bejbi, bejbi" ("Baby, Baby"), with his band VIS Simboli
VIS Simboli
VIS Simboli are an imaginary band from the former Yugoslav film Strangler vs. Strangler.- History :The band was formed by Spiridon Kopicl and recorded only one song, "Bejbi, bejbi", inspired by the experience of Kopicl after seeing a television report on a victim of...
, dedicated to the strangler which immediately became nationwide hit.
Mitić, having heard the song, becomes delighted; he even strangled his own mother in order to hear it on the TV. While Mitić's number of victims becomes bigger, Kopicl is focused on Sofija (Sonja Savić
Sonja Savic
Sonja Savić was a cult Serbian actress, famous for her husky voice and series of impressive roles in some of the more memorable 1980s films made in former Yugoslavia. Sonja appeared in Miroslav Ilić video Voleo sam devojku iz grada...
) who is a host of a popular musical show on the radio. While attempting to strangle Sofija, Mitić gets on his way and while attacking her gets his ear bitten by Sofija in self defence. Kopicl gets the credit of a savior and a hero and gets married to Sofija. On their honey moon, in the climax of his obsession, Kopicl strangles Sofija while Mitić, dressed as his mother, is watching the whole thing. Mitić then enters the room and asks for his ear. Kopicl runs to an abandoned building where, after a struggle, hangs Mitić who bit his ear. In the end all of the crimes, including Sofija's death, are credited to the late Mitić. Kopicl, while getting his ear bitten hears a melody on which he composed a symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
inspired with crime and, after the death of his father, gets married to his attractive stepmother.
Cast
- Taško NačićTaško NacicTaško Načić was a popular Serbian actor.He studied acting at The Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, where he graduated in 1956. In 1954 he became a member of National Theatre in Belgrade, where he acted in plays Stanoje Glavaš and Gospođa Ministarka. Soon after that he went to theater Boško...
as Pera Mitić - Nikola Simić as Inspector Ognjen Strahinjić
- Srđan Šaper as Spiridon KopiclSpiridon KopiclSpiridon Kopicl is a fictional character created by Slobodan Šijan as one of the main characters of the Davitelj protiv davitelja movie.- Fictional character biography :...
- Rahela Ferari as Pera's mother
- Sonja SavićSonja SavicSonja Savić was a cult Serbian actress, famous for her husky voice and series of impressive roles in some of the more memorable 1980s films made in former Yugoslavia. Sonja appeared in Miroslav Ilić video Voleo sam devojku iz grada...
as Sofija Mačkić - Radmila Savićević as Mica Mojsilović, an eye witness
- María Baxa as Natalija
- Pavle Minčić as Dr. Dobrica Kopicl, Spiridon's father
- Žika Milenković as Inspector Gane
- Branislav Zeremski as Rodoljub Jovanović
- Dragana Ćirić as a girl
- Dijana Sporčić as Evgenija Poslisković
- Jelisaveta SablićSeka SablicJelisaveta "Seka" Sablić is an awarded Serbian actress. She is named one of the best Serbian actresses in history...
as Miss Dobrila Skara - Đorđe Nenadović as Impressio Oskar (as George Heston)
- Dobrica Jovanović as Sofija's father
- Velibor MiljkovićToni MontanoToni Montano , real name Velibor Miljković is a Serbian rock musician. One of pioneers of psychobilly on the former Yugoslav rock scene, Toni Montano is better known for his controversial statements.-Radost Evrope:Miljković started his career as a vocalist of the band Radost Evrope Toni Montano...
as a punker