Mikhail Bulgakov's literary masterpiece is given a sharp political treatment     by Aleksandar Petrovic, an important filmmaker of '60s and '70s Yugoslavian      cinema who has been neglected by contemporary film scholars. Ugo Tognazzi        stars as a brilliant playwright who discovers one of his supporters is         actually the Devil, only to be committed to an insane asylum when he tries to  warn people. The film was clearly intended as a metaphor for the persecution   of artists under communism, something that was not lost on government            officials, who attacked the movie and later forced Petrovic to leave his job   at the Belgrade Film Academy, virtually ending his directing career. Also      starring Mimsy Farmer and Alain Cuny. Italian with English subtitles.          Aleksandar Petrovic---Italy/Yugoslavia---1972---98 mins.