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Documentary TV series 'Tito – the Last Witnesses of the Testament' of film director Lordan Zafranović is an intimate story about the last witnesses Tito's testament and their lives and Tito's life in 13 episodes each of 56 minutes duration.
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2012
The first episode is the story about Tito's birth, his family, growth, education, first steps into the big world, first military experience at the Russian Front, first great love stories, first important friendships and first battles on the political 'Left' – until 1937. In this episode we meet the oldest Tito's associates, who we will be meeting through 13 episodes – we call them 'The witnesses of the Testament'. For the first time in this episode a very important witness of epochs opens up – Herta Hass, Tito's second wife, who talks about their great love from the first incidental meeting in Paris to their intimate mutual life and illegal activity on the political 'Left' in Zagreb at the time before the World War II. Although at that time Tito lives and works between Wien, Paris, Moscow and Prague, the center of his activity was contemporary Zagreb.
The second episode is about Tito's intriguing, love, political and cultural life in the period of 1936 to 1940. That was the time of illegal functioning of the Communist Party, Tito was in all respects great master and 'professor' of illegal itself. Tito had incredible danger-instinct, he was extremely skilled in avoiding deathrap and looking for new methods illegal activity and protection. Out of witness's declaration we find out, that after his coming out of the prison at the time of the greatest conspiration beside oorganising Party's activity and activity of preparing for forthcoming war of liberation, Tito met and spent time on daily basis with top Croatian artists and intellectuals in dr Silovic's lounge situated in Masarykova street, moreover he was their incontestable authority. As the existent member of lounge he enjoyed protection of Croatian Banus Šilović.
In the third episode the witnesses of Tito's testament speak about the time of Tito's illegal activity of 1940 to 1941. That was the time of 5th World Conference that was taking place in Zagreb completely illegal, the time of military attack in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, many demonstrations, promulgation of Independent State of Croatia, consolidation of Croatian fascist organization's terror, consolidation of Intellectual's and Communist's Resistance Movement, organizing of Party's forceful consolidation under the leadership of Josip Broz, to the final public acclamation and avocation of the people of Yugoslavia to stand up against the enemy. At that time Tito and Herta Hass as a couple live together in their own house around Zagreb, in May 1941 their son Mišo Aleksandar was born, concurrently when Tito was leaving from Zagreb to Belgrade because of armed outbreak that has been started.
In the fourth episode we meet Tito during wartime after the pronouncements of the outbreak in 1941 to the beginning of 1942. We are following egregious action releasing prisoners from Kerestinec prison, the case 'Kupinić', apropos Tito's independence from unconditional obediance to Comintern. The time of famine and extreme poverty accompanies, that follows recruitment of consideration and power inside the partisan's movement. In the occupied State cames into existence the first free territory – Republic of Užice, with lot's of mistakes and misses in organizing partisan's battle. Tito leads unsuccessful negotiations with Chetnik's leader Draža Mihajlović on collectively juxtaposition to the occupant. At the end of the January, 1942 Tito got the second great military battle – that was a storied 'Igmanski marš' (Igman's March), which concurrently brought a huge human victims.
In the fifth episode witnesses of the Testament talk about the time of a big human agony and dramatic war fate in concentration camps of death, in Ustasha prisons, on the battlefield. It's talked about tremendous suffering of young women in prisons, about dying of dear friends, about implementing death penalty in Partizan's forces with the goal of developing and preserving the reputation of partizan's movement. The suffering of children is terrible, from a rough childhood of Tito's second son, a boy who's left alone, without parents; to the stories of mothers that saved, but also buried their own dead children; to the fate of Kozara's children. I'ts also talked about the organization of Partizan's movement in Slovenia, the famous battle at Kozara, the Republic of Bihać, AVNOJ's II. assembly. On his war path, Tito is followed by an attractive assistant Davorijanka, who left her boyfriend (Jovo Kapičić) for Tito. Kapičić was Tito's companion and a friend.
In the sixth episode it's talked about a dramatic war year – 1943, through personal dramas and suffering of the whitnesses of Tito's testament; about facing death and the attempt of suicide of Tito's wife Herta Hass in a women's prison, about her exchange with high rated officer that was lead by Tito's companion Vlado Velebit, according to Tito's order. Tito did everything to save his wife from the prison. It's talked about arresting the Novosel brother and sister, a communists from a rich family from Zagreb and their dramatic fate and death of Ozren Novosel in the most notorious Jasenovac prison; about the horrors of Jasenovac camp, Neretva battle, Sutjesca battle, about a great writer Vladimir Nazor and affectionate care of a great artist, musician Oskar Danone for Vladimir Nazor, about a magnificient concert of a Military orchestra in Otočac.
