Libertas (film)
Encyclopedia
Libertas is a 2006
Croatia
n-Italian
co-production film directed
by Veljko Bulajić
. It is a biographical film
about the 16th-century playwright Marin Držić
and his conflict with authorities of the Republic of Ragusa
.
The film marked the return of the veteran director Veljko Bulajić after a 17-year break. Following a long and troubled production, it was released to high expectations, but did not meet a favorable reception from either the critics or the box office.
and the Republic of Venice
, with the small but wealthy maritime republic of Ragusa
(modern-day Dubrovnik
) managing to maintain its independence through diplomatic agreements.
The film opens with a scene of playwright Marin Držić
's (Sven Medvešek
) comedy Dundo Maroje being staged in front of the Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik, during the traditional Feast of St. Blaise. Local aristocrats, ambassadors and the Rector himself (Miše Martinović) are attending the performance of the comedy play, which is an allegory
about the hypocrisy and injustice of high society. The verses spoken on stage are met with disapproval by the noblemen present, and lead to the Rector getting up and leaving during the performance.
The Ragusan grey eminence, state censor Luka (Goran Grgić
), decides to use this opportunity to crack down on Držić's company. Luka first confronts his patron
Lord Zamagna (Radko Polič
), a nobleman and former vice-admiral of the mighty Ragusan trade fleet. Luka charges him with conspiracy and gets him arrested. Zamagna's daughter Deša (Sandra Ceccarelli
), a noblewoman and wife of the Spanish ship-owner
De Cabrera, unsuccessfully tries to free her father, who eventually dies in a Ragusan dungeon.
Enraged by her father's demise, Deša joins the anti-government conspirators led by Lord Bučinić (Ljubomir Kerekeš
) who plot against the Senate (the Ragusan parliament), and, hoping to gain political support abroad, leaves for the Duchy of Florence
, itself a powerful city-state in Tuscany in present-day Italy. Despite repression, Držić's company continues to stage plays and provoke local authorities.
The Senate gets increasingly intolerant to any form of criticism and the company soon find themselves in a difficult situation - as the censors had decided to sanction Držić's thinly veiled criticisms by increasing taxes on his stage productions, the company amasses a huge debt which leads to seizures of their property. Because of this, his close friend, actor Lukarević (Žarko Potočnjak
), decides to leave Ragusa and emigrates to Florence.
Although Držić gains some support from his friend the poet Mavro Vetranović
(Vlatko Dulić
), he also comes into conflict with his brother Vlaho Držić (Livio Badurina), an acclaimed painter who openly supports the Senate's authority. Staying true to his libertarian
beliefs, and unable to continue his work, Držić also decides to join the conspiracy and leaves for Florence. After reaching Tuscany
, Držić mingles with other Ragusan exiles, including Lukarević and Deša Zamagna. Inspired by the progressive society of 16th-century Tuscany, Držić pens a draft of a new Ragusan statute
, which he titles Libertas (Latin
for "liberty"), which enshrines the freedoms of speech and creative expression.
Lord Bučinić, in an attempt to gain support for the conspirators' cause, tries to use Deša's and Držić's reputation in Florence and instructs them to turn to Cosimo I de' Medici
(Andrea Buscemi), the Duke of Florence
, but to no avail as he ignores their pleas. Meanwhile, the Ragusan authorities hire mercenaries to track down and assassinate them all. Ignored by Cosimo I, the plot is effectively terminated as spies locate and execute Bučinić and Lukarević. Držić and Deša then decide to escape to Venice
, hoping to find refuge in the city in which several of his works had been published, and that the Doge of Venice
might be more understanding to their plight.
During their perilous journey, the friendship between them develops into a romance. Arriving in Venice, they try to hide but are nevertheless found by assassins. A manhunt through Venetian streets and bridges ensues, in which Držić deliberately draws the pursuers to himself to lure them away from Deša, before escaping by jumping into a canal. At dawn the following day, Držić is washed ashore. Exhausted and frozen, he is found by the city guards and taken to the poorhouse
. As he floats between life and death in delirium
he sees his ideals becoming reality. In the final scene, undertakers put his casket on a gondola
, which floats away across the lagoon.
