Czech New Wave

 My film festival choices for this month centered around films from the 1960s from then Czechoslovakia.  Many of these films spent time with ordinary people and their daily struggles, as opposed to films that more or less toed the party line, making things seem just a bit more wonderful than they actually were.  Inspired by post war Italian movies, several brave directors unleashed more truth about their country in just a few years than in the previous decades.  Some are hard to view because of the subject matter.  In addition to breaking new ground politically and socially, these films were also firmly entrenched in avant garde film techniques, such as long dolly shots, flashbacks, multiple solutions to a problem, making it difficult to find out exactly what is going on.  They are mostly b & w films.  Criterion currently has 34 of them on view.

There is a 7 minute short intro to the series, which we watched first, followed by three shorter films ,and then three features.  So begins our journey into early Czech film.  The three shorts were called Uncle, a 6 minute film from 1959 that hilariously shows a rather unproductive robbery attempt by a male burglar; Footprints, from 1960, and The Hall of Lost Footsteps, also from 1960.  The last two are 12 minutes long, and becoming increasingly complex.

The first feature was called Something Different, from 1963 and directed by Vera Chytilova, one of the very few Czech female directors at the time.  It tells the story of two very different women, one a stay at home mom trying to deal with the boredom and frustration of raising a very active little boy, with a husband who has drifted away from her.  The other woman is a top gymnast (played by gold medal winner Eva Bosakova) who is aging and tiring of her incessant, brutal training regime.  These are not happy little communists going about their happy days, but very real and very mixed up women, trying to deal the hand that has been dealt them.  I liked this film a lot.

 

Something Different, a Czech film from 1963.  Showing on Criterion. 

 

Next was Courage For Every Day, from 1964 and directed by Evald Schorm.  A factory worker who puts his heart and soul into communist party politics, is eventually disillusioned and becomes a lost soul as the movie progresses.  His moodiness and temperament lead to the loss of his fun loving girlfriend, who can't comprehend his descent into self pity and helplessness.  We are getting hard looks at the real state of things, not the state sponsored view of how things should be.  These little films (all under 90 minutes) were undoubtedly shocking in their time and place, no doubt sparking endless discussion and individual soul searching.  Scenes of the grim factory and the even grimmer town life are unforgettable.

 

Courage for Every Day, 1964.  Showing on Criterion.

 

Lastly came the most inventive of the films so far, Diamonds of the Night, from 1964 and directed by Jan Nemic.  The film tells the story of two boys escaping German custody during WW 2 by leaping from a train and going on the run.  They have one pair of shoes between them, and no food or water.  The film opens with the longest dolly shot in Czech film history, and one that took up nearly half the budget of the film, as the two boys race up a clear-cut hill, as guards fire at them from down below.  The story is told not only in flashback, but also in fantasy flashback and fantasy possible outcomes in various present situations.  For example, starving, one of the boys goes to a farmhouse and encounters the wife.  He imagines himself having to kill her several times, and even having sex with her on a bed.  What actually happens is that she gives him bread and milk, and as they leave she puts on her kerchief to report them.  While not a fun film to watch, it is highly innovative in its way of telling a simple story.  You will never forget the old timer German posse that eventually captures them, nor their celebration afterwards at their daring deed.

Now showing on Criterion, one of 34 Czech New Wave films on demand. 

 The spring of 2021 will always be known around here as the Lilac Spring.  We have two lilac bushes in the middle back yard, planted by us when we moved here more than 30 years ago.  One produces white flowers, the other lilac colour.  they smell heavenly.  usually one looms well one year, and the next year the other takes a turn.  But this year was different.  they both bloomed, and far beyond what they normally produce.  It was the best lilac showing ever, though the photos don't quite capture the magic in the same way as really seeing them.  Also, our lawn has spawned a fine floral bouquet, too.

One side of our white lilac bush.

Our purple lilac bush.

Tiny little yellow flowers (cinque foiles) have sprouted on one part of our lawn, looking like a mini-fairy garden.

In local news, Deb's mom is now finished with her 14 day quarantine, and can come out of her room.  Deb still needs to wear a mask and face shield when she visits, but not the gown.  And she will begin visiting every other day now, instead of every day.

Back soon with more fascinating details of life at Lone Mtn. Homestead.

Mapman Mike