People are afraid of the usurer Chazaj and are convinced that he is the bearer of evil. One day Chazaj pays a visit to the poor artist Simon Jordán and asks him to paint his portrait. Simon agrees but as he progresses with the work his mind conjures up terrible thoughts and in the end he commits suicide.
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Tag Archives: Czechoslovakia
Loves of a Blonde / Lásky jedné plavovlásky (1965) Milos Forman, Hana Brejchová, Vladimír Pucholt, Vladimír Mensík, Comedy, Romance, Drama
A factory manager in rural Czechoslovakia bargains with the army to send men to the area, to boost the morale of his young female workers, deprived of male company since the local boys have been conscripted. The army sends reservists, mostly married middle-aged men – and the local beauty Andula, spurns those bold enough to try to win her, for the jazz pianist, newly come from Prague to perform. He seduces her and impresses her, telling her “most women are round, like guitars but you are a guitar by Picasso”. Staying the night with him causes a lecture on a young woman’s honour at her hostel so she throws over her other suitors and makes her way to Prague to find the young man. His protective Mamma and weary Pappa are not pleased when she arrives on the doorstep with her suitcase.
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Happy End (1967) Oldrich Lipský, Vladimír Mensík, Jaroslava Obermaierová, Josef Abrhám, Comedy, Crime
A dark comedy about a murder and its consequences presented in a backwards manner, where death is actually a rebirth. The film starts with an “execution” of the main protagonist and goes back to explore his previous actions and motivations.
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Ja milujem, ty milujes / I Love, You Love (1989) Dusan Hanák, Roman Klosowski, Iva Janzurová, Milan Jelic, Drama, Romance
A tragicomic film about people from the social periphery. Director Dušan Hanák portrayed his characters with a sensitive understanding, without romanticizing. That was also why the f ilm, similarly to Hanák’s previous works 322 and Pictures of the Old World, ended up on a shelf until 1988. Impressive performances are given by Czech actress Iva Janžurová, Polish actor Roman Klosowski and Serbian actor Milan Jeli?. In 1989, the film won a Silver Bear for Best Directing from the IFF Berlin.
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Vrazda po nasem / Murder Czech Style (1967) Jirí Weiss, Rudolf Hrusínský, Kveta Fialová, Václav Voska, Comedy, Crime
The protagonist (Rudolf Hrusinsky) is a dull, fat, shy government clerk indulging in voyuerism and ego fantasies. In love with another clerk (Kveta Fiolova), he is urged on in his pursuit by a commiserate executive. The story is told in a flashback sequence as the cuckolded Hrusinsky attempts suicide by gassing himself in his bathtub. The “Murder” of the title is not a murder as such, rather the murder that Hrusinsky remembers planning upon discovering his wife’s unfaithfulness with his supposed friend and advisor. Both plots failing in his mind, he loses himself in fantastic reveries of his funeral and of hypocritical mourners. ‘ Deciding (perhaps) that this is not the way out either, he gives up the attempt and imagines a life of reconciliation and eventual affluence.
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Zabitá nedele / Squandered Sunday (1969) Drahomíra Vihanová, Irena Boleslavská, Vladislav Drazdák, Alexandra Haskovcová, Drama
It’s Sunday morning. The church bells call people to the Mass, but the army officer Arnost is still sleeping in his austere and shabby room in the barracks. He wakes slowly, and attunes himself step by step to the world and what to do this arid Sunday. He loads his pistol and puts it to his head and in his mouth, without firing it off. While he turns around, he is now and then interrupted by short flashbacks in his memory of situations with frivolous women and much drinking, as well as some daydreams about enforced weddings. He has a relationship with three blond women. Two of them are adult. One is willowy and a bit aloof, the other voluptuous and possessive. The third is a little girl, who he likes to talk with. He goes to the gatekeeper of the barracks, and starts a chat. Through a spyglass he suddenly sees two young women sunbathing topless. As it is within the military area, he orders the gatekeeper to arrest them. The women don’t take him seriously, but he writes a report.
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Organ (1965) Stefan Uher, Frantisek Bubik, Alexandr Brezina, Kamil Marek, Drama
The Organ is a drama set in the times of the wartime Slovak State. A young Polish deserter and gifted organist finds shelter from the fascists in a Slovak Franciscan monastery. He gets into a conflict with the local organist and choir leader, a man limited in his world views and spiritual values. The collision of talent and beauty with pettiness and closed-mindedness leads to envy and ill will, which draw young Felix away from his temporary hiding place and back to the dangers of war.
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Petrolejové lampy / Oil Lamps (1971) Juraj Herz, Iva Janzurová, Petr Cepek, Marie Rosulková, Drama
In 1900, Stepha, the vivacious 30 year old daughter of a wealthy couple, agrees to marry her cousin Paul, who has accumulated large debts as an Austrian army officer. Paul refuses to work or to consummate the marriage, and then his health steadily declines.
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Kocár do Vídne / Carriage to Vienna (1966) Karel Kachyna, Iva Janzurová, Jaromír Hanzlík, Ludek Munzar
A WW2 story of a young Austrian soldier running from the Russian army and a woman whom he forces to come along in order to save his wounded mate.
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Divá Bára (1949) Vladimír Cech, Vlasta Fialová, Jana Dítetová, Marie Brozová
Tale Bozena Nemcova served as a template for a romantic story about a courageous, self-made girl scorned daughter of a shepherd, who is not afraid of anything – neither night nor swim. But the superstitious villagers about her telling all sorts of strange things, even seeking union with the powers of hell. Bold and courageous Bara stupid prejudices of their fellow men almost suffer. Energetic girl brings her pieces to boil the whole village.
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Skola otcu / School for Fathers (1957) Ladislav Helge, Karel Höger, Blazena Holisová, Josef Mixa
A new teacher with high standards and a strong sense of duty replaces an easy grader. Once bad grades begin to pile up, a product of his predecessor’s subservience to the system, the new teacher has to stand up for himself and his students.
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