, the film was accepted under the working title "Project Libertas". However, personal and political animosities towards the director kept the project in limbo for eight years. By 2000, Bulajić had recruited Ivo Brešan
, Mirko Kovač
and Feđa Šehović as screenwriters, as well as Vlado Ožbolt as a scenographer
, but had not yet decided on the cast. At the time, the film's budget was estimated at HRK
12 million (US$
1.4 million), and the start of the shooting was planned for late 2000.
The shooting started only in spring 2003, and almost immediately ran into delays and various other problems. Contrary to earlier agreement, the City of Dubrovnik refused to pay for extras
' expenses. By May, the shooting was behind schedule due to director's illness and hospitalization, and there were reports - denied by Aleksandar Črček, the film's producer - that the cast
and the crew
were not being paid.
The financial difficulties ultimately stopped the filming, and the entire project was in serious jeopardy until the Government of Croatia intervened with a HRK 3.6 million financial guarantee that revived the production activities. The filming was finally completed on April 22, 2005, more than two years after the start, and was followed by post-production in Zagreb
and Rome
.
. Locations in Dubrovnik
include the Revelin Fortress, Stradun
, the Sorkočević Villa, as well as the historical streets of the Old Town.
Some of the scenes taking place in Florence
were also shot on-location, while some were actually filmed in the medieval Istria
n village of Draguć
. Scenes were also filmed in Venice
and in Tuscany
.
for "liberty") is an ironic reference to the motto of the Republic of Ragusa
: ("Liberty is not well sold for all the gold"). Although the reviewers were nearly unanimous in recognizing the film's subtext
as a condemnation of modern despotism, Variety
s reviewer Robert Koehler felt it was referring to Eastern Europe's communist regimes, while Croatian critics saw it rather as an allegory of post-communist Croatia. According to Croatian columnist and film critic Jurica Pavičić
, a "small republic obsessed with independence, but totalitarian on the inside" is easily recognized as the 1990s Croatia, a suggestion which was explicitly confirmed as intentional by Bulajić.
, the expectations were very high. Libertas was well-received by the festival audience, with an average score of 4.41/5, ranking 3rd out of 8 films, but the critics rated it second-to-last at 2.55. The film won two minor awards at the festival, Golden Arena for Best Costume Design
and Golden Arena for Best Make-up.
The reviews were generally unfavorable. Variety
described Libertas as an "old-fashioned European costume drama
" which is "grandly produced and blandly staged". A Nacional
review found faults with rigid directing and lack of character depth. The critics disliked the poor dubbing
, the "unconvincing" and "forced" romance subplot, and mixing of the 16th-century Ragusan dialect with modern Croatian. Ultimately, Libertas fared poorly at the box office.
Libertas was Croatia's submission to the 79th Academy Awards
for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
Croatia
Cinema of Croatia
The cinema of Croatia has a somewhat shorter tradition than what is common for other Central European countries: the serious beginning of Croatian cinema starts with the rise of the Yugoslavian film industry in the 1940s...
n-Italian
Cinema of Italy
The history of Italian cinema began just a few months after the Lumière brothers had patented their Cinematographe, when Pope Leo XIII was filmed for a few seconds in the act of blessing the camera.-Early years:...
co-production film directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Veljko Bulajić
Veljko Bulajic
Veljko Bulajić , today is a Croatian film director and actor of Montenegrin descent, most of his life working in Croatia...
. It is a biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
about the 16th-century playwright Marin Držić
Marin Držic
Marin Držić is considered the finest Croatian Renaissance playwright and prose writer.- Life :Born into a large and well to do family in Dubrovnik, Držić was trained and ordained as a priest — a calling very unsuitable for his rebel temperament...
and his conflict with authorities of the Republic of Ragusa
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
.
The film marked the return of the veteran director Veljko Bulajić after a 17-year break. Following a long and troubled production, it was released to high expectations, but did not meet a favorable reception from either the critics or the box office.
Plot
The film is set in mid-16th century, at a time when the entire eastern Mediterranean is dominated by two great empires, the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, with the small but wealthy maritime republic of Ragusa
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
(modern-day Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
) managing to maintain its independence through diplomatic agreements.
The film opens with a scene of playwright Marin Držić
Marin Držic
Marin Držić is considered the finest Croatian Renaissance playwright and prose writer.- Life :Born into a large and well to do family in Dubrovnik, Držić was trained and ordained as a priest — a calling very unsuitable for his rebel temperament...
