Priatelia archívneho filmu,
dominantou májového programu FILMOTÉKY je veľká retrospektíva Storočnica Jána Kadára. Kadár, doposiaľ jediný slovenský režisér, ktorý získal Oscara, sa narodil 1. apríla 1918 a umrel 1. júna 1979. Filmovej tvorbe sa začal venovať hneď po skončení 2. svetovej vojny. Začínal ako tvorca krátkometrážnych dokumentárnych filmov (Na troskách vyrastá život..., strihové dokumenty o fašistických zločinoch z obdobia vojnovej Slovenskej republiky Sú osobne zodpovední za zločiny proti ľudskosti! a Sú osobne zodpovední za zradu na Slovenskom národnom povstaní!). Jeho dlhometrážny hraný debut bola veselohra Katka (1949) o dedinskom dievčati, ktoré zbiera životné skúsenosti vo veľkej továrni. Od filmu Únos (1952) spolupracoval Kadár s českým režisérom Elmarom Klosom a vo filmovom štúdiu na Barrandove vytvorili dovedna osem filmov. Okrem už spomenutého Únosu to boli filmy Hudba z Marsu (1955), Tam na konečné (1957), Tři přání (1958), Smrt si říká Engelchen (1963), Obžalovaný (1964), Obchod na korze (1965) a Túžba zvaná Anada (1969). Najúspešnejším filmom dvojice je bezpochyby Obchod na korze ocenený Oscarom za najlepší cudzojazyčný film v roku 1966. Poľská herečka židovského pôvodu Ida Kamińska bola za rolu pani Lautmanovej v tomto filme o rok neskôr (1967) nominovaná na Oscara v hlavnej ženskej hereckej kategórii (cenu napokon získala Elizabeth Taylorová za film Kto sa bojí Virginie Woolfovej?) a získala za ňu zvláštne uznanie na festivale v Cannes (spolu s Jozefom Kronerom, 1965). Kadár žil od roku 1968 v Spojených štátoch amerických, kde sa naďalej venoval filmovej a televíznej tvorbe. V roku 1970 vznikol film Anjel Levine a v roku 1975 v Kanade film Čo mi otec naklamal ocenený Zlatým glóbusom za najlepší cudzojazyčný film. Vo FILMOTÉKE budete mať v máji možnosť vidieť kompletnú Kadárovu filmovú tvorbu pre kiná.
V máji sa dožíva 80 rokov český scenárista a dramaturg Lubor Dohnal, ktorý v druhej polovici 60. rokov 20. storočia intenzívne spolupracoval so slovenskými tvorcami – predovšetkým s Elom Havettom a Jurajom Jakubiskom. Keďže ich filmy sú pravidelnou súčasťou programu FILMOTÉKY (Havettovu Slávnosť v botanickej záhrade a Jakubiskove Kristove roky sme uvádzali minulý mesiac), rozhodli sme sa do programu zaradiť filmy Petrolejové lampy Juraja Herza (1971; adaptácia rovnomenného románu Jaroslava Havlíčka) a Archa bláznov, na ktorých sa Dohnal podieľal ako scenárista. Počas príprav májového bulletinu nás zasiahla smutná správa o úmrtí Juraja Herza (8. apríla 2018). Projekciou filmu Petrolejové lampy zároveň vzdávame hold tomuto významnému filmárovi, ktorý zásadnou mierou prispel k zvýšeniu renomé českej a slovenskej kinematografie doma i v zahraničí.
6. mája by sa dožil 90 rokov kameraman Vincent Rosinec. Pri tejto príležitosti premietneme dva filmy z jeho filmografie: Zvony pre bosých Stanislava Barabáša a Kým sa skončí táto noc Petra Solana. Dva celkom odlišné filmy (prvý rozpráva príbeh z obdobia SNP odohrávajúci sa vo veľkej miere v exteriéroch zasnežených hôr a druhý zobrazuje eskapády dvoch záletníkov počas jednej noci v hotelovom bare) ukazujú variabilitu Rosincovho kameramanského umenia.
