The Ninth Circle: Difference between revisions

Deveti krug
Девети круг
Deveti krug; Девети круг
Directed by	France Štiglic
Written by	Vladimir Koch; France Štiglic; Zora Dirnbach (story)
Starring	Boris Dvornik; Dušica Žegarac; Beba Lončar
Cinematography	Ivan Marinček
Edited by	Lida Braniš [hr]
Music by	Branimir Sakač
Release date	21 April 1960;
Running time	107 minutes
Country	FPR Yugoslavia
Language	Serbo-Croatian

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The Ninth Circle (Serbo-Croatian: Deveti krug / Девети круг) is a 1960 Yugoslavian film directed by France Štiglic. The story revolves around the Croatian Ustaše concentration camp named The Ninth Circle, based on the infamous Jasenovac concentration camp. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.^[1] It was also entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.^[2]

Plot

In the early 1940s, following the German invasion of Yugoslavia and the establishment of the Ustaše-run Croatian Nazi puppet state, citizens of Zagreb face numerous hardships. The Jewish population, in particular, endures severe persecution and is targeted for extermination.

To rescue Ruth, a Jewish girl, from the clutches of the Nazis and their collaborators, a Croatian Catholic family orchestrates her marriage to their young son, Ivo. While Ivo understands the necessity of this arrangement, he is deeply saddened by the abrupt end to his carefree youth. Initially, he appears to harbor disdain for Ruth, dismissing her as "just a child," and continues to spend time with his close friend, Magda, with whom he also harbors romantic feelings. However, upon learning of Ivo's marriage, Magda distances herself from him. A drunken incident at Ivo's bachelor party strains their relationship further, leaving Ivo frustrated and causing an emotional outburst upon returning home. This prompts Ruth to flee into the night streets, where she almost exposes herself to a passing patrol before being rescued by Ivo's father.

Ivo comes to realize that his previous behavior is reckless, selfish, and dangerously ignorant of the gravity of the situation. Following this realization, he begins to form a closer emotional bond with Ruth, spending time with her and even taking her out to a park, despite the prohibition against Jews doing so. However, their situation worsens when a member of the Ustaše humiliates Ruth in public. The situation is diffused by Zvonko, one of Ivo's classmates who has joined the Ustaše, but he later bullies Ivo in class by marking his coat with a symbol representing "Židovi," the Croatian word for Jew. Witnessing this, Ruth is terrified, and Ivo tries to reassure her, marking several objects with the same symbol and referring to it as "just a letter." Additionally, he gives her a miniature park to compensate for her inability to visit the real one.

During a bomb alert, Ruth seizes a rare opportunity to venture out alone but is devastated when she discovers her father's name on a bulletin board, signifying his execution. Overwhelmed with grief, she breaks down in tears. As people return to the streets after the alert, an officer questions Ruth about her identity, leading to her arrest when she provides a false surname.

Unable to find Ruth, Ivo decides to sneak into the local concentration camp against his parents' pleas. After questioning inmates, he learns that Ruth may be held in the Ninth Circle, known as the "harem." As he approaches the camp's center, he encounters Zvonko, now a guard, who tries to portray camp life positively. They witness a group of children being loaded into a gas van, horrifying Ivo. Zvonko informs Ivo that the women in the Ninth Circle are scheduled for execution that night and suggests he "say goodbye" to Ruth. This prompts Ivo to confront Zvonko, potentially knocking him unconscious.

Inside the Ninth Circle, Ivo witnesses a grotesque scene as Ustaše officers cruelly dance with terrified women. Spotting Ruth, Ivo rescues her, and they hide in a guard tower, planning to escape during the rumored power outage at midnight. However, when the time comes, Ruth, still barefoot, cannot cross the fence. Despite having the chance to save himself, Ivo chooses to stay with her. The film concludes with a shot of a light being turned back on, suggesting the tragic fate of both Ruth and Ivo.