's (Sven Medvešek
Sven Medvešek
Sven Medvešek is a Croatian theatre and film actor.Medvešek graduated from the Zagreb Academy of Drama Arts. He won the Golden Arena for Best Actor in 1997 for his role in Mondo Bobo.His older brother Rene is also an actor....
) comedy Dundo Maroje being staged in front of the Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik, during the traditional Feast of St. Blaise. Local aristocrats, ambassadors and the Rector himself (Miše Martinović) are attending the performance of the comedy play, which is an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
about the hypocrisy and injustice of high society. The verses spoken on stage are met with disapproval by the noblemen present, and lead to the Rector getting up and leaving during the performance.
The Ragusan grey eminence, state censor Luka (Goran Grgić
Goran Grgić
Goran Grgić is a Croatian theatre, television and film actor.Grgić graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb in 1990. Upon graduation he was hired as a regular cast member at the Gavella theatre in Zagreb...
), decides to use this opportunity to crack down on Držić's company. Luka first confronts his patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
Lord Zamagna (Radko Polič
Radko Polič
Radko Polič is an award-winning Slovenian theatre, television and film actor.Born in Črnomelj, Polič's family moved to Belgrade in 1945 and then to West Berlin in 1949 before returning to Slovenia and settling in Ljubljana in 1954...
), a nobleman and former vice-admiral of the mighty Ragusan trade fleet. Luka charges him with conspiracy and gets him arrested. Zamagna's daughter Deša (Sandra Ceccarelli
Sandra Ceccarelli
Sandra Ceccarelli is an Italian film actress.Daughter of Franco Ceccarelli, guitarist of the 1960s and 1970s Italian rock group Equipe 84, and Sandra von Glasersfeld , Ceccarelli had her film debut at the age of sixteen in Giuseppe Bertolucci's 1985 film Segreti segreti.Between 1995 and 1997 she...
), a noblewoman and wife of the Spanish ship-owner
Ship-owner
A shipowner is the owner of a merchant vessel . In the commercial sense of the term, a shipowner is someone who equips and exploits a ship, usually for delivering cargo at a certain freight rate, either as a per freight rate or based on hire...
De Cabrera, unsuccessfully tries to free her father, who eventually dies in a Ragusan dungeon.
Enraged by her father's demise, Deša joins the anti-government conspirators led by Lord Bučinić (Ljubomir Kerekeš
Ljubomir Kerekeš
Ljubomir Kerekeš is a Croatian theatre, television and film actor.Kerekeš began acting in 1980 in his hometown of Varaždin and between 1982 and 1996 was a member of the theatre ensemble at the Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin...
) who plot against the Senate (the Ragusan parliament), and, hoping to gain political support abroad, leaves for the Duchy of Florence
Duchy of Florence
The Duchy of Florence was an Italian monarchy that was centred on the city of Florence, in modern Tuscany, Italy. The duchy was founded in 1532 when Clement VII appointed his illegitimate son Alessandro de' Medici Duke of the Florentine Republic,...
, itself a powerful city-state in Tuscany in present-day Italy. Despite repression, Držić's company continues to stage plays and provoke local authorities.
The Senate gets increasingly intolerant to any form of criticism and the company soon find themselves in a difficult situation - as the censors had decided to sanction Držić's thinly veiled criticisms by increasing taxes on his stage productions, the company amasses a huge debt which leads to seizures of their property. Because of this, his close friend, actor Lukarević (Žarko Potočnjak
Žarko Potočnjak
Žarko Potočnjak is a Croatian theatre, television and film actor.Potočnjak graduated from the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Art in 1972...
), decides to leave Ragusa and emigrates to Florence.
Although Držić gains some support from his friend the poet Mavro Vetranović
Mavro Vetranovic
Mavro Vetranović was a prolific Croatian writer and Benedictine friar from Dubrovnik.Born in Dubrovnik in 1482, he entered the Benedictine Order in 1507 on the island of Mljet, and after a period of education in Monte Cassino in Italy returned to Mljet as the abbot of the monastery...
(Vlatko Dulić
Vlatko Dulić
Vlatko Dulić is a Croatian theatre, television and film actor and theatre director.Hailing from Subotica in Vojvodina, a province of Serbia, Dulić studied acting at the University of Zagreb Academy of Drama Arts, where he graduated from in 1970 but he began acting as early as 1968 at the Gavella...
