INNOCENCE UNPROTECTED (1968)

From what I can tell (if the story is true) is that back in the 1960's, Yugoslavian director Dusan Makavejev took portions of the unreleased 1941 film INNOCENCE UNPROTECTED (written, starring, produced and directed by strongman/escape artist Dragoljub Aleksic) and cobbled them together with present day interviews with the cast and WWII newsreel footage!  He released the results as INNOCENCE UNPROTECTED (1968).  What a bizarre thing to do, but yet somehow it all comes together beautifully and the end results create a kind of roller coaster effect on the viewer.  One moment you're watching an almost campy 1941 melodrama and then the very next second you are looking at dust covered victims stumbling out of rubble or maybe the actors from the original movie (now 20+ years older) talking about their lives.

This is my third Dusan Makavejev film and so far I only have the utmost respect for his work.  Each film that I've seen (MAN IS NOT A BIRD, LOVE AFFAIR; OR THE CASE OF THE MISSING SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR and now this one) has been unique and totally captivating.  In this film I was really curious about the main guy, Dragoljub Aleksic.  He seemed to be such a fascinating person that I wish there was a full-length documentary just about him!  The vintage footage of him doing all kinds of insane tricks are cool, but then they cut to him 20+ years later and he's still doing them!!!  This guy must have lived a ridiculous life.  Based on the crowds at his earlier performances he appears to have been fairly popular, but then you see him living in a small rundown house (all alone?), clinging to his past glory and it's kind of depressing.  Life truly is strange and fragile.

Recommended for sure.