MANIFESTO Tribute to Dusan Makavejev: Genuine Revolutionary

Makavejev’s long exile from his homeland ended in 1988 with the release of Manifesto, a Ruritanian political farce mostly shot in Yugoslavia. Although the film marks the most disciplined, traditional storytelling of Makavejev’s career, it has seen only limited bookings in the US. An adaptation of a Zola short story, set in Central Europe in 1920, Manifesto follows Svetlana (Danish discovery Camilla Soeberg) as she arrives in a village ready to assassinate the visiting King However, a lecherous police chief (Alfred Molina) and a doting postman (Eric Stoltz) entertainingly divert the young woman from her mission. There are glimpses of Makavejev’s past exuberance, with dollops of wild sex and delicious photography. -David Thompson