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Love Affair; Or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator

Play trailer Poster for Love Affair; Or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator 1967 1h 15m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Izabela (Eva Ras) is a Yugoslavian switchboard operator whose striking good looks -- and penchant for early Soviet-era communist propaganda films -- win her the favor of Ahmed (Slobodan Aligrudic), an exterminator who shares her absurdist sense of humor and fiery political stance. Their romance blossoms until Izabela's body is found at the bottom of a well, leading police to investigate whether the death was accidental or in fact a carefully planned murder.

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
Peter Bradshaw Guardian This film is a short, sharp shock of exhilaration and artistic dissent. Rated: 5/5 Aug 14, 2023 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times You have to be the victim of a certain state of mind to appreciate the humor and truth of Makavejev. Rated: 3.5/4 Nov 6, 2007 Full Review Time Out Given that four of Makavejev's first five features are essentially the same film, it seems increasingly unlikely that he'll ever improve on this, his second movie, the most interesting and concentrated treatment of his recurrent themes. Feb 9, 2006 Full Review Jacques Aumont Cahiers du Cinéma The magnificent simplicity and effectiveness of the film's construction is in itself already sufficient guarantee of innovation and modernity. Mar 3, 2021 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Celebrates the force of sexuality even as it clashes, tragically, with traditional ideology Sep 25, 2009 Full Review TV Guide A tender, sweet, and ultimately very sad film. Rated: 3/4 Nov 6, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (19) audience reviews
Audience Member Bizarre cult favorite from Yugoslavia is strange, funny and disgusting. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review s r So much character is in this film. A Hungarian beauty dating a Turk in Yugoslavia while being critiqued by a sexologist and a autopsy expert. It was short and sweet. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I thought this was well-directed and interesting. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review eric b This early Dusan Makavejev film is short on budget and acting talent, but is an interesting pointer to the director's later works. Typically, its tone is wildly eclectic -- the narrative breaks up a doomed tale of misfit romance with academic talk from a sexologist, a cooking segment, the history of the grey rat, satirical nods to propaganda film (patriotic marches everywhere) and a daring amount of nudity. There's also a crucial sex scene that's inexplicably symbolized via sort of a rotating tableau vivant that looks borrowed from a surrealist silent. And all this happens within a brisk 70 minutes. Despite the dour plot, Makavejev's gleefully anarchic style creates a mood that's more droll than sad. Cineastes will appreciate his unique quirks, but viewers expecting a character study may complain that the director's whims undercut the story's emotional pull. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A great little movie. Love, sex, politics, class, and accidental murder. Yum. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review walter m "Love Affair, or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator" opens with Dr. Aleksandr DJ Kostic extolling the virtues of a healthy sex life. That's a path that best friends Izabela(Eva Ras) and Ruza(Ruzica Sokic) pursue enthusiastically while escaping from their dreary jobs. During their socializing, Izabela hooks up with Ahmed(Slobodan Aligrudic). If for no other reason than to act as buzzkill, along comes Dr. Zivojin L. Aleksic, a criminologist, to narrate an episode of "CSI: Belgrade," as the police retrieve Izabela's body, three months pregnant, from the sewers. Therefore, it would seem that life is short, so don't take anything for granted. But that's what the Communist government of Yugoslavia did, even if their time does not come for another couple of decades. But at this point, patriotic songs play everywhere, somewhat ironically.(This might be the first time anybody has ever gotten sexually excited watching a propaganda film but it is anti-clerical, which does make a weird sort of sense.) That's not the only part of the film that is dated, as some of the movie's once daring elements such as interracial relationships(Izabela is Hungarian while Ahmed is Turkish), premarital sex and nudity(although some people still do have a problem with this) are now wonderfully quaint. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Love Affair; Or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator

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Movie Info

Synopsis Izabela (Eva Ras) is a Yugoslavian switchboard operator whose striking good looks -- and penchant for early Soviet-era communist propaganda films -- win her the favor of Ahmed (Slobodan Aligrudic), an exterminator who shares her absurdist sense of humor and fiery political stance. Their romance blossoms until Izabela's body is found at the bottom of a well, leading police to investigate whether the death was accidental or in fact a carefully planned murder.
Director
Dusan Makavejev
Screenwriter
Dusan Makavejev
Production Co
Avala Film
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Serbian
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 25, 2018
Runtime
1h 15m