Czech

  • Jan Svankmajer – Muzné hry AKA Virile Games (1988)

    1981-1990AnimationCzech RepublicJan SvankmajerShort Film

    A man sits down to watch a football match, which seems to consist of the players being violently mutilated in various inventive ways. The players then leave the football pitch and invade the spectator’s flat…Read More »

  • Miroslav Krobot – Díra u Hanusovic (2014)

    2011-2020Czech RepublicDramaMiroslav Krobot

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    When she’s not serving regulars in a pub in a sleepy northern Moravian village, thirtysomething Maruna spends time with indecisive mayor Jura, soft-hearted outsider Olin and philandering roofer Kódl. Or she fights with her domineering mother, who is more inclined towards sister Jaruna, the one who gets the chance to leave this godforsaken place. Lightened with a touch of black humor, Krobot’s laconic village drama develops from a superb script, whose authors drew on their familiarity with the people and the region that made their protagonists who they are. Particularly today, when the word “waiting” is perceived entirely negatively, Krobot’s heroes, quite happy to continue living a fairly humdrum existence, might appear to have come from another planet. A powerful element of the film, gradually and carefully built into the plot, is the human respect which Krobot, aided by leading Czech actors, is able to convey to his audience. Somewhere in Moravia betrays a certain affinity with the work of the Czech literary classics, the Mrštík brothers, and with the absurd dramas of the 1960s.Read More »

  • Karel Kachyna – Láska (1973)

    1971-1980Czech RepublicDramaKarel KachynaRomance

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    Quote:
    Své milostné okouzlení prožívají nejen mladičtí hrdinové filmu šestnáctiletý Petr a stejně stará dívka Andrea, ale i jejich rodiče, kteří se po letech znovu setkali. Rádoby poetické ladění je však místy násilné stejně jako střídání barvy s černobílými pasážemi. Láska patří mezi Kachyňova normalizační díla, která postrádají osobitost, nahrazuje ji křečovitou stylizací, která postihuje všechny složky filmu.Read More »

  • Jan Svankmajer – Tma/Svetlo/Tma AKA Darkness Light Darkness (1990)

    1981-1990AnimationCzech RepublicJan SvankmajerShort Film

     Jan Svankmajer   Flora (1989)

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    A human body gradually reconstructs itself as its various component parts crowd themselves into a small room and eventually, after much experimentation, sort out which part goes where.Read More »

  • Jan Nemec – Mucedníci lásky aka Martyrs of Love (1966)

    1961-1970ComedyCzech RepublicExperimentalJan Nemec

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    Another brilliant outing from Czech New Wave master Jan Nemec, director of Diamonds of the Night and The Party and the Guests.

    Martyrs of Love is in 3 distinct sections, separated by title cards, connected thematically and formally rather than concretely. Music is probably the most important connection, as all three sections have prominent musical events.Read More »

  • Jan Svankmajer – Dimensions of Dialogue (1983)

    1981-1990AnimationCzech RepublicJan SvankmajerShort Film

    A three-part depiction of various forms of communication. ‘Factual Discussion’ depicts three heads (made up of fruit, kitchen utensils and writing implements respectively) endlessly devouring and regurgitating each other. ‘Passionate Discourse’ shows two clay figures romantically intertwined, and the problems with dealing with the end product of their passion, while ‘Exhaustive Discussion’ shows two animated heads playing a bizarre variant of the old scissors-paper-stone game.Read More »

  • Frantisek Vlácil – Adelheid (1970)

    1961-1970ArthouseCzech RepublicDramaFrantisek Vlácil

    The first colour film by Czech master director František Vlácil ADELHEID is an emotional tale of two lovers trapped in the march of history.

    In the aftermath of WWII, a Czech airman returns home from his tour of duty with the British RAF, intending to claim a German factory located in the Sudetenland along the Czech-German border. There he meets the beautiful Adelheid, the former owner’s daughter who once lived in the estate but is now reduced to servitude. The Czech airman falls in love with Adelheid, but lingering resentment and bitter political strife stand in the way of their happiness. (-Second Run)Read More »

  • Wiktor Grodecki – Mandragora (1997)

    Drama1991-2000Czech RepublicExploitationQueer Cinema(s)Wiktor Grodecki

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    Synopsis:
    Marek is a 16-year-old from a provicial village who runs away to Prague when he begins to fail at school. He mugged shortly after arriving in the city and is rescued by Honza with the promise of work. Marek is taken to an apartment, drugged, and becomes a male prostitute. He is a bit smarter that his collegues and teams up with a friend, David, in order to go after bigger scores–to cash in and get out. They manage to stash away a bit of money, but when it comes time to return home, Marek loses his nerve and is soon back in the city.Read More »

  • Agnieszka Holland – Hori­ci ker AKA Burning Bush (2013)

    2011-2020Agnieszka HollandCzech RepublicDrama

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    Burning Bush is a three-part mini-series created for HBO by world-renowned Polish director Agnieszka Holland. Based on real characters and events, this haunting drama focuses on the personal sacrifice of a Prague history student, Jan Palach, who set himself on fire in protest against the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1969. Dagmar Buresová, a young female lawyer, became part of his legacy by defending Jan’s family in a trial against the communist government, a regime which tried to dishonour Palach’s sacrifice, a heroic action for the freedom of Czechoslovakia.
    ( HBO Europe)
    Read More »

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