Whilst looking for info about the Czech New Wave (CNW) title The Cremator,I stumbled upon another "The" CNW movie that I've not heard of before.Making plans for a month of Czech film viewings,I decided that it was the perfect time to hear the joke.
The plot:
Returning to his hometown for the first time in years, Ludvík Jahn meets an attracted women called Helena Zemánková.As things heat up between the couple,Jahn discovers that Helena is actually married to his old enemy Pavel,which leads to Ludvik to think about the events which led to him leaving the area.
Years earlier:
Taken by the appearance of the beautiful (and loyal commie) Markéta,Jahn decides to find out if Markéta can take a joke by sending a satirical Trotsky postcard (!).Showing how much of a joke she can take, Markéta and Jahn's pal Pavel give the postcard over to the secret police,who send Jahn for 6 years of "re-education",which leads to Jahn in the present deciding that it is time he shares a joke with Pavel.
View on the film:
Banned for 20 years after coming out just after the Warsaw Pact invasion of the country took place,co-writer/(along with Zdenek Bláha & Milan Kundera) delivers a damming indictment against the Soviet Union,by jaggedly counting revolutionary songs being sung with an unflinching eye towards the dehumanisation process taking place in the "re-education" centres.Inspired by Film Noir, Jires locks the rawness of CNW with Film Noir stylisation,which allows the viewer to dig into Jahn fractured mind with extended first person tracking shots the pour out all of Jahn's hidden feelings.
Adapting the novel which would lead to its writer (and co- screenwriter) Milan Kundera leaving the country a few years later,the writers brilliantly knot a Film Noir offering of hope with bitter jet-black comedic edges.Given Jahn (played by a terrific Josef Somr) a wry,cynical smile,the writers brilliantly smash the loner Jahn against people with the stubborn belief of defending their cause,no matter how minor/non-existent the issue is. Enchanting Helena (played by an alluring Jana Dítetová) to get his revenge on Pavel,the writers tear open a Film Noir vein with a venomous punchline,as Pavel shares a joke with Jahn.
The plot:
Returning to his hometown for the first time in years, Ludvík Jahn meets an attracted women called Helena Zemánková.As things heat up between the couple,Jahn discovers that Helena is actually married to his old enemy Pavel,which leads to Ludvik to think about the events which led to him leaving the area.
Years earlier:
Taken by the appearance of the beautiful (and loyal commie) Markéta,Jahn decides to find out if Markéta can take a joke by sending a satirical Trotsky postcard (!).Showing how much of a joke she can take, Markéta and Jahn's pal Pavel give the postcard over to the secret police,who send Jahn for 6 years of "re-education",which leads to Jahn in the present deciding that it is time he shares a joke with Pavel.
View on the film:
Banned for 20 years after coming out just after the Warsaw Pact invasion of the country took place,co-writer/(along with Zdenek Bláha & Milan Kundera) delivers a damming indictment against the Soviet Union,by jaggedly counting revolutionary songs being sung with an unflinching eye towards the dehumanisation process taking place in the "re-education" centres.Inspired by Film Noir, Jires locks the rawness of CNW with Film Noir stylisation,which allows the viewer to dig into Jahn fractured mind with extended first person tracking shots the pour out all of Jahn's hidden feelings.
Adapting the novel which would lead to its writer (and co- screenwriter) Milan Kundera leaving the country a few years later,the writers brilliantly knot a Film Noir offering of hope with bitter jet-black comedic edges.Given Jahn (played by a terrific Josef Somr) a wry,cynical smile,the writers brilliantly smash the loner Jahn against people with the stubborn belief of defending their cause,no matter how minor/non-existent the issue is. Enchanting Helena (played by an alluring Jana Dítetová) to get his revenge on Pavel,the writers tear open a Film Noir vein with a venomous punchline,as Pavel shares a joke with Jahn.