PEARLS OF THE CZECH NEW WAVE: ECLIPSE SERIES 32 (THE CRITERION COLLECTION)

Details

• Release Year: 2010
• Genre: Documentary
• Plot: Of all the cinematic New Waves that broke over the world in the 1960s, the one in Czechoslovakia was among the most fruitful, fascinating, and radical. With a wicked sense of humor and a healthy streak of surrealism, a group of fearless directors—including eventual Oscar winners Miloš Forman and Ján Kadár—began to use film to speak out about the hypocrisy and absurdity of the Communist state. A defining work was the 1966 omnibus film Pearls of the Deep, which introduced five of the movement's essential voices: Vera Chytilová, Jaromil Jireš, Jirí Menzel, Jan Nemec, and Evald Schorm. This series presents that title, along with five other crucial works that followed close on its heels, one from each of those filmmakers—some dazzlingly experimental, some arrestingly realistic, all singular expressions from a remarkable time and place.; ; PEARLS OF THE DEEP (Perlicky na dinê); These five eccentric tales, adapted from stories by the influential Czech writer Bohumi Hrabal, take the viewer on a journey from a motorcycle race to a rain-soaked wedding party to an unexpected cross-cultural romance.; ; DAISIES (Sedmikrásky); Two teenage girls decide to take on the whole 'spoiled' world, consuming or trashing everything in sight. This out-of-control allegory is among the most unbridled of radical sixties films.; ; A REPORT ON THE PARTY AND GUESTS; (O slavnosti a hostech); A pleasant picnic grows sinister when a cabal of mysterious men emerges from the forest and takes control.; ; RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON (Návrat ztraceného syna); A successful, seemingly happily married man cannot find his place in the world following his unexplained suicide attempt.; ; CAPRICIOUS SUMMER (Rozmarné léto); The arrival of a circus performer and his gorgeous young assistant disturbs the tranquility of three middle-aged friends.; ; THE JOKE (Žert); During the Stalinist era in Czechoslovakia, a student is sent away for brutal 'reeducation' over a simple misunderstanding, then years later exacts his revenge, in this adapatation of Milan Kundera's debut novel.
• Cast: Jan Lukes, Albert Marencin, Stanislav Szomolányi
• Director: Martin Sulík
• Runtime: 8:33
• Media Format: Movie