V máji si pripomenieme aj 90. narodeniny francúzskej režisérky, scenáristky a strihačky Agnès Vardovej (nar. 30. 5. 1928). Vardová debutovala v období francúzskej novej vlny dlhometrážnym hraným filmom Cleo od piatej do siedmej (1961). Z roku 1985 je jej film s ďalšou výraznou ženskou protagonistkou Bez strechy a bez zákona. Vardová je dodnes aktívna, v roku 2017 dokončila spolu s režisérom známym ako JR dokument Visages villages (v doslovnom preklade Tváre dediny), ktorý bol v úzkej nominácii na Oscara pre najlepší dlhometrážny dokument.
Pri príležitosti nedožitých 90. narodenín talianskeho režiséra a scenáristu Marca Ferreriho (11. 5. 1928 – 9. 5. 1997) uvedieme jeho provokatívnu a vo svojej dobe aj kontroverznú či priam škandalóznu čierno-humornú a satirickú Veľkú žranicu. Premietneme aj Ferreriho raný film Včelia kráľovná z roku 1963. Protagonistkou príbehu (Regina) bola herečka Marina Vladyová, ktorá 10. mája oslávi 80. narodeniny. Za svoj výkon získala v roku 1963 na festivale v Cannes cenu pre najlepšiu herečku.
Vo FILMOTÉKE si pripomíname aj májové udalosti roku 1968, respektíve ich ohlas v kinematografii. Pri tejto príležitosti sme zostavili špecifický dvojprogram v rámci cyklu Double Bill s podtitulom Němcov československý máj 1968. V rámci neho uvedieme dva filmy Jana Němca – O slavnosti a hostech a Vlk z Královských Vinohrad. Chceme tak reflektovať súvislosti československej kinematografie v širšom kontexte dobových udalostí v zahraničí.
Vo FILMOTÉKE uvedieme aj film Oliviera Assayasa Čosi je vo vzduchu (doslovný preklad originálneho názvu filmu Après Mai by znel Po máji). Dej filmu sa odohráva začiatkom 70. rokov a zachytáva dospievanie mladej generácie v atmosfére po máji.
Nezávislá sekcia festivalu v Cannes Quinzaine des realisatéurs, ktorej cieľom je predstavovať tvorbu menej známych režisérov, bola založená v roku 1969 pod vplyvom májových udalostí predošlého roka. Vo FILMOTÉKE uvedieme tri československé filmy, ktoré boli uvedené v rámci prvého ročníka tejto sekcie: Marketu Lazarovú Františka Vláčila, Nejkrásnější věk Jaroslava Papouška a Pět holek na krku Evalda Schorma.
Týždenníky pre cyklus Očami filmových spravodajcov vybral na máj dramaturg a režisér Milan Černák. Autora výberu TOP filmové žurnály podľa Milana Černáka predstaví profesor Rudolf Urc, zostavovateľ cyklu. Filmová historička Eva Filová pripravila na máj ďalšie vydanie cyklu Kraťasy z archívu: Kino Čas, pričom sa zamerala na filmy o slovenskom umení, historických pamiatkach a pamiatkovej starostlivosti.
Priatelia, dúfame, že si z nášho májového programu vyberiete. Dovidenia v prítmí kinosály!
A 40 years old man, Alfonso, finally succeeds to marry a virgin, educate, beautiful and very catholic woman. But soon she, Regina, starts stressing him because she wants to be pregnant. When the stress is at its peak Regina at last gets pregnant. Once the goal is reached the man is put aside and dies. Show more
A group of men go to a villa in the French countryside where they resolve to eat themselves to death. Show more
Filmed on the set of director Ján Kadár’s touching, acclaimed feature film “Lies My Father Told Me”, “Lies” thrusts the viewer directly into the creative process of dramatic moviemaking. Along with Kadár, whose “The Shop On Main Street” won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, we experience first-hand the frustrations and joys of rehearsal and shooting. We watch, without the usual intermediary narrator, as Kadár works tirelessly with his team of actors, writer, producer, cinematographer, technicians and assistants on several emotionally charged scenes. Kadár builds each one “brick by brick”; then we see the elements come together in the finished product. Interviews with the filmmakers are interwoven with on-set footage, giving us fresh insights into how a dramatic movie is made. Show more
A comedy about a young country girl and her new life experiences in a large factory. She is gradually getting used to her new working environment with new colleagues. The naive country girl grows up into a young woman with new ideals. Show more
A film examining the feelings of different people spending the night in a fancy night club. It is a story of two young administrative workers saving their money throughout the year to spend a few carefree days; two plumbers seeking erotic pleasure; a construction-site manager embezzling the wages of all his team; an unacknowledged inventor and a former major of the British Army who becomes alcohol-addict due to the political oppression of the post-war period.
