Czechoslovak New Wave
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| - | '''The Czechoslovak New Wave''' (also '''Czech New Wave''') is a term used for the early films of [[1960s]] [[Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovak]] directors [[Miloš Forman]], [[Věra Chytilová]], [[Ivan Passer]], [[Jaroslav Papoušek]], [[Jiří Menzel]], [[Jan Němec]], [[Jaromil Jireš]] and others. The quality and openness of the films led the genra to be called the ''Czech film miracle''. | ||
| - | Trademarks of the movement contain long unscripted dialogues, dark and absurd humour, and the casting of inexperienced actors. The films often treated themes that were uncommon in [[communism|communist]] countries, such as the love-confusion of young people or the absence of morality in Czechoslovak society. Directorally the Czechoslovak New Wave differed from the rough aesthetic of the [[French New Wave]] with whom relations were often strained; the Czechoslovak New Wave tended to present polished films often taken from [[Czech literature]], including Jaromír Jireš' adaptation of [[Milan Kundera]]'s anti-Communist novel ''[[The Joke]]''. Forman's ''[[The Firemen's Ball]]'', another major film of the era, remains a [[cult film]] even more than three decades after its creation. | + | The '''Czechoslovak New Wave''' (also incorrectly '''Czech New Wave''') is a term used for the early films of 1960s [[Czechoslovakia|Czech]] directors [[Miloš Forman]], [[Věra Chytilová]], [[Ivan Passer]], [[Jaroslav Papoušek]], [[Jiří Menzel]], [[Jan Němec]], [[Jaromil Jireš]], [[Vojtěch Jasný]], [[Evald Schorm]] and [[Czechoslovakia|Slovak]] directors [[Dušan Hanák]], [[Juraj Herz]], [[Juraj Jakubisko]], [[Štefan Uher]], [[Ján Kádár|Ján Kadár]], [[Elo Havetta]] and others. The quality and openness of the films led the genre to be called the ''Czechoslovak film miracle''. |
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| + | == Overview == | ||
| + | The Czechoslovak New Wave was an artistic movement in cinema which evolved out of the earlier [[Devětsil]] movement of the thirties. Disgruntled with the [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|communist regime]] that had taken over in [[History of Czechoslovakia (1948–1989)|Czechoslovakia]] in 1948, students of the [[Film and TV School of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague]] (also known as '''FAMU''') became the dissenters of their time. Their objective in making films was "to make the Czech people collectively aware that they were participants in a system of oppression and incompetence which had brutalized them all." | ||
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| + | Trademarks of the movement are long unscripted dialogues, dark and absurd humour, and the casting of non-professional actors. The films touched on themes which for earlier film makers in the [[communism|communist]] countries had rarely managed to avoid the objections of the censor, such as the misguided youths of Czechoslovak society portrayed in [[Miloš Forman]]'s ''[[Black Peter (film)|Black Peter]]'' ({{lang-cs|Černý Petr}} 1963) and ''[[Loves of a Blonde]]'' (''Lásky jedné plavovlásky'' 1965), or those caught in a surrealistic whirlwind in [[Věra Chytilová]]'s ''[[Daisies (film)|Daisies]]'' (''Sedmikrásky'' 1966) and [[Jaromil Jireš]]' ''[[Valerie a týden divů|Valerie and Her Week of Wonders]]'' (''Valerie a týden divů'' 1970). | ||
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| + | The Czechoslovak New Wave differed from the [[French New Wave]] in that it usually held stronger narratives, and as these directors were the children of a nationalized film industry, they had greater access to studios and state funding. They also tended to present films taken from [[Czech literature]], including [[Jaromil Jireš]]' [[The Joke (film)|adaptation]] of [[Milan Kundera]]'s anti-Communist novel ''[[The Joke (novel)|The Joke]]'' (''Žert'' 1969). At the Fourth Congress of the Czechoslovak Writers Union in 1967, [[Milan Kundera]] himself described this wave of national cinema as an important part of the history of Czechoslovak literature. Forman's ''[[The Firemen's Ball]]'' (''Hoří, má panenko'' 1967), another major film of the era, remains a [[cult film]] more than four decades after its release. | ||
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| + | As [[Alexander Dubček]] came to power over the Communist Party in [[Czechoslovakia]] with plans to present "[[socialism with a human face]]" through reform and liberalization (a brief period known as the [[Prague Spring]]), the [[Soviet Union]] and their [[Warsaw Pact]] allies invaded to snuff out reform. The movement came to an abrupt end and [[Miloš Forman]] and [[Jan Němec]] fled the country, while those who remained faced [[censorship]] of their work. | ||
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| + | == Czech film == | ||
