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Love Affair; Or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator Photos

View All Photos (4)

Movie Info

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.

Genre:

drama, comedy
Original Language:

Serbian
Director:

Dusan Makavejev
Writer:

Dusan Makavejev
Release Date (Streaming):

Aug 25, 2018
Runtime:

1h 15m
Production Co:

Avala Film

Cast & Crew

Eva Ras
Izabela

Slobodan Aligrudic
Ahmed

Ruzica Sokic
Ruza

Miodrag Andric
Mica

Dusan Makavejev
Director

Dusan Makavejev
Writer

Critic Reviews for Love Affair; Or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator

All Critics (9) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (9)

You have to be the victim of a certain state of mind to appreciate the humor and truth of Makavejev.

November 6, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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.

February 9, 2006 | Full Review…

Time Out
This is a charming picture, a subtle and sophisticated spoof of organized social education and of the modern-day sex comedy, right up to the point where it goes mawkish and turns into a melodramatic brawl over a pregnancy.

May 21, 2005 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Bosley Crowther
New York Times
It's very funny and, with its ragged arrangement of warring styles and ideologies, very original: it's like a smutty, sticky-fingered Godard.

May 21, 2005 | Full Review…

Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Celebrates the force of sexuality even as it clashes, tragically, with traditional ideology

September 25, 2009 | Full Review…

Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
A tender, sweet, and ultimately very sad film.

November 6, 2007 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

TV Guide
In this, Makavejev's second major film, the Yugoslavian's wry sensibilities about love and communism our laid out with little fanfare or apology.

May 21, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/5

Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
It's Godardian skittishness, Yugoslav style, as director Makavejev tarts up his perfectly tight and serviceable account of love and deception.

May 21, 2005 | Full Review…

Film4 Staff
Film4
It's a jarring and thought-provoking examination of personal tragedy and social commentary.

May 21, 2005 | Rating: 73/100

Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

View All Critic Reviews (9)

Audience Reviews for Love Affair; Or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator

Oct 14, 2011

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.

Eric B Super Reviewer
Feb 09, 2011

"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.

Walter M Super Reviewer