The destructive power of the last few weeks of war hangs in the air, illustrated by the story of two partisans returning to their unit after a battle while holding captive a 16-year-old German soldier. Wandering around the snow-covered hills, left to their own devices, and trapped in an absurd, existentialist vicious circle, they face both the harsh environment and their own selves. Their future looks grim. Yet midway through the film, events are disrupted by a woman whose last hope of finding happiness in life was crushed by the war. The impression that the film leaves had been accurately reflected in its intended name – Waiting for Death. With a free composition, sentimentally-philosophical poetics, and the metaphorizing photography of Vincent Rosinec, the ballad explores the value of friendship, bravery, and premature masculinity, and contemplates the very meaning of human existence. Show more
Paris in the early 70's. Gilles, a young high school student, is taken in by the political and creative turmoil of the times. Much like his friends, he is torn between his radical commitment and his personal ambitions. Through romantic encounters and artistic discoveries, Gilles and his friends' journeys take them to Italy and then London. Further down the line, they will have to make definitive choices in order to find their place in these turbulent times. Show more
Expert engineer Prokop and deputy Horvát can't reach an agreement over the plans for the forthcoming construction works in the big industrial plant in Ostrava. Their disagreement should be solved at the Ministry and they both fly to Prague for this reason. At this time, Prokop's assistant Šimáček gets arrested. Nobody suspected that he was an American spy. The plane is filled with people. Only two crew members, Grábner and Král, and three passengers - Grábner's wife, Řezníček and Rychman, know that the plane won't land in Prague. Hijackers are taking over the plane and landing it at the American army airport near Munich. The American officials soon realize that most of the passengers won't ask for asylum but want to go back to their country. The original plan was to seize the plane with different passengers, but the arrested Šimáček didn't pick up the tickets and they were finally put back on sale. Engineer Prokop refuses to collaborate with the American spies. The valuable industrial plans are destroyed in secret by his fellow-travellers. Deputy Horvat also refuses to betray his country. He manages to escape after an interrogation and, with the help of German anti-fascists and the Czechoslovak consul, manages to get the kidnapped Czechoslovak citizens back to their country. Show more
After years of political agitation, Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Liebknecht, and Leo Jogiches form a revolutionary German party, the Spartacists. Show more
Étude based on the screenplay of the film with the same title (directed by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, 1952). Hanka has a quarrel with Josef and he pushes her into a cupboard, locks her there, and continues with the fight. The man who comes into the room with a helicon thinks that Josef, who is talking to the closed cupboard door, is not quite sane. After Josef leaves, the man understands everything and lets Hanka out. Show more
A group of eight people is invited to a party held by an unspecified celebrity. The celebration begins as a "royal party" at a lakeside but the good mood of the host is soon spoiled by a "refuge of one of the guests". The rest of the guests take a hunting dog and start looking for the refugee who disobeyed social rules and via that also the structure of mutal collaboration, debt and deadness. Show more
One of the most original personalities of Czech film – the director Jan Němec (1936 – 2016) – delivers a honest and bold tale. His last movie is loosely based on the author’s book of short stories Don’t Shake Hands with the Waiter. The center point of the story are the events of 1968 and the journey of John Jan (the pseudonym of Jan Němec) to the Cannes Festival, where an opportunity of winning the Palme d’Or was presented to three representatives of the Czech New Wave. However, under the influence of the revolutionary student disturbances, leftist French filmmakers led by Jean-Luc Godard prematurely ended the festival competition. Afterwards, the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 dealt the final blow to Němecʼs promising international career. What followed was a complicated journey to exile and a glorious return after the Velvet Revolution. – The film received the Special Jury Prize at the 51st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Show more