| + | The majority of films shot during the New Wave were Czech-language as opposed to [[Slovak language|Slovak]]. Many directors came from the prestigious [[Film and TV School of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague|FAMU]], located in Prague, while the state-run [[Barrandov Studios]] were located just on the outskirts of Prague. Some prominent Czech directors included [[Miloš Forman]], who directed ''[[The Firemen's Ball]]'', ''[[Black Peter (film)|Black Peter]]'', and ''[[Loves of a Blonde]]'' during this time, [[Věra Chytilová]] who is best known for her film ''[[Daisies (film)|Daisies]]'', and [[Jiří Menzel]], whose film ''[[Closely Watched Trains]]'' (''Ostře sledované vlaky'' 1966) won an academy award for best foreign language film. | ||
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| + | == Slovak film == | ||
| + | ''[[The Shop on Main Street]]'' (''Obchod na korze'' 1965) directed by [[Ján Kadár]] and [[Elmar Klos]] won the [[Academy Award]] for Best Foreign Language Film in 1966. It takes place in [[Slovakia]] during [[World War II]] and tells the story of a poor Slovak man named Anton "Tono" Brtko who is given a job by the local fascist regime to be the "Aryan owner" of a button shop run by an elderly Jewish woman. | ||
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| + | == Key works of the Czechoslovak New Wave == | ||
| + | *''[[The Sun in a Net]]'' by [[Štefan Uher]] (1962) | ||
| + | *''[[Something Different (1963 film)|Something Different]]'' by [[Věra Chytilová]] (1963) | ||
| + | *''[[Black Peter (film)|Black Peter]]'' by [[Miloš Forman]] (1963) | ||
| + | *''[[The Fifth Horseman is Fear]]'' by [[Zbynek Brynych]] (1964) | ||
| + | *''[[Diamonds of the Night]]'' by [[Jan Nemec]] (1964) | ||
| + | *''[[Loves of a Blonde]]'' by [[Miloš Forman]] (1965) | ||
| + | *''[[The Shop on Main Street]]'' by [[Ján Kadár]] and [[Elmar Klos]] (1965) | ||
| + | *''[[Pearls of the Deep]]'' by [[Jiří Menzel]], [[Jan Němec]], [[Evald Schorm]], [[Věra Chytilová]], [[Jaromil Jireš]] (1966) | ||
| + | *''[[Closely Watched Trains]]'' by [[Jiří Menzel]] (1966) | ||
| + | *''[[Daisies (film)|Daisies]]'' by [[Věra Chytilová]] (1966) | ||
| + | *''[[The Firemen's Ball]]'' by [[Miloš Forman]] (1967) | ||
| + | *''[[Deserters and Pilgrims]]'' (aka [[The Deserter and the Nomads]]) by [[Juraj Jakubisko]] (1968) | ||
| + | *''[[The Joke (film)|The Joke]]'' by [[Jaromil Jireš]] (1968) | ||
| + | *''[[All My Compatriots]]'' by [[Vojtěch Jasný]] (1968) | ||
| + | *''[[The Gala in the Botanical Garden]]'' by [[Elo Havetta]] (1969) | ||
| + | *''[[Birds, Orphans and Fools]]'' by [[Juraj Jakubisko]] (1969) | ||
| + | *''[[Behold Homolka]]'' by [[Jaroslav Papoušek]] (1969) | ||
| + | *''[[Case for a Rookie Hangman]]'' by [[Pavel Juráček]] (1970) | ||
| + | *''[[Valerie a týden divů|Valerie and Her Week of Wonders]]'' by [[Jaromil Jireš]] (1971) | ||
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| + | == See also == | ||
| + | * [[Barrandov Studios]] | ||
| + | * [[Cinema of the Czech Republic]] | ||
| + | * [[List of Czech films]] | ||
| - | The movement came to an abrupt end following the [[1968]] [[USSR|Soviet]] clampdown on the liberalization of the [[Prague spring]]; Forman, Němec, and Passer fled the country, while those who remained faced heavy [[censorship]] of their work. | ||
| - | ==Key works of the Czechoslovak New Wave== | ||
| - | *''[[Black Peter (film)|Black Peter]]'' by Miloš Forman ([[1963]]) | ||
| - | *''[[Something Different]]'' by Věra Chytilová ([[1963]]) | ||
| - | *''[[Closely Watched Trains]]'' by Jiří Menzel ([[1966]]) | ||
| - | *''[[Daisies (film)|Daisies]]'' by Věra Chytilová ([[1966]]) | ||
| - | *''[[Loves of a Blonde]]'' by Miloš Forman ([[1966]]) | ||
| - | *''[[The Joke (film)|The Joke]]'' by Jaromil Jireš ([[1968]]) | ||
| - | *''[[The Firemen's Ball]]'' by Miloš Forman ([[1968]]) | ||
| - | *''[[Behold Homolka]]'' by Jaroslav Papoušek ([[1969]]) | ||
| - | *''[[Valerie a týden divů|Valerie and Her Week of Wonders]]'' by Jaromil Jireš ([[1971]]) | ||
| - | *''[[The Fifth Horseman is Fear]]'' by Zbnek Brynych (1968) | ||
| - | *''[[Sunshine in a Net]]'' by [[Štefan Uher]] ([[1962]]) | ||
| - | *''[[Deserters and Pilgrims]]'' (aka [[The Deserter and the Nomads]]) by [[Juraj Jakubisko]] ([[1968]]) | ||
| - | *''[[Celebration in the Botanical Garden]]'' by [[Elo Havetta]] ([[1969]]) | ||
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The Czechoslovak New Wave (also incorrectly Czech New Wave) is a term used for the early films of 1960s Czech directors Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Ivan Passer, Jaroslav Papoušek, Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, Jaromil Jireš, Vojtěch Jasný, Evald Schorm and Slovak directors Dušan Hanák, Juraj Herz, Juraj Jakubisko, Štefan Uher, Ján Kadár, Elo Havetta and others. The quality and openness of the films led the genre to be called the Czechoslovak film miracle.
