Interview: Military analyst Aleksandar Radić
Played in more than 340 films and TV series
Film actor Velimir Bata Živojinović died on May 22 at 22:45 p.m. in the Sveti Sava Hospital in Belgrade, where he was referred at the end of April when his health condition, which had otherwise deteriorated after a stroke four years ago, suddenly worsened.
Bata Živojinović was born in Koraćica pod Kosmaje on June 5, 1933. As a fifteen-year-old, he worked as a stagehand and interned at the "Branko Krsmanović" Academic Theater in Belgrade, then attended secondary acting schools in Niš and Novi Sad, and the theater academy in Belgrade. to which he was admitted in the third attempt.
Played in more than 340 films and TV series.
He played in the Belgrade Drama Theater for several years. He made his film debut in "Songs from Kumbara" (1955, directed by Radoš Novaković), then in Veljko Bulajić's film "Train without a timetable" (1957), and during the sixties in films such as "The Goat" by Veljko Bulajić (for which he was awarded in Pula), "Battle on the Neretva", then "High Voltage" (1981), "Velikom Transport" (1983), "The Promised to the country" (1986). he also cooperates particularly successfully with Stolet Janković ("Radopolje", 1963; "National Deputy", 1964; "Višnja na tašmajdan", 1968; "Partizani", 1974; "Tren", 1978; Enemy, Žike Pavlović 1967; "Breza Anta Babaja, "In the jaws of life" by Rajko Grlić, in the anthology films "Maestro and Margarita", "Feather Gatherers", "Three"...
Certainly one of his most famous films is Walter Defends Sarajevo, which achieved great success in China. His last role was in the movie "Ice" from 2012.
Bata Živojinović played more important roles in the films of the most famous directors of whom he was a contemporary: R. Novaković (Pesma, 1961; Bekstva. 1968; ), Ž. Pavlovića (The Return, 1966; Hajka, 1977), Z. Velimirovića (Dervish and Death, 1974; Vrhovi Zelengore, 1976; Dorotej, 1981), V. Mimice (Peasant Revolt 1573, 1975), G. Paskaljevića ( Beach Guard in the winter period, 1976; The Dog Who Loved Trains, 1977), Ž. Nikolić ( Beasts, 1977, Čudo nevidjeno, 1984), B. Drašković ( Usijanje, 1979; Život je lep, 1985), L. Zafranović ( The Fall of Italy, 1981) and others.
He played in the popular RTS TV series "Return of the Unwritten", "Workshop Story", "Theatre in the House", "Citizens of Luga Village", "The Gray House", "The End of the Obrenović Dynasty", in the television series "Radovan Treći », in "Bolje život", "Happy people", "Family treasure", "My cousin from the village".
Bata Živojinović won the Golden Arena twice for the best role at the Pula Festival - for the films "Kozara" (1962) and "Tri" (1965). For the film "Tren" he received an award at the International Festival in Moscow in 1978. He received the October Award of the City of Belgrade in 1972. He received the Seventh of July Award of the SR of Serbia in 1981, and several times at the festival in Nis. In August 1993, he was awarded the "Slavica" Lifetime Achievement Award for his roles in Yugoslav cinematography and the award of the Yugoslav Cinematheque - Golden Seal.
THE FIRST STORY
The beginning of the war, April 1941. Miloš, a communist student, the protagonist of the film, found himself at a provincial station, somewhere in Serbia. People are waiting for… some train that might take them somewhere, no one knows where. They are overcome by panic and hysteria. A "strange" man appears with a beret on his head (carries a camera and pronounces "French R").
A military patrol arrives. Supported by a "flaming mob" and Miloš's failed attempt not to make a decision without a court, according to a "prejudiced court", without a trial, the soldiers shoot an innocent man suspected of being a spy - a fifth columnist.
The first absurd senseless death.
ANOTHER STORY
Partizan Miloš (played by Bata Živojinović) found himself alone in the harsh nature, without ammunition, hungry and frozen. He is being chased by a squad of SS men. Fleeing through the bushes and crashing over the rocks in the lonely cemetery, he encounters another frightened partisan who was left wounded by his unit. Together, through the swamp and reeds, they try to escape the chase that pursues them and the machine gun from the plane. They separate, thinking that at least one of them will be saved. The Germans capture a "scared" partisan who will not die with his back turned to the enemy. Revolted by his challenge, the Germans burn him alive in a wicker hut with Miloš's desperate cry. Another beastly senseless death.
THE THIRD STORY
Autumn 1944, the end of the war. In the courtyard of the peasant's house, a group of captured collaborators-enemies of the state is waiting for the verdict. Among them is a beautiful woman. Miloš, the commander of the staff, needs to make a decision. He notices the girl. Their eyes meet. He would like to believe in her innocence, but the evidence of guilt is there (she was the lover of a German commander). All were sentenced to death. Miloš knows that the war has come to an end, he goes out in front of the gate and next to him, with the sounds of music, a village wedding party with excited horses passes by. Miloš remains alone.
The third, tragic, perhaps the most senseless death because the war has come to an end.
( Aleksandar Petrovic, the movie Three )
He was one of the founders, and at one time the president of the Association of Film Actors, one of the founders of the Film Festival in Sopot.
He was also involved in politics. He was elected several times as a deputy in the National Assembly of Serbia as a member of the Socialist Party of Serbia, and was a candidate of this party in the 2002 presidential elections.