Czech filmmakers have several times been galvanised by the writings of Jaroslav Havlíček. The result in most cases was a film that merged the quality of the literary template and the personality of the particular filmmaker, whether it be Barbora Hlavsová (1942) directed by Martin Frič, Prokletí domu Hajnů (The Curse of the Hajns’ House, 1988) directed by Jiří Svoboda, or Jaromil Jireš’s Helimadoe (1992). However, the most famous adaptation of a Havlíček novel is the psychological drama Petrolejové lampy (Oil Lamps). The film is based on an eponymous novel first published in 1935 as Vyprahlé touhy (Parched Desires) and released again in 1944 following revisions and a change of title. The motion picture was made in 1971 according to a screenplay from Lubor Dohnal, Václav Šašek and Juraj Herz, the last of whom also directed the film. The director, who achieved fame in the 1960s with his excellent drama Spalovač mrtvol (The Cremator, 1968), made Petrolejové lampy into an expressive account of unfulfilled female desires. The main protagonist of the film, set in the early 20th century, is wealthy thirtysomething Štěpa Kiliánová, whose liberalism makes it difficult for her to find a suitor among her social circles in a small town. She ends up marrying her worldly cousin Pavel for whom she harbours a naïve admiration despite knowing that he is merely interested in the dowry. It is only after the wedding that Štěpa finds out that her husband suffers from syphilis. She’s now not only unable to have children, she’s also to suffer her husband’s physical and mental decline… The role of Štěpa was delivered by Iva Janžurová, 30 at the time, in one of her stand-out performances. Janžurová also starred in the main double role in Herz’s romantic drama Morgiana (1972). The actress found a worthy counterpart in Petr Čepek who performed Pavel as an impressive study of the devastation of a conquering, elegant manhood. In 2006, Herz directed a theatrical performance of Petrolejové lampy on the stage of Prague theatre Na Jezerce with Bára Hrzánová and Radek Holub in the two leading roles. In 2013, Radim Špaček and David Jařab recorded a theatrical performance of Petrolejové lampy, which Jařab staged with the Prague Chamber Theatre. The stars on this occasion were Karel Roden and Ivana Uhlířová. Show more
Tenants of the house Na Smyčce, next to the tram terminal, are living their everyday lives. The student Olina is becoming close with Martinec, who recently started subletting at the Kovandas, a childless married couple. An old lady, Mrs Malá, is looking after little Hanička after her daughter's death, for the girl's father is a drunk, incapable of looking after the child. Maruna, whose husband is in prison, is reserved and not very friendly. Olina is happy with Martinec until she becomes pregnant. Then it becomes clear that Martinec is a superficial man, trying to persuade Olina that she should have an abortion. But she comes to her senses at the last moment and decides to become a single mother. Martinec moves out. Mrs Malá dies suddenly. The Kovanda couple gladly takes Hanička to live with them. They have to let her stay with her father Pešta for a short while. But after he loses her Hanička comes back to the Kovandas. On New Year's Eve, tenants are wishing each others all the best. Olina spends the evening with the deserted Maruna. Around midnight, Pešta brings Hanička a doll he promised her long ago. But the stop has been moved, and Pešta has to take a tram back. Through the frosty window of the tram he looks at the house Na Smyčce in which people live in joy and in sorrow. Show more
Documentary slovak films from 1957 – 1990. Show more
