Variola Vera
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''Variola Vera'' (
Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...
: ''Вариола вера'') is a 1982 Yugoslav film directed by Goran Marković. Due to its subject matter and tone, the film is often described as horror. The film is a satirical dramatization of the
1972 Yugoslav smallpox outbreak The 1972 Yugoslav smallpox outbreak was the largest outbreak of smallpox in Europe after the Second World War. It was centered in Kosovo, a province of Serbia within Yugoslavia, and the capital city of Belgrade. A Kosovar Albanian Muslim pilgri ...
, which was the last outbreak on European territory. It comments on the corruption of medical professionals and government officials.


Plot

An
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
Muslim pilgrim returns to
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
from
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
infected with an unknown disease. He is moved from
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
to a hospital in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, where his symptoms worsen and eventually lead to his death. By the time hospital officials realize he was infected with
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
, which they had trouble identifying due to the belief that the disease had been eradicated, it is already too late. The disease spreads as the disorganised staff attempt to isolate the infected. An
epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...
arrives to assist doctors and function as a means of communication between the now quarantined hospital and the outside world. The film follows the behaviour of numerous groups of people, including patients at the hospital, medical staff, ordinary citizens and government officials, commenting largely on the corruption and cowardice of politicians and high-ranking medical staff (such as Superintendent Čole, who locks himself in his office and steals medicine), but also displaying the humanity and self-sacrifice of the medical staff in times of crisis. Twenty-one days pass after the final case is documented, and the hospital is officially declared smallpox-free. The quarantine is lifted and government officials announce that the disease has once again been eradicated.


Cast

*
Rade Šerbedžija Rade Šerbedžija ( sr-Cyrl, Раде Шербеџија, ; born 27 July 1946) is a Croatian actor, director and musician. He is known for his portrayals of imposing figures on both sides of the law. He was one of the best known Yugoslav actors ...
as Dr. Grujić *
Erland Josephson Erland Josephson (; 15 June 1923 – 25 February 2012) was a Swedish actor and author. He was best known by international audiences for his work in films directed by Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky and Theodoros Angelopoulos. Life and career ...
as Dr. Dragutin Majcan Kenigsmark (Dubbed by
Petar Kralj Petar Kralj ( sr-cyr, Петар Краљ; 4 April 1941 – 10 November 2011) was a Serbian theater, film and television actor. Biography Kralj was born in Zagreb to a Serb family from Banija. During World War II his family fled to Syrmia, ...
) *
Dušica Žegarac Dušica Žegarac ( sr-cyr, Душица Жегарац; 15 April 1944 – 24 May 2019http://rs.n1info.com/Vesti/a486323/Preminula-glumica-Dusica-Zegarac.html cf. N1info news) was a Serbian film and television actress. She began acting in 1960 an ...
as Dr. Marković * Varja Đukić as Dr. Danka Uskoković *
Rade Marković Radomir "Rade" Marković ( sr-Cyrl, Радомир Раде Марковић; 14 October 1921 – 10 September 2010) was a Serbian actor. He performed in more than ninety films. He was married to actress Olivera Marković from 1945 until they di ...
as Superintendent Čole * Vladislava Milosavljević as Nurse Slavica *
Peter Carsten Peter Carsten (30 April 1928 – 20 April 2012) was a German actor and film producer. He appeared in 90 films between 1953 and 1999, including in supporting roles, ''Dark of the Sun'' (1968), ''Hannibal Brooks'' (1969), ''Madame Bovary (196 ...
as UN Epidemiologist (Dubbed by
Mihajlo Viktorović Mihajlo ( sr-cyr, Михајло) is a South Slavic variant of the name ''Michael'', often found among Serbs. Cognate names include Mihailo and Mijailo. ;Science *Mihajlo Pupin (1858–1935), Serbian physicist *Mihajlo D. Mesarovic (born 1928), ...
) *
Aleksandar Berček Aleksandar Berček ( sr-cyr, Александар Берчек; born 4 September 1950) is a Serbian actor. He performed in more than one hundred films since 1971. He graduated at the Academy for theater, film, radio and television. He was the dir ...
as Magistar Jovanović * Radmila Živković as Nurse Zaga *
Semka Sokolović-Bertok Semka Sokolović-Bertok (22 December 1935 – 4 March 2008) was a Bosnian and Croatian actress. She also was a competitive chess player in her youth, winning the Croatian Chess Juniors Championship eight times. Personal life Semka was a descenda ...
as Dr. Ćirić *
Bogdan Diklić Bogdan Diklić ( sr-Cyrl, Богдан Диклић; ; born 1 August 1953) is a Serbian actor. He has been active since the late 1970s and starred in over one hundred Yugoslav films and television series. Diklić made ten films with director Gor ...
as Duško * Velimir Životić as Government Minister * Milo Miranović as Stoker Mile * Džemail Makšut as Halil Redžepi * Katica Želi as Cleaner * Bogosava Nikšić as Employee at Reception Desk * Ratko Tankosić as Bora *
Slobodan Aligrudić Slobodan Aligrudić ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Алигрудић; 15 October 1934 – 13 August 1985) was a Serbian actor known for some of the most memorable roles in the history of former Yugoslav cinema. Biography Aligrudić was born in B ...
as Vlada * Svetolik Nikačević as Academic Kostić * Dušan Bulajić as Serviceman * Toma Kuruzović as Hospital Chauffeur *
Minja Vojvodić Minja Vojvodic (31 August 1942 – 17 June 2014) was a Montenegrin actor. He appeared in more than ninety films from 1965 to 2009. Filmography References External links * 1942 births 2014 deaths People from Kolašin 20th-century Mo ...
as
JAT The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...
Official *
Vladan Živković Vladan Živković (15 December 1941 – 3 January 2022) was a Serbian actor, perhaps best known outside Yugoslavia for his work in Sam Peckinpah's ''Cross of Iron''. Vladan Živković was born on 15 December 1941 in Belgrade, Territory of the Mili ...
* Strahinja Mojić