), he also comes into conflict with his brother Vlaho Držić (Livio Badurina), an acclaimed painter who openly supports the Senate's authority. Staying true to his libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
beliefs, and unable to continue his work, Držić also decides to join the conspiracy and leaves for Florence. After reaching Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Držić mingles with other Ragusan exiles, including Lukarević and Deša Zamagna. Inspired by the progressive society of 16th-century Tuscany, Držić pens a draft of a new Ragusan statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
, which he titles Libertas (Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "liberty"), which enshrines the freedoms of speech and creative expression.
Lord Bučinić, in an attempt to gain support for the conspirators' cause, tries to use Deša's and Držić's reputation in Florence and instructs them to turn to Cosimo I de' Medici
Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo I de' Medici was Duke of Florence from 1537 to 1574, reigning as the first Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1569.-Biography:...
(Andrea Buscemi), the Duke of Florence
Duke of Florence
Il Duca di Firenze, rendered in English as The Duke of Florence, was a title created in 1532 by Pope Clement VII. There were effectively only two dukes, Alessandro de' Medici and Cosimo de' Medici, the second duke being elevated to The Grand Duke of Tuscany, causing the Florentine title...
, but to no avail as he ignores their pleas. Meanwhile, the Ragusan authorities hire mercenaries to track down and assassinate them all. Ignored by Cosimo I, the plot is effectively terminated as spies locate and execute Bučinić and Lukarević. Držić and Deša then decide to escape to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, hoping to find refuge in the city in which several of his works had been published, and that the Doge of Venice
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
might be more understanding to their plight.
During their perilous journey, the friendship between them develops into a romance. Arriving in Venice, they try to hide but are nevertheless found by assassins. A manhunt through Venetian streets and bridges ensues, in which Držić deliberately draws the pursuers to himself to lure them away from Deša, before escaping by jumping into a canal. At dawn the following day, Držić is washed ashore. Exhausted and frozen, he is found by the city guards and taken to the poorhouse
Poorhouse
A poorhouse or workhouse was a government-run facility in the past for the support and housing of dependent or needy persons, typically run by a local government entity such as a county or municipality....
. As he floats between life and death in delirium
Delirium
Delirium or acute confusional state is a common and severe neuropsychiatric syndrome with core features of acute onset and fluctuating course, attentional deficits and generalized severe disorganization of behavior...
he sees his ideals becoming reality. In the final scene, undertakers put his casket on a gondola
Gondola
The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...
, which floats away across the lagoon.
Cast
- Sven MedvešekSven MedvešekSven Medvešek is a Croatian theatre and film actor.Medvešek graduated from the Zagreb Academy of Drama Arts. He won the Golden Arena for Best Actor in 1997 for his role in Mondo Bobo.His older brother Rene is also an actor....
as Marin DržićMarin DržicMarin Držić is considered the finest Croatian Renaissance playwright and prose writer.- Life :Born into a large and well to do family in Dubrovnik, Držić was trained and ordained as a priest — a calling very unsuitable for his rebel temperament...
, a Croatian Renaissance playwright. Originally, the primary candidate for the lead role was Medvešek's older brother ReneRene MedvešekRene Medvešek is a Croatian actor. He was born in Velika Gorica.According to the IMDb he appeared in 10 films and one TV series...
, while Sven Medvešek was cast as Vlaho Držić, Marin Držić's brother, a role that eventually went to Livio Badurina. - Sandra CeccarelliSandra CeccarelliSandra Ceccarelli is an Italian film actress.Daughter of Franco Ceccarelli, guitarist of the 1960s and 1970s Italian rock group Equipe 84, and Sandra von Glasersfeld , Ceccarelli had her film debut at the age of sixteen in Giuseppe Bertolucci's 1985 film Segreti segreti.Between 1995 and 1997 she...
as Countess Desa Zamagna (alternatively spelled "Deša Zamanja", a RagusanRepublic of RagusaThe Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
noblewoman of the House of Džamanjić), daughter of Držić's patron, and later his lover during his exile in Florence - Žarko PotočnjakŽarko PotočnjakŽarko Potočnjak is a Croatian theatre, television and film actor.Potočnjak graduated from the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Art in 1972...