Lawyer Petr Holeček often has disputes with his wife Věra. They both have low salaries and forever struggle with a lack of money. After all, Věra loves to dress up! One day, Petr gives a seat to a tiny old man who, in return for this kindness, offers him a little silver bell which will fulfil three wishes. The first two wishes, which the suspicious Petr makes just to test the bell, are fulfilled. Petr's third wish is a peaceful life with Věra. And so the magic bell arranges a new apartment, modern furniture, car and a promotion at work. Ill-tempered Petr has a quarrel with the secretary and his manager sends him on health-leave. Petr and Věra rest by the lake Máchovo and, in the evenings, watch fashion shows on TV with their friends. Petr's friend Karel joins a competition with an improved design which could markedly lower the price of the dress model on show. He also says something about the necessity to save in the right places. The next day they want to kick him out of the establishment. Petr wants to help Karel so he calls the old man once more. The old man promises to help but on one condition: Peter must speak up for his friend in public and run the risk of losing everything he got by magic. The old man vanishes, however, the small silver bell remains on the table. With rapt attention, the family follows how Peter will make up his mind... Show more
The only film made by Slovak director Ivan Balaďa for the silver screen is an allegory, usually listed under its abbreviated title of Archa bláznů (Ark of Fools). A native of Bratislava, Balaďa made numerous documentaries and feature films for TV (such as Smrť sa volá Engelchen [Death is Called Engelchen, 1963], Tri gaštanové kone [Three Bay Horses, 1967], Oči plne snehu [Eyes Full of Snow, 1983] and the three-part drama Biela voči oblohe [White against the Sky, 1986]). He also made a fairytale TV film O živé vodě (On the Water of Life, 1987) and a TV miniseries Největší z Pierotů (The Greatest of Pierrots) which was inspired by František Kožík’s novel of the same name and aired in 1990. Archa bláznů (Ark of Fools) also stands out among Balaďa’s works for exactly the wrong reason; it halted his career as a cinema director for good. Loosely based on the short allegorical story Ward No. 6 by Anton Chekhov (1892), with a screenplay penned by Lubor Dohnal, the film was a too thinly veiled caricature of contemporary politics, despite its adherence to the book’s original time-frame and setting. The making of the film was halted in 1970 and the film material was not restored until 20 years later. Although Archa bláznů was completed along the lines of the original concept, the author’s satisfaction would never be complete. Chekhov’s allegory tells the story of senior medical officer Andrey Ragin who attempts to transform a dilapidated psychiatric ward that has been entrusted to his care. However, he is largely unable to help his patients and beyond that his own demeanour raises suspicions that he is mentally ill himself. Ragin therefore ends up among his patients and dies before he can carry through his ideas of liberty and equality. A sensitive man of conscience thus finds himself at the receiving end of persecution by a totalitarian society… The lead role of Ragin in the film was assumed by the now almost forgotten actor Zlatomír Vacek while the patient Gromov was played by then 24-year-old folk singer Vladimír Merta. Show more
This psychological drama was adapted for the screen in 1963 by co-writer-directors Elmar Klos and Ján Kadár. It is based on a 1959 autobiographical novel by Slovak author Ladislav Mňačko. The project overshadowed a previous 1960 Slovak television adaptation directed by Ivan Balaďa, and starring Ivan Mistrík. Set at the end of World War II, young partisan Pavel (Jan Kačer) is seriously injured. While lying in hospital, he thinks back over the preceding months of drama and turmoil. Kačer offers a convincing performance, adding dimensions of self-doubt and guilt to the ostensibly heroic fighter. Much of Pavel’s guilt stems from the fact that a SS unit headed by Nazi officer Engelchen has liquidated the inhabitants of two mountain villages for helping partisan forces. The film explores a number of complex moral questions, not just through the eyes of Pavel, but also through his love interest Marta (Eva Poláková). Show more
Filmová historie, která je základem mého ohlédnutí, má dva opěrné body, o nichž bylo už mnohé řečeno, ale k nimž se s potěšením vracím. A těmi jsou dvě osobnosti: režisér Ján Kadár (1918 – 1979) a scenárista Vratislav Blažek (1925 – 1973). Blažek byl poválečným českým dramatikem, jehož hry Král nerad hovězí (1947) a Kde je Kuťák? (1948) uvedlo s úspěchem, ale také s poněkud problematickým koncem Divadlo satiry. Blažek se totiž stal prvním zakázaným autorem nové éry, směřující „k lepším zítřkům“. Ale protože všechno souvisí se vším, měl jako rozený hráč při vší smůle štěstí a byl přizván ke spolupráci s tvůrčí skupinou Elmara Klose. Mezi filmaři poznal Bořivoje Zemana, Miloše Makovce