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Montenegro (film)
Encyclopedia
Montenegro also known as Montenegro - Or Pigs and Pearls is a Swedish black comedy
film
by Yugoslav
director Dušan Makavejev
.
sings "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
" over the opening credit sequence.
Marilyn Jordan (Susan Anspach
) is a bored, depressed American housewife, married to a rich Swedish businessman with two seemingly perfect children. She tries to "spice up" her existence by surprising the family when she eats their entire dinner, setting the bedclothes on fire and poisoning the pet dog's milk and then advising it not to drink (the dog does not drink). Eventually Martin, Marilyn's husband, decides to show her to a psychiatrist
, but that only serves to further her frustration.
One day, when she decides to accompany her husband on a business trip, Marilyn gets detained by security at the airport
on a technicality. After missing her plane, she is befriended by a group of gypsies and is taken to a club they run, bearing the odd name of "Zanzi-Bar." There, Marilyn indulges in their fantastic, surreal world of shovel fighting, lamb roasting, striptease
and free love
. It all culminates with Marilyn having a passionate fling with a young man named Montenegro (Svetozar Cvetkovic) who works in a zoo.
After spending the night with Montenegro, Marilyn realizes that even though she adores this world, she is a stranger in it. Completely snapping upon this realization, she kills the young man and returns home. Once there, she serves her family a gourmet dinner, followed by a light dessert of fruit... that turns out to be poisoned. The final intertitle states: The film is based on a true story.
.
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
director Dušan Makavejev
Dušan Makavejev
Dušan Makavejev is a Serbian film director and screenwriter, famous for his groundbreaking films of Yugoslav cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
.
Plot
Marianne FaithfullMarianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
sings "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
"The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" is a song by American poet and songwriter Shel Silverstein. It was originally recorded by Dr Hook and covered by the English singer Marianne Faithfull. Taken from her 1979 album Broken English, it was released as a single in November 1979. It is featured on the...
" over the opening credit sequence.
Marilyn Jordan (Susan Anspach
Susan Anspach
-Private life:Anspach was born in New York City and was raised in Queens, New York. She graduated from William Cullen Bryant High School in Long Island City in 1960. Paul Simon was a neighbor. She enrolled in the music department at the Catholic University of America...
) is a bored, depressed American housewife, married to a rich Swedish businessman with two seemingly perfect children. She tries to "spice up" her existence by surprising the family when she eats their entire dinner, setting the bedclothes on fire and poisoning the pet dog's milk and then advising it not to drink (the dog does not drink). Eventually Martin, Marilyn's husband, decides to show her to a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, but that only serves to further her frustration.
One day, when she decides to accompany her husband on a business trip, Marilyn gets detained by security at the airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
on a technicality. After missing her plane, she is befriended by a group of gypsies and is taken to a club they run, bearing the odd name of "Zanzi-Bar." There, Marilyn indulges in their fantastic, surreal world of shovel fighting, lamb roasting, striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
and free love
Free love
The term free love has been used to describe a social movement that rejects marriage, which is seen as a form of social bondage. The Free Love movement’s initial goal was to separate the state from sexual matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery...
. It all culminates with Marilyn having a passionate fling with a young man named Montenegro (Svetozar Cvetkovic) who works in a zoo.
After spending the night with Montenegro, Marilyn realizes that even though she adores this world, she is a stranger in it. Completely snapping upon this realization, she kills the young man and returns home. Once there, she serves her family a gourmet dinner, followed by a light dessert of fruit... that turns out to be poisoned. The final intertitle states: The film is based on a true story.
Cast
- Susan AnspachSusan Anspach-Private life:Anspach was born in New York City and was raised in Queens, New York. She graduated from William Cullen Bryant High School in Long Island City in 1960. Paul Simon was a neighbor. She enrolled in the music department at the Catholic University of America...
- Marilyn Jordan - Erland JosephsonErland JosephsonErland Josephson is a Swedish actor and author. He is best known to international audiences for his work in films directed by Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Theodoros Angelopoulos.-Biography:...
- Martin Jordan - Marianna Jacobi - Cookie Jordan
- Jamie MarshJamie MarshJamie Marsh is an American theatre and film actor.Marsh was born in New York City. In 1981 while living in Stockholm, Sweden with his family, Jamie was cast in his first movie, Montenegro. After moving back to New York and graduating high school, Jamie studied at the H.B. Studios with Uta Hagen...
- Jimmy Jordan (as Jamie Marsh) - John Zacharias - Grandpa Bill
- Per OscarssonPer Oscarsson- External links :...
- Dr. Aram Pazardjian - Marina Lindahl - Secretary
- Bora TodorovićBora TodorovicBorivoje "Bora" Todorović is a Serbian actor...
- Alex Rossignol - Lisbeth Zachrisson - Rita Rossignol
- Svetozar Cvetković - Montenegro
- Patricia Gélin - Tirke
- Dragan Ilić - Hassan
- Nikola Janić - Mustapha
- Mile Petrović - Zanzi Bar Customer
- John ParkinsonJohn ParkinsonJohn Parkinson may refer to:*John Parkinson , English herbalist*John B. Parkinson , American architect in Los Angeles*John Parkinson , British Labour Party MP for Wigan, 1918–1941...
- Piano Player
Awards and nominations
Montenegro was nominated for the Golden Palm Award at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival1981 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Jacques Deray *Ellen Burstyn *Jean-Claude Carrière *Robert Chazal *Attilio D'Onofrio *Christian Defaye *Carlos Diegues *Antonio Gala...
.