as Lukarević, a theatre actor and friend of Držić - Goran GrgićGoran GrgićGoran Grgić is a Croatian theatre, television and film actor.Grgić graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb in 1990. Upon graduation he was hired as a regular cast member at the Gavella theatre in Zagreb...
as Luka, the Ragusan state censor and the main antagonist - Radko PoličRadko PoličRadko Polič is an award-winning Slovenian theatre, television and film actor.Born in Črnomelj, Polič's family moved to Belgrade in 1945 and then to West Berlin in 1949 before returning to Slovenia and settling in Ljubljana in 1954...
as Lord Zamagna (or "gospar Zamanja"), Ragusan nobleman, father of Deša and patron of Držić, who dies in prison after being charged with high treason by the state censor Luka - Andrea Buscemi as Cosimo I de' MediciCosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of TuscanyCosimo I de' Medici was Duke of Florence from 1537 to 1574, reigning as the first Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1569.-Biography:...
, the Duke of FlorenceDuke of FlorenceIl Duca di Firenze, rendered in English as The Duke of Florence, was a title created in 1532 by Pope Clement VII. There were effectively only two dukes, Alessandro de' Medici and Cosimo de' Medici, the second duke being elevated to The Grand Duke of Tuscany, causing the Florentine title...
who Držić asks for help in overthrowing the Ragusan government - Vlatko DulićVlatko DulićVlatko Dulić is a Croatian theatre, television and film actor and theatre director.Hailing from Subotica in Vojvodina, a province of Serbia, Dulić studied acting at the University of Zagreb Academy of Drama Arts, where he graduated from in 1970 but he began acting as early as 1968 at the Gavella...
as Mavro VetranovićMavro VetranovicMavro Vetranović was a prolific Croatian writer and Benedictine friar from Dubrovnik.Born in Dubrovnik in 1482, he entered the Benedictine Order in 1507 on the island of Mljet, and after a period of education in Monte Cassino in Italy returned to Mljet as the abbot of the monastery...
, a Ragusan Benedictine friar and writer who supports Držić and his work publicly - Miše Martinović as the Rector of Ragusa
Production
The film had a remarkably long and troubled development history. In a 1992 competition for funding by the Croatian Ministry of CultureMinistry of Culture (Croatia)
The Ministry of Culture is a ministry of the Croatian government, whose work is aimed at preserving the cultural and natural heritage and overseeing its development...
, the film was accepted under the working title "Project Libertas". However, personal and political animosities towards the director kept the project in limbo for eight years. By 2000, Bulajić had recruited Ivo Brešan
Ivo Brešan
Ivo Brešan is a Croatian playwright, novelist and screenwriter known for political satire. His work includes screenplays written with his son Vinko Brešan.-Screenplays:* 1973 - Predstava Hamleta u selu Mrduša Donja...
, Mirko Kovač
Mirko Kovac
Mirko Kovač may refer to:* Mirko Kovač * Mirko Kovač...
and Feđa Šehović as screenwriters, as well as Vlado Ožbolt as a scenographer
Scenographer
A scenographer develops the appearance of a stage design, a TV or movie set, a gaming environment, a trade fair exhibition design or a museum experience exhibition design. The term originated in theater...
, but had not yet decided on the cast. At the time, the film's budget was estimated at HRK
Croatian kuna
The kuna is the currency of Croatia since 1994 . It is subdivided into 100 lipa. The kuna is issued by the Croatian National Bank and the coins are minted by the Croatian Monetary Institute....
12 million (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.4 million), and the start of the shooting was planned for late 2000.
The shooting started only in spring 2003, and almost immediately ran into delays and various other problems. Contrary to earlier agreement, the City of Dubrovnik refused to pay for extras
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
' expenses. By May, the shooting was behind schedule due to director's illness and hospitalization, and there were reports - denied by Aleksandar Črček, the film's producer - that the cast
Cast member
A cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
and the crew
Film crew
Television crew positions are derived from those of film crew positions.A film crew is a group of people hired by a production company for the purpose of producing a film or motion picture. Crew are distinguished from cast, the Actors who appear in front of the camera or provide voices for...
were not being paid.