1956 – Shoes on asphalt
1957 – Little Man
1959 – A train without a timetable
1960 - War
1960 – Signals over the city
1961 - Song
1961 - Boiling city
as a fitter
1962 – Dr
1962 – Krst Rakoc
1963 – Double hoop
1963 - Kozara
1963 – Men
1963 – Nevesinja rifle
1963 – Radopolje
1963 – Countrymen
1964 – The Man from the Oak Forest
1964 – Good fortune
1964 – Member of Parliament
1964 – Around the world
like a thief
1965 - Liar
1965 - Enemies
1965 – Three
1966 – Clay pigeon
1966 – Looking into the pupil of the sun
1966 – Return
1966 – Before the war
like Mr. Novaković
1966 - San
1967 – Birch
1967 – Saboteurs
1967 - Night
1967 - Send a man at half past two
1967 - Holiday
1967 - Feather Gatherers
like Myrtle
1968 - Escapes
1968 – Doctor Homer's brother
like Simon Petrović
1968 - There is love, there is no love
1968 - Operation "Belgrade"
as a German colonel
1968 - Cause of death not mentioned
as Mitar Velimirović
1968 – Cherry on Tašmajdan
as a professor of philosophy
1969 – Battle of the Neretva
like Stole
1969 – Bloody fairy tale
1969 – Bridge
1969 - Low tide
1970 - Žarki
1971 - Breakfast with the Devil
1971 - My crazy head
1971 - Bet
1972 - And God created a bar singer
1972 – Master and Margarita
1972 – Traces of a Black Girl
1972 – Walter defends Sarajevo
like Walter
1972 – Stars are the eyes of warriors
1973 – Bombers
like Djokovic
1973 – Mirko and Slavko
1973 – Sutjeska
1973 - We are haunted, Irina
1974 – Red shock
1974 - Dervish and death
1974 – Košava
1974 – Partisan
1975 – Red Earth
1975 – Naivko
as the painter Vidak
1975 - The story of good people
like Peter Kostrca
1975 – Peasants' Revolt of 1573
1976 - Beach guard in winter
1976 - Return of the written off
1976 – Peaks of Zelengora
1977 - Beasts
1977 - Hajka
1977 – The love life of Budimir Trajković
1977 – Crazy years
as a gynecologist
1977 – The Dog Who Loved Trains
1978 - It's not that
as a professor
1978 - Arrive before dawn
1978 – Tiger
1978 - Tren
1979 - Comrades
like Costa
1979 – Partisan squadron
like a wolf
1979 – Radio Vihor calls Angelia
1979 - Incandescence
1980 - Special treatment
as a director
1980 – Theater connection
1980 - Temporary work
1980 – Dreams, life, death of Filip Filipović
1981 - The Boy Who Promised
1981 – Dorothei
like Dadara
1981 – Erogenous zone
1981 – Laughter in the heart
1981 – Hunting in the murky
like Paya
1981 – Fall of Italy
1981 – Sixth gear
1981 – Plum juice
1981 – High Voltage
1982 – July 13
1982 - Let's move on
1982 - My dad for a certain period of time
1982 – Sunday lunch
1982 – Persecution
1983 – Balkan Express
as Popeye's friend
1983 - Hello taxi
like Sugar
1983 - Come to me, come to me
as Dr. Nedeljković
1983 – Igman march
1983 – This time again
1983 – Zuckerwasser
like Branka's father
1983 - Stairway to Heaven
1983 – Timočka Uprising
1983 – Large transport
1984 – Balkan spy
like a baker
1984 – An unseen miracle
like Macarius the miracle worker
1984 – Fever of love
1984 – End of the war
like Baja
1984 – Small train robbery
like Todor the Terrible
1984 – No problem
1984 - Dangerous trail
1984 - Watch what you're doing (Graduates)
1984 – Landscapes in the fog
1984 – In the jaws of life
as Stefici's lover
1985 - Ada
1985 - Hello, Inspector
1985 – The Fat and the Thin
1985 - Holding on for air
1985 – And that shall pass
1985 - It's not easy with men
1985 – In prison
1985 – Zika's dynasty
1985 - Life is beautiful
as a negotiator
1986 – Volunteers
1986 – The second Žika dynasty
1986 – Master and champita
1986 – Miss
1986 – Promised Land
1986 - Revenge
1986 - Temporary divorce
1986 – Sekula and his wives
1987 - Let's love each other
1987 – Wanderer
as the owner of the dacha
1987 - Oktoberfest
like Scoblar
1987 - Lovers
1987 – Criminals
1988 – Maternal brothers
1988 – One fine day
1988 – Spy in High Heels
like Ružić
1988 – Crazy years
1988 – The secret of monastery brandy
1988 - Tight Skin 3
1988 – Extramarital trips
1989 - Athos Gardens - transformation
1989 – Balkan Express 2
1989 – Let's Love 2
1989 - How Rock and Roll Failed
1989 – Vampires are among us
1990 - Sex - party enemy no. 1
as the gypsy Sekula
1991 – Original forgery
1991 - Aliens are to blame for everything
1992 - The Lady Who Kills
1992 - America be damned
1992 – The big fuss
like Sima
1993 – Full moon over Belgrade
1993 – Three tickets to Hollywood
1994 – Sweeter than dreams
1995 - It's a dark night
as commander
1995 – Third time luck
1996 - Goodbye in Chicago
1996 - Beautiful villages, beautiful mountains
1997 – Balkan Rules
as the Chief
1997 - Birds that do not fly
1998 – Barrels of powder
as the father of a Bosnian Serb, a bus driver
1998 - Buy me Elliott
like 'Tabakera'
1998 – Barking at the stars
like Božović
1998 – Wounds
like a soldier on a tank
1999 – White suit
like a gentleman
1999 - Night
like Nicephorus
1999 – Wounded Earth
2000 - War Live
as Velibor Tatulić 'Tatula'
2000 – Shadows of memories
2001 - Dead "cold
2001 – Peasants
like Jeremiah
2001 – Everything is for the people
like Jeremiah
(Source: Filmovi.com, actors, Velimir Bata Živojinović)
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