JOVANA LUKINA/BEASTS Limited Red Case Edition

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JOVANA LUKINA (Yugoslavia, 1979)

In the remote and dangerous mountains of Montenegro a young married couple - Jovana and her husband Luka - work hard to make ends meet, carving out limestone blocks for grand buildings. Jovana’s strange beauty both scares and attracts the procession of bizarre and dangerous characters that pass through their isolated location. Sexual violence. jealousy and religious oppression are a constant threat to their fragile existence.

Reacting against the harshness of her daily life, Jovana feels a growing sense of power within her which culminates in a stunning scene of defiance and liberation. Ingmar Bergman described the film as the greatest portrait of a woman ever seen in cinema.

The film has little dialog and is filled with vistas of astonishing beauty, like an old folk tale, full of magic, myth and ritual.

Controversial during his lifetime, Živko Nikolić died in poverty at the young age of 59. In the years that followed his death he began to be rediscovered and is now recognized as one of the world’s great film makers. Comparisons have been made with visionary film makers such as Jodorowsky and Parajanov.

First Blu-ray and first US release in any format.

BEASTS (Yugoslavia, 1977)

It’s a dark and rain-swept night. On a floating island adrift in the ocean, an old sea captain awaits his imminent death. A gaggle of black-garbed crones hover in the background. There’s a priest, a sailor, an older woman with fiery lusts, a young man who sings mocking songs, and a gang of unsavory characters whose bad behavior is fueled by drink and boredom. An ancient law says that people are not responsible for their actions during a violent storm and just such a storm has now enveloped the island.

That night, a beautiful and mysterious woman arrives by boat. She creates havoc. The men lust after her and the women chase her through the rain drenched streets. She brings excitement and awakes suppressed passions, hatred, love and fear, turning upside-down the otherwise boring and monotonous island routine, exposing dark secrets. The natives sing traditional songs, the atmosphere is earthy and mythical, and it all leads to a violent metaphorical climax.

This was the first feature film from Montenegrin director Zivko Nikolic and is a powerful and unique exploration of the beasts that lurk in the human soul. This is the film’s first Blu-ray release and first US release.

DISC FEATURES
Region free
Brand new 4K restorations from the original negatives
In Serbo-Croatian with optional, newly-translated English subtitles
Brand new interview with film critic Dr Mina Radović

LIMITED EDITION FEATURES
Reversible sleeve with each side highlighting each of the films; 24-page full color booklet about the films and director; 1200 copies in the usual red case