Cast

Boris Dvornik as Ivo Vojnović
Dušica Žegarac as Ruth Alakalaj
Dragan Milivojević as Zvonko
Branko Tatić as Ivo's father
Ervina Dragman [hr] as Ivo's mother
Beba Lončar as Magda
Vera Misita [hr] as Tetka

Critical reception

The Ninth Circle received nominations for both the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.

The film was also released in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., the Soviet Union, France, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, Argentina, Australia, and Japan.^[3]

The Croatian Film Association's database describes The Ninth Circle as "the most beautiful and the most moving war melodrama of Croatian cinema".^[3] In 1999, a poll of Croatian film critics found it to be one of the best Croatian films ever made.^[4]

Contemporary commentator Jurica Pavičić calls The Ninth Circle "the most important Croatian film about the Holocaust", pointing out that it represents the first acknowledgement of the Jasenovac camp in all of Croatian cinema. However, he also calls the film "old-fashionedly expressive", noting that from a modern perspective, the viewing experience seems "archaic", especially in regards to aspects like shot composition and its inappropriately ostentatious soundtrack. The film's position as a landmark in Balkan cinema history remains undisputed.^[5]

References

^ "The 33rd Academy Awards (1961) Nominees and Winners". www.oscars.org. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
^ "Festival de Cannes: The Ninth Circle". www.festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Baza HR kinematografije". hrfilm.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 12 May 2020.
^ ""Tko pjeva, zlo ne misli" najbolji hrvatski film svih vremena!". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). 28 November 1999. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
^ Pavičić, Jurica (24 April 2019). "KINO KLASIK Kako je 'Deveti krug' 60 godina ostao najvažniji hrvatski film o holokaustu" (in Croatian). www.jutarnij.hr. Retrieved 12 May 2020.

External links

The Ninth Circle at IMDb

[Oscars1961-1] "The 33rd Academy Awards (1961) Nominees and Winners". www.oscars.org. Retrieved 29 October 2011.

[festival-cannes.com-2] "Festival de Cannes: The Ninth Circle". www.festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 15 February 2009.

[hrfilm-3] "Baza HR kinematografije". hrfilm.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 12 May 2020.

[4] ""Tko pjeva, zlo ne misli" najbolji hrvatski film svih vremena!". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). 28 November 1999. Retrieved 8 February 2013.

[5] Pavičić, Jurica (24 April 2019). "KINO KLASIK Kako je 'Deveti krug' 60 godina ostao najvažniji hrvatski film o holokaustu" (in Croatian). www.jutarnij.hr. Retrieved 12 May 2020.