a především Jána Kadára. Pro Blažka tak nastal čas, kdy mohl uplatnit nejen svébytný smysl pro humor, ale i svébytnou poetiku, s níž psal divadelní i rozhlasové hry a později i filmové scénáře. Jedním z atributů jeho díla byly „zázraky“ a „nadpřirozené postavy“, které se objevovaly v jeho hrách opakovaně – od Kuťáka přes Tři přání až po poslední hru Gabriel, uvedenou německou televizí několik dní po jeho smrti. Jako „pohádky pro dospělé“ lze do jisté míry označit všechny tři filmy, o nichž bude v mém referátu řeč a na kterých Blažek spolupracoval s Jánem Kadárem a Elmarem Klosem: Katka, Hudba z Marsu a Tři přání. Dalším Blažkovým charakteristickým rysem byla neslábnoucí vazba na divadlo – konkrétně Divadlo satiry a Městská divadla pražská, jak doložím. V závěru se s vámi podělím o vzpomínky dcery Vratislava Blažka, Hany T. Semerad, která žije v Kanadě a s Jánem Kadárem, jehož znala od dětství, pracovala v Montrealu jako asistentka při natáčení filmu Co mi otec nalhal (1975). Co znamenal pro Vratislava Blažka Ján Kadár a pro Jána Kadára Vratislav Blažek lze vyčíst nejlépe z jejich vlastních slov. Emigrace je rozdělila i spojila. Jejich dílo zůstalo.
Marie Valtrová
Marie Valtrová (1949) absolvovala divadelnú a filmovú vedu na FFUK. V roku 1998 vydala knižku Vratislav Blažek – hráč před Bohem a lidmi, v ktorej predstavuje Blažka ako dramatika, scenáristu, kresliara a umelca s neprekonateľným darom humoru. Show more
In Paris in the 1920s, a concert violinist meets and falls in love with a stylish young flapper who's the wife of an old friend. Romaine instigates the affair with Marcel, and carries it forward even as her husband, Pierre, falls ill. She may even be purposely giving Pierre a treatment that adds to his misery. After Marcel returns from a concert tour and Romaine stoops to a new low in abandoning Pierre for an assignation, she reconsiders the affair and takes a drastic step. Three years later, Pierre pays Marcel a visit to demand the truth. Will the jealous and aggrieved Marcel manage a convincing performance? Show more
Cleo, a singer and hypochondriac, becomes increasingly worried that she might have cancer while awaiting test results from her doctor. Show more
Slovak documentary movies from 1963 – 1989. Show more
In the first half of the 1960s, Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos made their socially most significant cinematic works. These included the WWII dramas Smrt si říká Engelchen (Death Is Called Engelchen) and Obchod na korze (The Shop on Main Street) as well as Obžalovaný, a psychological drama set in the period the film was made. The two directors recast the socialism-building dimension of the original novel by Lenka Hašková into a disturbing testimony on the reality of socialism – which in 1969 was irrevocably doomed to end under the censor’s lock and key. The protagonist of this story set in a courtroom is Kudrna, a hard-working honourable director of a hydroelectric power station. Under pressure from his superiors, he has made the greatest possible effort to put the new hydro plant into operation as soon as possible. His subordinates, however, have taken this as an opportunity to steal assets, resulting in one employee hanging himself. The innocent Kudrna’s trial reveals the abuse of law and how the ruling party and the justice system are interwoven... Shining in the title role of this excellently conceived film is the then not very well known Slovak actor Vlado Müller. Kudrna’s lawyer is performed by the emerging Jiří Menzel and the public prosecutor is played by an excelling Miroslav Macháček. Show more
Slovakia during WW2. Tono lives a poor life, but the authorities offer him to take over the Jewish widow Lautman's little shop for sewing material. She is old and confused and thinks that he is only looking for employment and hires him. The odd couple begin to like each other. But some time later the authorities decide that the Jews must leave the city. What should he do with the old lady? (source: imdb) Show more
