My spiritual exercises
petak, 24.02.2017.
INCARNATION OF THE EMPEROR FRANCIS JOSEPH I IS – RADE ŠERBEDŽIJA!
For many of you reading this lines this is big surprise, maybe including even members of Habsburg dynasty, or even Rade himself. So, for you from ex-Yugoslavia wanting of something of domestic scene this is special surprise, I guess. Francis Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia and King of Bohemia is certainly the most outstanding ruler of this part of Europe, and Rade Šerbedžija is one of the most outstanding actors of this part of Europe. As it's visible from the pictures, his wife, theater director Lenka Udovički is the incarnation of the Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria, nicknamed „Sisi“.
For a long time I subconsciously noticed the similarity (they were also born in the same astrological sign of Leo), but only recently, when I saw a small picture of Franz Joseph in my „Enciclopedia universale“, I somehow immedialtelly guessed that Šerbedžija is incarnation of the Emperor, even without comparing their pictures.
In Wikipedia article on Šerbedžija it is stated that in 2000 Šerbedžija founded the Ulysses Theater, together with Borislav Vujčić on Brioni islands.
As I'm native of nearby small town Pula (Pola), it happened that I worked on Brioni in summer of 2001, and met (mostly only in passing) both of them, also with his wife Lenka. It is interesting that the play that they staged in that time, Shakespeare's „King Lear“, in fact has been rearranged so that action occurs not in Middle Ages England, but ...in time of Austro-Hungarian monarchy! Rade actually played himself, the Emperor, same as for example Charles Laughton, who played Henry VIII in movie „The Private Life of Henry VIII“.
Maybe now it's more understandable how he didn't get along with partition of ex-Yugoslavia, similarly as the Emperor Francis Joseph, who rather died than experience the partition of his big empire. I think that somehow deep inside, maybe even on subconcious level, he longs for the Austro-Hungarian empire. As I can remember, he recorded a song, or even the hole album, with Istrian composer Livio Morosin, dealing with that time, and Istrians combatting for the Monarchy WWI.
By some strange twist of fate, Rade Šerbedžija was born in small village near Korenica, some 30 miles from birthplace of Nikola Tesla, and like him, nevertheless achieved worldwide fame.