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 }}
-'''''The Ninth Circle''''' ({{lang-sh|italic=yes|Deveti krug / Девети круг}}) is a 1960 Yugoslavian film directed by [[France Štiglic]]. The story revolves around the Croatian [[Ustaše]] concentration camp named The Ninth Circle, based on the infamous [[Jasenovac concentration camp]]. It was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]].<ref name="Oscars1961">{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1961|title=The 33rd Academy Awards (1961) Nominees and Winners|access-date=29 October 2011|website=www.oscars.org|url-status=live}}</ref> It was also entered into the [[1960 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/deveti-krug|title=Festival de Cannes: The Ninth Circle|access-date=15 February 2009|website=www.festival-cannes.com|url-status=live}}</ref>
+'''''The Ninth Circle''''' ({{langx|sh|italic=yes|Deveti krug / Девети круг}}) is a 1960 Yugoslavian film directed by [[France Štiglic]]. The story revolves around the Croatian [[Ustaše]] concentration camp named The Ninth Circle, based on the infamous [[Jasenovac concentration camp]]. It was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]].<ref name="Oscars1961">{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1961|title=The 33rd Academy Awards (1961) Nominees and Winners|access-date=29 October 2011|website=www.oscars.org}}</ref> It was also entered into the [[1960 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/deveti-krug|title=Festival de Cannes: The Ninth Circle|access-date=15 February 2009|website=www.festival-cannes.com}}</ref>
 ==Plot==
-In the early 1940s, following the [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[Invasion of Yugoslavia|invasion]] of [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] and creation of the Ustaše-run [[Independent State of Croatia|Croatian Nazi puppet state]], citizens of [[Zagreb]] are facing many hardships. Things are especially difficult for the [[History of the Jews in Croatia|Jewish population]] that's marked for [[The Holocaust in the Independent State of Croatia|extermination]].
+In the early 1940s, following the [[Invasion of Yugoslavia|German invasion of Yugoslavia]] and the establishment of the Ustaše-run [[Independent State of Croatia|Croatian Nazi puppet state]], citizens of [[Zagreb]] face numerous hardships. The [[History of the Jews in Croatia|Jewish population]], in particular, endures severe persecution and is targeted for [[The Holocaust in the Independent State of Croatia|extermination]].
-In order to save Ruth, a Jewish girl, from the Nazis and their collaborators, a Croatian Catholic family arranges for her to marry their young son, Ivo. The young man, despite understanding the necessity of this arrangement, is unhappy with this sudden end to his careless youth and at first seems to dislike the girl, dismissing her as "a mere child" and continuing to go out with his best friend Magda, who he is also romantically interested in. Magda, who is aware of his marriage, quickly seeks to distance herself from his advances, and when a drunk Ivo calls her to his bachelor party, resulting in a highly uncomfortable situation for her, their prospective relationship ends. Angered by this, Ivo has an emotional outbreak upon returning home, causing Ruth to run out into the dark streets, where she attempts to deliberately expose herself to a passing patrol, only to be saved at the last second by Ivo's father.
+To rescue Ruth, a Jewish girl, from the clutches of the Nazis and their collaborators, a Croatian Catholic family orchestrates her marriage to their young son, Ivo. While Ivo understands the necessity of this arrangement, he is deeply saddened by the abrupt end to his carefree youth. Initially, he appears to harbor disdain for Ruth, dismissing her as "just a child," and continues to spend time with his close friend, Magda, with whom he also harbors romantic feelings. However, upon learning of Ivo's marriage, Magda distances herself from him. A drunken incident at Ivo's bachelor party strains their relationship further, leaving Ivo frustrated and causing an emotional outburst upon returning home. This prompts Ruth to flee into the night streets, where she almost exposes herself to a passing patrol before being rescued by Ivo's father.
-Ivo himself comes to the realization that his behaviour to this point has not only been reckless and selfish, but also dangerous, displaying a high degree of ignorance regarding the true severity of the situation. Following this epiphany, he soon comes to form a closer emotional relationship with his wife, spending time with her and even taking her out to a park, despite Jews not being allowed to do this. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when a member of the Ustaše who has previously lived in the same house as Ruth recognizes and publicly humiliates her by forcing her to clean his shoes. The situation is only de-escalated when Zvonko, one of Ivo's classmates who has also joined the Ustaše, notices him and tells the man to let them go. Zvonko later bullies Ivo in class by marking his coat with the letter Ž, which stands for Židovi, the Croatian word for Jew. When Ruth sees this, she is terrified, and Ivo tries to calm her down by marking several objects in the room around them with the same symbol, calling it "just a letter". He also gives her a miniature park to make up for her not being able to go there anymore.