Background and production

In a 2012 interview, director Goran Marković said about the film: ''Variola Vera'' was filmed at the Clinic for Plastic Surgery and Burns, near the
Partizan Stadium The Partizan Stadium ( Serbian: Стадион Партизан / ''Stadion Partizan'') is a football and track-and-field stadium in Autokomanda, Belgrade, Serbia. The home ground of FK Partizan, it was formerly known as JNA Stadium (Stadion J ...
in Belgrade. The music and sound effects, which are a prominent feature of the film, were composed by
Zoran Simjanović Zoran Simjanović (; 11 May 1946 – 11 April 2021) was a Serbian and Yugoslav musician, composer and music educator. Simjanović started his career in 1961, as the keyboardist for the rock band Siluete. In 1962, he moved to the band Elipse, w ...
.


Accolades

The film garnered Marković the first prize for Best Director and the Best Screenplay at the 1982 Valencia Film Festival. It received the
Golden Arena for Best Costume Design List of winners The following is a list of winners of the Golden Arena for Best Film Editing at the Pula Film Festival. Yugoslav competition (1980–1990) Croatian competition (1992–present) Footnotes :A.  Although the festival was op ...
at the 1982
Pula Film Festival Pula Film Festival () is an annual Croatian film festival, established in 1954. It is held in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula Arena. Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival and is usually held in the summer, in July or Aug ...
.


Legacy

A poll of 30 Yugoslav critics and journalists conducted in the newspaper ''
Oslobođenje The ''Oslobođenje'' ( sh-Cyrl, Ослобођење; ; 'Liberation') is the Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian national daily newspaper, published in Sarajevo. It is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in the Bosnia and Herzegovina. Fou ...
'' named ''Variola Vera'' the best Yugoslav Film of 1982. The
Yugoslav Film Archive The Yugoslav Film Archive () is a film archive located in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Founded in 1949, it was the national film library of the Yugoslavia and currently of Serbia. The main cinema operated by the Yugoslav Film Archive is named ...
, in accordance with its authorities based on the Law on Cultural Heritage, declared one hundred Serbian feature films (1911–1999) as
cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...
of great importance on December 28, 2016. ''Variola Vera'' is also on that list.


References


External links


Variola Vera Trailer
* * * 1982 films Yugoslav drama films 1980s Serbian-language films Serbian drama films Serbian horror films 1980s horror drama films Films set in Belgrade Films set in Yugoslavia Films about viral outbreaks Fiction about smallpox Smallpox eradication Films based on actual events Films directed by Goran Marković Films set in 1972 Yugoslav horror films Films scored by Zoran Simjanović {{Yugoslavia-film-stub