After the Oscar-winning Obchod na korze (The Shop on Main Street, 1965), directors Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos made only one more film together, a poetic romance set in the Slovak-Hungarian borderlands in the 1920s. Touha zvaná Anada (Desire Named Anada, 1971) was a Czech-American coproduction that presaged Ján Kadár’s emigration to the USA. The story, inspired by a novella by the Hungarian writer Imre Gyöngyössy, takes place in an attractive and intimate setting on the banks of the River Danube. One day, the river washes up a half-drowned girl who is taken into the care of the fisherman Jánoš Gabay and his spouse Zuzka. Soon Jánoš begins to fall in love with the mysterious stranger… An enigmatic drama of cause and effect, the film combines a poetic narrative about a love triangle with a morality tale about passion and responsibility. Yugoslavians Rade Markovič (Jánoš) and Milena Dravić (Zuzka) played the leading pair alongside American actress Paula Pritchett as Anada. Show more
Actress Andrea Čunderlíková gained her first major acting role thanks to the efforts of director Evald Schorm. This key representative of the Czechoslovak New Wave cast the 15-year-old actress to play the lead in this 1967 psychological drama. The protagonist of the story, inspired by a novel from author Iva Hercíková, is 14-year-old Nataša, the daughter of a small town functionary. At school, many classmates abuse the goodwill of this timid girl. When Nataša falls madly in love with new classmate Petr, classmates Jiřina, Jana, Zdena and Libuše carry out a humiliating act to land her with a heavy taste of reality. Nataša shakes-off her shyness and decides to fight back, cold-bloodedly using her father’s official influence in the process. The film, by no means merely intended for young audiences, is notable for its portrayal of the moral transformation of a naive young girl into a bitter manipulator straight out of the German opera Der Freischütz (The Marksman) – excerpts from which are directly cut into the film. Show more
Two families are sworn enemies and they only make peace when their children fall in love and die a violent death. The film is set in the old times when there still was a conflict between paganism and Christianity, and when people behaved in such a way that it was hard to distinguish love from hate and good from evil. >kinoaero.cz Show more
Short slovak documentary movies from 1965 – 1982. Show more
A rural farmer is forced to confront the mortality of his faithful horse. Show more
Jaroslav Papoušek is a famous screenwriter of the 1960s Czechoslovak New Wave. Together with Ivan Passer, he wrote several of Miloš Forman’s films, as well as the screenplay for Passer’s remarkable directing debut, Intimní osvětlení (Intimate Lighting, 1965). Papoušek made his own directing debut with Nejkrásnější věk (The Most Beautiful Age, 1968, released in February 1969). Unfortunately, in the aftermath of Jan Palach’s tragic self-immolation, the apolitical bitter comedy largely fizzled out, overshadowed by other works of the popular trio, as well as Papoušek’s other films, especially the popular Homolka family trilogy (1969–1972). In Nejkrásnější věk, Papoušek’s favorite theme of fragile everyday life is “elevated” by its academic setting. The simple, episodic story takes place in the sculptor’s studio at the Art Academy. Vladimír Šmeral stars as the old professor whose students are learning to work with live models. First they try to portray the aged pensioner Hanzlík, who promptly falls asleep; work with the beautiful Mrs Vránová is disrupted by her jealous husband, dead set against her posing in the nude; the jovial coalman Vošta is chosen as an ideal model of an injured fighter. As an Art Academy graduate, Papoušek draws from his own experience. In form and style, the film owes much to Forman’s early films, especially Černý Petr (Black Peter, AKA Peter and Paula, 1963), which was actually based on Papoušek’s novel. Papoušek, who had also worked as Forman’s assistant director, had even engaged some of Forman’s famous non-actors (Josef Šebánek, Milada Ježková and Jan Stöckl). Ladislav Jakim and Věra Křesadlová (known for Forman’s Konkurs [Talent Competition, 1964] and Passer’s Intimate Lighting) star as students. Hana Brejchová, famed for her performance as the “blonde” in Forman’s Lásky jedné plavovlásky (Loves of a Blonde, 1965), plays the beautiful amateur model. Show more
Morris Mishkin is a elderly religious Jew in New York. His wife Fanny is very ill. He's a tailor, but he can't work because his back has given out. He doesn't even have enough money for Fanny's medicine. Finally, a black fellow appears from nowhere in the Mishkin kitchen. He says he's an angel from God, sent to help Mishkin. The black angel is even Jewish, named Alex Levine? But will Morris believe in the angel? And can the angel perform the miracle that he promises? Show more