+Ivo comes to realize that his previous behavior is reckless, selfish, and dangerously ignorant of the gravity of the situation. Following this realization, he begins to form a closer emotional bond with Ruth, spending time with her and even taking her out to a park, despite the prohibition against Jews doing so. However, their situation worsens when a member of the Ustaše humiliates Ruth in public. The situation is diffused by Zvonko, one of Ivo's classmates who has joined the Ustaše, but he later bullies Ivo in class by marking his coat with a symbol representing "Židovi," the Croatian word for Jew. Witnessing this, Ruth is terrified, and Ivo tries to reassure her, marking several objects with the same symbol and referring to it as "just a letter." Additionally, he gives her a miniature park to compensate for her inability to visit the real one.
-During a bomb alert, the streets are deserted, and Ruth uses this opportunity to go out on her own and enjoy a rare moment of freedom and levity. Her joy soon turns to ashes, however, as she sees her father's name on a bulletin board, indicating that he was hanged, which causes her to break down crying. The alarm ends and people return to the streets, and when an officer notices Ruth, he asks her for her last name, which she gives as Alakalaj, despite her legal last name now being Vojnović. He then proceeds to restrain her.
+During a bomb alert, Ruth seizes a rare opportunity to venture out alone but is devastated when she discovers her father's name on a bulletin board, signifying his execution. Overwhelmed with grief, she breaks down in tears. As people return to the streets after the alert, an officer questions Ruth about her identity, leading to her arrest when she provides a false surname.
-Ivo, who unsuccessfully went out to look for her, fears the worst, and, against the pleas of his parents, decides to sneak into the local concentration camp. He asks several inmates before a woman points out the possibility of Ruth being held in the infamous Ninth Circle, which she also refers to as "harem". Ivo, now moving closer to the camp's centre, encounters his former friend Zvonko, who works as a guard there and cynically attempts to paint life in the camp in a positive light. They come across a group of children with a man talking them into entering a car, but when the doors close, Ivo horrifiedly notices a gas cylinder labelled with a skull, realizing that the car is in fact a [[gas van]].
+Unable to find Ruth, Ivo decides to sneak into the local concentration camp against his parents' pleas. After questioning inmates, he learns that Ruth may be held in the Ninth Circle, known as the "harem." As he approaches the camp's center, he encounters Zvonko, now a guard, who tries to portray camp life positively. They witness a group of children being loaded into a [[gas van]], horrifying Ivo. Zvonko informs Ivo that the women in the Ninth Circle are scheduled for execution that night and suggests he "say goodbye" to Ruth. This prompts Ivo to confront Zvonko, potentially knocking him unconscious.
-As they approach the Ninth Circle, Zvonko tells Ivo that all the women there are due to be murdered this very night, adding that he might have "one last go" at Ruth before that, which causes Ivo to knock him unconscious or possibly kill him. When he then enters the central building, he bears witness to the grotesque spectacle going on inside——cheerful music is playing and men and women are dancing, but the men are Ustaše officers who cruelly make a point to step on the terrified women's unclothed feet. Ivo sees Ruth, and as the women are rushed out, he grabs her and flees to hide in an empty guard tower, where they share a moment of intimacy. As the power on the barbed wire surrounding the area is said to be switched off at midnight to remove the dead bodies from it, they decide to wait until then, planning to use this short period of time to escape. When the hour finally arrives, however, Ruth, who climbed after Ivo and still wears no shoes, finds herself unable to pass the fence, and Ivo, who had already reached the other side and could have saved his life very easily, rather decides to stay with her. The film ends with a close-up shot of a light being turned back on, implying that both Ruth and Ivo were killed.
+Inside the Ninth Circle, Ivo witnesses a grotesque scene as Ustaše officers cruelly dance with terrified women. Spotting Ruth, Ivo rescues her, and they hide in a guard tower, planning to escape during the rumored power outage at midnight. However, when the time comes, Ruth, still barefoot, cannot cross the fence. Despite having the chance to save himself, Ivo chooses to stay with her. The film concludes with a shot of a light being turned back on, suggesting the tragic fate of both Ruth and Ivo.
