COURAGE

prepájame zbierky

These are elaborate minutes of the session in which the current issues in the film industry in Zagreb were on the agenda. At the session, Ivo Jelovica, Vatroslav Mimica, Jurica Peruzović and Stjepan Draganić also participated along with the members of the Ideological Commission of the CC LCC and the Commission for Cultural and Educational Issues of the Central Committee of the Socialist Alliance of the Working People of Croatia (SAWPC). The document is important because it shows how the members of the Commission steered the film industry in Croatia, the production of films, and how they managed recruitment and staff within that industry. The participants in the meeting analysed the situation in Croatia: who is engaged in the film business, the need for two art centers/production companies; Jadran film and Zagreb, and the related issue of finances, staff and quality of achievement. The role of the Film Council was also emphasized as the authoritative body for quality, but also the ideological "regularity" of productions, whose role was to approve screenplays. In addition to this, the question was raised as to whether such "socialistic morality" could be ensured in the film company. Particularly interesting was the part of the discussion on the staff in film companies, when Dule Štrbac, a member of the Commission, noted that the problem surrounding Jadran film was the accumulation of personnel who were politically and morally problematic, but who were professionals of the highest quality. He appointed Branko Marjanovic as such, saying that he was considered an irreplaceable film director and expert, but also mentioned his film The Watch on Drina (Straža na Drini) from the time of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), and emphasized how he "brings together people who fit his understanding and concepts." Branko Belan was appointed as a troublemaker, as he was the screenwriter of the film Odnarođeni, whose screenplay was awarded the highest Ustasha prize at the beginning of January 1945. The third person featured in a negative context was Krešo Golik, who "declares himself as an Ustasha dorojnik" and wrote that the Ustasha "will never surrender alive." The members of the Commission wondered how such people had the ability to work, and on the other hand "our staff" has failed to hold on. An example in Zagreb Film was Zvane Črnja, a playwright, as an imposing cadre, although it was said that he should not be engaged in certain duties.

Frane Trenta emphasized that "strong political and party personnel should be placed in these companies," and Milos Zanko supported him by saying that the Council should not appoint people who are not "on course" and that the Film Council should also provide the appropriate staff.

It is interesting to note that the record also mentions the work of the party organization in the company and that in past years opposing to them meant to be left out of work and to starve, to be without social security, to remain without any protection, to be silent or to obey ... This especially very clearly shows the role of LC organization in directing the work of film companies, censorship and monitoring the "ideological correctness" of the personnel and policies of the companies themselves.

Mile Počuča finally concluded that sit the enemies of socialism or at least the problematic people were sitting in both companies, and advocated a special meeting to see who should be thrown out and who should stay. It was concluded that the meeting should be held.

By 1995, the document was, along with the other records of socio-political organisations, a part of the Archive of the Institute of History of the Labour Movement of Croatia/Institute of Contemporary History. That year, in July, it was handed over to the Croatian State Archives (CSA) where it is kept today. The documents are accessible for use without any restrictions.

A work from the "Exploitation of the Dead" cycle showing a large factory complex with chimneys. The picture of the great factory complexes is one of the synonyms for socialism, which was the very reason why Stilinović used it. But shown on a black background and in combination with red geometric figures, it becomes the subject of Stilinović's criticism and indicates the weariness of this socialist symbols.

Mladen Stilinović's work from the "Exploitation of the Dead" cycle, depicting a photograph of one of the typical Party gatherings. The photograph itself, outside the context of Stilinovic's work, would represent visual proof of the Party gathering. But, as a part of his work, it points to the weariness of such gatherings, and thus to the end of the socialist period.

Hrvatski pravopis (Croatian Orthography) written by Stjepan Babić, Božidar Finka and Milan Moguš, published in 1971, was banned by the Yugoslav authorities on political grounds shortly after its printing. However, the editorial board of Nova Hrvatska, headed by Jakša Kušan, succeeded in obtaining a copy and published it in a phototype edition in London in 1972. This is why the book is popularly called the "Londoner."

Its first edition in Croatia was a part of the endeavours of Croatian reform-oriented intellectuals in the Croatian Spring movement. In the cultural sphere, the Croatian Spring was most evident in the struggle of Croats for the equality of the Croatian language in Yugoslavia. To eliminate the disagreement between the previous orthography and contemporary language practices in Croatia, Matica hrvatska has entrusted the task of drafting the principle of a new orthography to the linguists Babić, Finka and Moguš. All of the relevant vocational, scholarly and educational institutions in the Socialist Republic of Croatia agreed with this orthography. This was one of the last acts in the struggle for the equality of Croatian literary language, which began in 1967 with the publication of the Declaration on the Name and Status of the Croatian Literary Language. The book (Hrvatski pravopis) was printed in September 1971, but for political reasons, the entire print run of 40,000 copies was withdrawn and destroyed in a paper mill. Only a few internal copies were preserved. This act of censorship was a part of the crackdown by the Yugoslav authorities against the Croatian Spring at the end of 1971. Moreover, the authors of the book were members of Matica hrvatska, the essential cultural-oppositional institution in Croatia.

Jakša Kušan learned out that several copies of the book had been salvaged and he decided to try to obtain a copy to print it abroad. He learned that a proofreader, Roman Turčinović, had a copy and somehow Turčinović managed to send the book to Kušan in the UK. The editorial board of Nova Hrvatska added a short introduction to the book, in which they explained that in Croatia the book was destroyed and labelled a "nationalistic diversion." This introduction was printed in Croatian, English, German and Spanish (Kušan 2000, 96-97).

Announcing the publishing of the Croatian orthography in May 1972, the editorial board of Nova Hrvatska emphasised that it was the most significant victory over Yugoslav censorship (Kušan 2000, 93). Five thousand ordered copies were printed in December 1972. Large quantities were sent immediately by aeroplane, and in April 1973 3,000 more copies were printed, and at the beginning of 1984 two thousand copies of the second edition were printed. Several hundred copies were also sent to Croatia, and many copies were sent to foreign journalists, and to all Slavic institutes at universities around the world. Kušan pointed out that they sent the book with the desire to show how broad Yugoslav censorship in Croatia was and to show how Croats could not exercise their constitutional rights to their (Croatian) language (Kušan 2000, 97). He also said that many Croatian emigrants bought the book, even people who never used it, simply to participate in the “all-Croatian defiance and defence of Croatian culture" (Kušan 2000, 97). Hrvatski pravopis was first exhibited at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1973, and Kušan stated that they did not expect such great success. The "Londoner" became a best-seller in Croatian emigrant communities because it symbolised the Croatian Spring. The financial success of the book enabled the editorial board of Nova Hrvatska to purchase a house in London, where they set up their new offices to continue their work. After the fall of communism in Croatia in 1990, Hrvatski pravopis was published freely again.