With a friend's fav film movement being Czech New-Wave (CNW),I decided that I would get him a CNW title to watch over the Easter holiday.Originally planning to search around some local shops for a suitable title,I was happily stopped in my tracks by a DVD seller,who told me that he had recently been able to track down a rather rare sounding CNW movie,which led to me getting ready to see the birds surf the New-Wave.
The plot:
Driving back from taking photos of beautiful women partying in a field,amateur photographer's and best friends Yorick and Ondrej suddenly spot an isolated house,as they drive back to their bombed out church,based home.Loudly entering the mysterious house,Yorick and Ondrej discover a women called Martha laying in bed.Dragging Martha out of bed,Yorick and Ondrej begin to do a number of playful games with Martha,which leads to them discovering that Martha is on the same page as them.
Caught by Martha's charms,Onedrej takes Martha, (who like Onedrej and Yorick is also an orphan,due to their families having suffered violent deaths in an ongoing war)back to their house.Initially finding Martha to be in complete sync with their friendship,Yorick begins to fear that Martha is tearing his friendship with Onedrej into 2.Ordering Onedrej to get Martha out of the house,Yorick is taken aback,when Onedrej tells him that he's decided that Martha is staying with them.Feeling that his friendship with Onedrej is never going to be the same again,Yorick decides that he is going to show Martha the pain that she has caused.
View on the film:
Banned for 20 years after one screening by the Soviet Union thanks to the titles deeply grim atmosphere,co-writer/(along with Karol Sidon) director Juraj Jakubisko takes a merciless swipe at the decaying dream that Czechoslovakia had become,with the writers showing the 3 main character's desperately attempting to create a twisted Fantasy world which will cover their eyes from the burnt up wasteland and constantly falling bodies that they find themselves surrounded by.
Whilst Jakubisko and Sidon do give the film noticeable personal elements,with Jakubisko having originally started as a photography,and both writers waving a bittersweet farewell to their countries New-Wave movement,the relationship between Martha,Onedrej and Yorick is one that is filled with jagged edges,which whilst being suitable for the movie's landscape,does lead to the connection that the character's have being expressed in an extremely weak manner which causes the daring,down beat ending to be one that does not fully connect to the viewer,due to the title not allowing for the audience to get a firm grip on any of the relationship's jagged edges.
Matching the jagged nature of the screenplay,Jakubisko and cinematographer Igor Luther superbly use stylish floating shots to give the title a 'cloudy' feel,as Jakubisko glides the camera along to show Martha,Onedrej and Yorick almost walking on air in their self-made Fantasy land.Bringing everything down to earth,Jakubisko and Onedrej contrast the floating Fantasy feel with a vicious scatter-shot approach,with Jakubisko whipping the camera into the corners of the character's 'Fantasy' to brilliantly show the grim reality that they are all attempting to dream out of.
The plot:
Driving back from taking photos of beautiful women partying in a field,amateur photographer's and best friends Yorick and Ondrej suddenly spot an isolated house,as they drive back to their bombed out church,based home.Loudly entering the mysterious house,Yorick and Ondrej discover a women called Martha laying in bed.Dragging Martha out of bed,Yorick and Ondrej begin to do a number of playful games with Martha,which leads to them discovering that Martha is on the same page as them.
Caught by Martha's charms,Onedrej takes Martha, (who like Onedrej and Yorick is also an orphan,due to their families having suffered violent deaths in an ongoing war)back to their house.Initially finding Martha to be in complete sync with their friendship,Yorick begins to fear that Martha is tearing his friendship with Onedrej into 2.Ordering Onedrej to get Martha out of the house,Yorick is taken aback,when Onedrej tells him that he's decided that Martha is staying with them.Feeling that his friendship with Onedrej is never going to be the same again,Yorick decides that he is going to show Martha the pain that she has caused.
View on the film:
Banned for 20 years after one screening by the Soviet Union thanks to the titles deeply grim atmosphere,co-writer/(along with Karol Sidon) director Juraj Jakubisko takes a merciless swipe at the decaying dream that Czechoslovakia had become,with the writers showing the 3 main character's desperately attempting to create a twisted Fantasy world which will cover their eyes from the burnt up wasteland and constantly falling bodies that they find themselves surrounded by.
Whilst Jakubisko and Sidon do give the film noticeable personal elements,with Jakubisko having originally started as a photography,and both writers waving a bittersweet farewell to their countries New-Wave movement,the relationship between Martha,Onedrej and Yorick is one that is filled with jagged edges,which whilst being suitable for the movie's landscape,does lead to the connection that the character's have being expressed in an extremely weak manner which causes the daring,down beat ending to be one that does not fully connect to the viewer,due to the title not allowing for the audience to get a firm grip on any of the relationship's jagged edges.
Matching the jagged nature of the screenplay,Jakubisko and cinematographer Igor Luther superbly use stylish floating shots to give the title a 'cloudy' feel,as Jakubisko glides the camera along to show Martha,Onedrej and Yorick almost walking on air in their self-made Fantasy land.Bringing everything down to earth,Jakubisko and Onedrej contrast the floating Fantasy feel with a vicious scatter-shot approach,with Jakubisko whipping the camera into the corners of the character's 'Fantasy' to brilliantly show the grim reality that they are all attempting to dream out of.