-==Critical reception==
-''The Ninth Circle'' was nominated for the Golden Palm in Cannes and for an Oscar for best foreign language film.
-The film was also released in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., the Soviet Union, France, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, Argentina, Australia, and Japan.<ref name="hrfilm">{{cite web|url=http://hrfilm.hr/baza_film.php?id=3|title=Baza HR kinematografije|website=hrfilm.hr|language=hr|access-date=12 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
-The [[Croatian Film Association]]'s database describes ''The Ninth Circle'' as "the most beautiful and the most moving war melodrama of Croatian cinema".<ref name="hrfilm"/> In 1999, a poll of Croatian film critics found it to be one of the best Croatian films ever made.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://arhiv.slobodnadalmacija.hr/19991128/kultura.htm|language=hr|newspaper=[[Slobodna Dalmacija]]|title="Tko pjeva, zlo ne misli" najbolji hrvatski film svih vremena!|date=28 November 1999|access-date=8 February 2013}}</ref>
-Contemporary commentator Jurica Pavičić calls ''The Ninth Circle'' "the most important Croatian film about the Holocaust", pointing out that it represents the first acknowledgement of the Jasenovac camp in all of Croatian cinema. However, he also calls the film "old-fashionedly expressive", noting that from a modern perspective, the viewing experience seems "archaic", especially in regards to aspects like shot composition and its inappropriately ostentatious soundtrack. The film's position as a landmark in [[Cinema of Yugoslavia|Balkan cinema history]] remains undisputed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/kultura/film-i-tv/kino-klasik-kako-je-deveti-krug-60-godina-ostao-najvazniji-hrvatski-film-o-holokaustu/8773946/|title=KINO KLASIK Kako je 'Deveti krug' 60 godina ostao najvažniji hrvatski film o holokaustu|publisher=www.jutarnij.hr|date=24 April 2019|last=Pavičić|first=Jurica|language=hr|access-date=12 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
 == Cast ==
@@ Line 59: / Line 49: @@
 * [[Beba Lončar]] as Magda
 * {{ill|Vera Misita|hr}} as Tetka
+==Critical reception==
+''The Ninth Circle'' received nominations for both the [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] and an Academy Award in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.
+The film was also released in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., the Soviet Union, France, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, Argentina, Australia, and Japan.<ref name="hrfilm">{{cite web|url=http://hrfilm.hr/baza_film.php?id=3|title=Baza HR kinematografije|website=hrfilm.hr|language=hr|access-date=12 May 2020}}</ref>
+The [[Croatian Film Association]]'s database describes ''The Ninth Circle'' as "the most beautiful and the most moving war melodrama of Croatian cinema".<ref name="hrfilm"/> In 1999, a poll of Croatian film critics found it to be one of the best Croatian films ever made.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://arhiv.slobodnadalmacija.hr/19991128/kultura.htm|language=hr|newspaper=[[Slobodna Dalmacija]]|title="Tko pjeva, zlo ne misli" najbolji hrvatski film svih vremena!|date=28 November 1999|access-date=8 February 2013}}</ref>
+Contemporary commentator Jurica Pavičić calls ''The Ninth Circle'' "the most important Croatian film about the Holocaust", pointing out that it represents the first acknowledgement of the Jasenovac camp in all of Croatian cinema. However, he also calls the film "old-fashionedly expressive", noting that from a modern perspective, the viewing experience seems "archaic", especially in regards to aspects like shot composition and its inappropriately ostentatious soundtrack. The film's position as a landmark in [[Cinema of Yugoslavia|Balkan cinema history]] remains undisputed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/kultura/film-i-tv/kino-klasik-kako-je-deveti-krug-60-godina-ostao-najvazniji-hrvatski-film-o-holokaustu/8773946/|title=KINO KLASIK Kako je 'Deveti krug' 60 godina ostao najvažniji hrvatski film o holokaustu|publisher=www.jutarnij.hr|date=24 April 2019|last=Pavičić|first=Jurica|language=hr|access-date=12 May 2020}}</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 {{Big Golden Arena}}
+{{Yugoslav submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film}}
 {{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ninth Circle, The}}
-[[Category:Serbo-Croatian-language films]]
 [[Category:1960 films]]
+[[Category:1960s war drama films]]
+[[Category:Yugoslav war drama films]]
+[[Category:Serbo-Croatian-language films]]
 [[Category:Holocaust films]]
 [[Category:Films about anti-fascism]]
 [[Category:Films directed by France Štiglic]]
-[[Category:Films shot in Croatia]]
 [[Category:Jadran Film films]]
+[[Category:Films shot in Croatia]]
 [[Category:Films set in Zagreb]]
 [[Category:Films set in Croatia]]
 [[Category:Films set in Yugoslavia]]
-[[Category:War films set in Partisan Yugoslavia]]
+[[Category:Films set in Yugoslavia during World War II]]