The financial difficulties ultimately stopped the filming, and the entire project was in serious jeopardy until the Government of Croatia intervened with a HRK 3.6 million financial guarantee that revived the production activities. The filming was finally completed on April 22, 2005, more than two years after the start, and was followed by post-production in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Filming locations
Many of the film's scenes were shot on-locationLocation shooting
Location shooting is the practice of filming in an actual setting rather than on a sound stage or back lot. In filmmaking a location is any place where a film crew will be filming actors and recording their dialog. A location where dialog is not recorded may be considered as a second unit...
. Locations in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
include the Revelin Fortress, Stradun
Stradun (street)
Stradun or Placa is the main street of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The limestone-paved pedestrian street runs some 300 metres through the Old Town, the historic part of the city surrounded by the Walls of Dubrovnik....
, the Sorkočević Villa, as well as the historical streets of the Old Town.
Some of the scenes taking place in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
were also shot on-location, while some were actually filmed in the medieval Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
n village of Draguć
Draguć
Draguć is a small fortified village in Croatia's Istria County.Today it pertains to the municipality of Cerovlje.There are several churches: Sant' Eliseo from the 12th century , Madonna del Rosario, built in 1641 and San Rocco e San Sebastiano, frescoes by Antonio da Padova in 1529.World-known...
. Scenes were also filmed in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
.
Themes
The film's title Libertas (LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "liberty") is an ironic reference to the motto of the Republic of Ragusa
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
: ("Liberty is not well sold for all the gold"). Although the reviewers were nearly unanimous in recognizing the film's subtext
Subtext
Subtext or undertone is content of a book, play, musical work, film, video game, or television series which is not announced explicitly by the characters but is implicit or becomes something understood by the observer of the work as the production unfolds. Subtext can also refer to the thoughts...
as a condemnation of modern despotism, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
s reviewer Robert Koehler felt it was referring to Eastern Europe's communist regimes, while Croatian critics saw it rather as an allegory of post-communist Croatia. According to Croatian columnist and film critic Jurica Pavičić
Jurica Pavičić
Jurica Pavičić is a Croatian writer, columnist and film critic.Pavičić's screenplay for Witnesses , Vinko Brešan's 2003 film, won the Golden Arena for Best Screenplay in the 2003 Pula Film Festival...
, a "small republic obsessed with independence, but totalitarian on the inside" is easily recognized as the 1990s Croatia, a suggestion which was explicitly confirmed as intentional by Bulajić.
Reception
Prior to the film's premiere at the 2006 Pula Film FestivalPula Film Festival
The Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival which is held annually in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula arena since 1954. The festival is usually held in the summer, in July or August....
, the expectations were very high. Libertas was well-received by the festival audience, with an average score of 4.41/5, ranking 3rd out of 8 films, but the critics rated it second-to-last at 2.55. The film won two minor awards at the festival, Golden Arena for Best Costume Design
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 :-Croatian competition :-External links:* at the Pula Film Festival official website...
and Golden Arena for Best Make-up.
The reviews were generally unfavorable. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
described Libertas as an "old-fashioned European costume drama
Costume drama
A costume drama or period drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambiance of a particular era.The term is usually used in the context of film and television...
" which is "grandly produced and blandly staged". A Nacional
Nacional (weekly)
Nacional is a Croatian weekly newsmagazine published in Zagreb.-History:Nacional was started in 1995 by Denis Kuljiš, Ivo Pukanić and other journalists dissatisfied with the editorial policies of Croatian weekly newspaper Globus. Both publications were hostile to the ruling HDZ government...
review found faults with rigid directing and lack of character depth. The critics disliked the poor dubbing
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
, the "unconvincing" and "forced" romance subplot, and mixing of the 16th-century Ragusan dialect with modern Croatian. Ultimately, Libertas fared poorly at the box office.
Libertas was Croatia's submission to the 79th Academy Awards
79th Academy Awards
The 79th Academy Awards ceremony , honored the best films of 2006 and took place on February 25, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on ABC. Ellen DeGeneres hosted the ceremony for the first time. The producer was Laura Ziskin. The announcers were Don LaFontaine and Gina Tuttle.The nominees were...
for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
See also
- Cinema of CroatiaCinema of CroatiaThe cinema of Croatia has a somewhat shorter tradition than what is common for other Central European countries: the serious beginning of Croatian cinema starts with the rise of the Yugoslavian film industry in the 1940s...
- List of submissions to the 79th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film