So you tear down religion and the old social order. Is it only the greedy fat cat who suffers? There's also the more casually sacred, like the beautiful young woman in 1967's Love Affair, or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator (Ljubavni slučaj ili tragedija službenice P.T.T.). Made in Yugoslavia when the country was controlled by a communist regime that took power after World War II, this anti-communist film really isn't much different from pro-communist propaganda. Such films also often exploit stories of young and innocent people being brutalised by the controlling order. But taken purely as a work of art, it's a pleasure to admire scenes of actress Eva Ras happily lounging in her apartment with her boyfriend and black cat.
She plays Izabela, a switchboard operator who falls in love with a party member named Ahmed (Slobadan Aligrudić). Scenes of the two happy in bed or around her apartment are intercut with real experts speaking to the camera, first a sexologist and then a criminologist. Shots of Izabela's naked body being prepped for an autopsy are also shown early on, so we know for most of the film that she'll eventually be murdered.
The film's political message is not subtly introduced. Shots of mobs toppling ancient churches and raising flags for the new regime are also inserted into the narrative abruptly. So while you're worrying about this poor young woman, think about the angry mob.
The point becomes one about the lack of the public morals or institutions that would have provided some safeguards to the violence Izabela eventually suffers from. It's a successful emotional argument but not a logical one when one considers that murders like this have occurred under all kinds of regimes and governments.
Eva Ras is physically beautiful but also gives a very sweet, unselfconscious performance. She's the real triumph here.
Love Affair, or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator is available on The Criterion Channel.
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