ANTE BABAJA (1927-2010) (1)

Reconstruction of Rijeka for specific purposes

Ante Babaja's documentary Jedan dan u Rijeci

When discussing great authors special attention is very often dedicated to their early works in which (possibly) the author’s greatness can already be perceived. The author of this essay analyzes the 1955 documentary (engaged) film A Day in Rijeka (Jedan dan u Rijeci) by Ante Babaja in order to describe contextual, poetical and stylistic mechanisms that were present during its creation – from film conventions to the political norms of the 1950s. Linking the film with Croatian film tradition (Jedan dan u turopoljskoj zadruzi by Drago Chloupek), the author explains the perception of the city as the place of workers that appear in different forms, which is completely in accordance with the period of general modernization and industrialization of Yugoslav society. The link between Babaja’s documentary debut and his later documentaries and feature-length films can be found in the break with the ideological need to present things as they should be, or in the need to introduce double meanings. This is why the city life in A day in Rijeka is presented as a series of lively episodes.

Slaven Zečević