Decoding the Dress : Reading features of costume design in films of Emir Kusturica

Abstract: This thesis considers fashion and cinema as crucial embodiments of Yugoslavian culture. As such, it gives a shine to the potential inherent in film costume for the historical analysis of Yugoslavian national identity and its politics. The focus is on the semiotic analysis of costume design in two native films by Emir Kusturica: When Father Was Away on Business and Underground. Social relations are investigated through the lens of a critical theory, with particular interest in questions of gender, violence, and sexuality. Taking the idea from a critical theory - that power constitutes all human relations - this thesis considers dress as a core symbol for performing power in Yugoslavian society.