In the seventh episode in their intimate stories the witnesses of Tito's testament talk about AVNOJ's II. Assembly in Jajce, as of the beginning of creation of the new State Yugoslavia. During the AVNOJ's II. Assembly and parallel bombing a great revolutionary Ivo Lola Ribar dies, Tito and Herta Hass are getting divorced , on the partizan's cultural scene a famous acting with ballerina Mira Sanjina takes place. We find out about passionate 'Shakespeare's' kind of love between Tito and Davorijanka Zdenka Paunović, about storied Drop over Drvar 1944 on Tito's birthday; about dramatic salvation of Tito and Headquarters from Drvar across Italy (Bari) to the island Vis. In August 1944, Tito meets for the first time Churchill in Napoli (Italy), when Tito and his delegation visits Vatican.
In the eighth episode the witnesses talk about activities of 1944 to 1945. Tito stealthily travels to Moscow, where he and Stallin negotiate terminal war operations. The musician and contestant Oskar Danon compose a hymn "Hej Slaveni" for the competition auxiliary in water-polo and swimming, where also acts Tito's partizans. The battles for libaration of Belgrade, Trieste, Sarajevo, Ljubljana, Zagreb and whole Yugoslavia are following. After the capitulation of Germany, in whole Europe comes the time of revenge and liquidation of defeated, often without a court. Defeated German's, Ustasha's, Domobran's, Chetnic's forces and many civilian retrocedes because of the delivery to Britons, but they bring them back to partizans. Anarchic, dramatic situation on the way from Bleiburg to Vojvodina is following, when many of soldiers of defeated armies, war losers and many innocent civilians perish. Mišo Broz finally meets his parents, the mother Herta Hass and the father Tito.
In the ninth episode the witnesses of Tito's testament talk about very difficult years after the war, about complicated political and economic situation, During the liberation of the country there are also political liliquidations and revenges. Because of the enormous drought and negative consequences of compulsory redemption agricultural products to inhabitants, the famine threatens. New State faces defeat of project countrified active cooperatives. From Istria Italians emigrate; over the mountains there are actions of catching bands defeated armies; proceeding of Chetnic leader Draža Mihajlović takes place as also other war criminals; catholic cardinal Stepinac; diplomatic relations with Vatican are suspended.
In the tenth episode the witnesses of Tito's testament talk about the beginnings of strong and comprehensive development of Yugoslavia, that is obviously a distance from the soviet model of political, social and economic development. It's talked about implementation of self-management, dissolution of countrified active cooperatives, enforcement of agrarian reform, the beginning of the development of atomic programme, establishing Zagreb's Trade Fair, Lexicographic Institute; art gets bigger place in society. Tito carefully cares of his family, in 1952 he's getting married with Jovanka. In 1954 Milovan Đilas – Tito's closest associate and companion resigns from the political scene because his articles about necessarity of democratisation of the society. In 1955 Hruščov apologizes because of the Informbiro.
In the eleventh episode the witnesses of the testament talk about particular events, that evidence the most successful period of yugoslav social and economic development; about the year 1965 when ex partisan communist writer and seafarer Joža Horvat visits Tito before his journey in sailing ship around the world; about the year 1966 and Brioni's plenum, where it comes to the dismiss between Tito and Ranković, who was also Tito's closest associate and companion; about the year 1967 and the Declaration of Croatian language. It's talked about the role of great croatian writer Miroslav Krleža in creating movement 'Croatian spring'; about the time of attempts political alternation of generations. In 1968 'Prague Spring' happens. Tito bespeaks to De Gaule his intention of opposition to the Russians. We find out about Tito's role in creating yugoslav cinematography. In 1970 Nixon visits Zagreb.
In the twelfth episode the witnesses of the testament talk about the beginning of the seventies, when there is a shift of liberall and national oriented cadres in Yugoslav Republics, in Croatia – Savka Dabčević, Mika Tripalo and other staff of 'Croatian Spring' movement; in Slovenia Kavčić, in Serbia Latinka Perović, Marko Nikezić and Mirko Tepavac, in Macedonia Krsto Crvenkovski and many others. At the same time the witnesses point to Tito's reputation at the world political scene. Plenty of very important state's visits become reality. In 1974 Germany organizes magnificient welcome to Tito. The witnesses, who are talking are dissidents, political prisoners, convicts. It's talked about art, self-management, weakening Party's authority, critic of one-party system, Confederal Constitution from 1974 that affirms sovereignty of the republics; about promulgation of Tito as perpetual president, as also about the details from Tito's personal and family life.
In the 13th episode the witnesses of the testament talk about the end of the seventies, when Tito has the role of establisher on international stage and the greatest authority of the 'Third World', these enjoys incontestable committes and honour. At the same time he looses the governance in the country, with the goal of army-police establishment, that easily insulates Tito from the real impact on political development in the country as also from the members of his family and his wife Jovanka, from whom he was separated. Old, powerless and ill Tito passed that very badly. The witnesses talk about the death of his associate and friend Edvard Kardelj, that reminded Tito on many associates and friends, who Tito himself during his longterm political and state activity in different ways moved away from his life and presence. The last Tito's contribution to the Non-Aligned Movement is the conference on Kuba. At the end of Tito's life, he was sad and insulated, he died isolated and alone.