Contents |
Overview
The Czechoslovak New Wave was an artistic movement in cinema which evolved out of the earlier Devětsil movement of the thirties. Disgruntled with the communist regime that had taken over in Czechoslovakia in 1948, students of the Film and TV School of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (also known as FAMU) became the dissenters of their time. Their objective in making films was "to make the Czech people collectively aware that they were participants in a system of oppression and incompetence which had brutalized them all."
Trademarks of the movement are long unscripted dialogues, dark and absurd humour, and the casting of non-professional actors. The films touched on themes which for earlier film makers in the communist countries had rarely managed to avoid the objections of the censor, such as the misguided youths of Czechoslovak society portrayed in Miloš Forman's Black Peter (Template:Lang-cs 1963) and Loves of a Blonde (Lásky jedné plavovlásky 1965), or those caught in a surrealistic whirlwind in Věra Chytilová's Daisies (Sedmikrásky 1966) and Jaromil Jireš' Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Valerie a týden divů 1970).
The Czechoslovak New Wave differed from the French New Wave in that it usually held stronger narratives, and as these directors were the children of a nationalized film industry, they had greater access to studios and state funding. They also tended to present films taken from Czech literature, including Jaromil Jireš' adaptation of Milan Kundera's anti-Communist novel The Joke (Žert 1969). At the Fourth Congress of the Czechoslovak Writers Union in 1967, Milan Kundera himself described this wave of national cinema as an important part of the history of Czechoslovak literature. Forman's The Firemen's Ball (Hoří, má panenko 1967), another major film of the era, remains a cult film more than four decades after its release.
As Alexander Dubček came to power over the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia with plans to present "socialism with a human face" through reform and liberalization (a brief period known as the Prague Spring), the Soviet Union and their Warsaw Pact allies invaded to snuff out reform. The movement came to an abrupt end and Miloš Forman and Jan Němec fled the country, while those who remained faced censorship of their work.
Czech film
The majority of films shot during the New Wave were Czech-language as opposed to Slovak. Many directors came from the prestigious FAMU, located in Prague, while the state-run Barrandov Studios were located just on the outskirts of Prague. Some prominent Czech directors included Miloš Forman, who directed The Firemen's Ball, Black Peter, and Loves of a Blonde during this time, Věra Chytilová who is best known for her film Daisies, and Jiří Menzel, whose film Closely Watched Trains (Ostře sledované vlaky 1966) won an academy award for best foreign language film.
Slovak film
The Shop on Main Street (Obchod na korze 1965) directed by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1966. It takes place in Slovakia during World War II and tells the story of a poor Slovak man named Anton "Tono" Brtko who is given a job by the local fascist regime to be the "Aryan owner" of a button shop run by an elderly Jewish woman.
Key works of the Czechoslovak New Wave
- The Sun in a Net by Štefan Uher (1962)
- Something Different by Věra Chytilová (1963)
- Black Peter by Miloš Forman (1963)
- The Fifth Horseman is Fear by Zbynek Brynych (1964)
- Diamonds of the Night by Jan Nemec (1964)
- Loves of a Blonde by Miloš Forman (1965)
- The Shop on Main Street by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos (1965)
- Pearls of the Deep by Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, Evald Schorm, Věra Chytilová, Jaromil Jireš (1966)
- Closely Watched Trains by Jiří Menzel (1966)
- Daisies by Věra Chytilová (1966)
- The Firemen's Ball by Miloš Forman (1967)
- Deserters and Pilgrims (aka The Deserter and the Nomads) by Juraj Jakubisko (1968)
- The Joke by Jaromil Jireš (1968)
- All My Compatriots by Vojtěch Jasný (1968)
- The Gala in the Botanical Garden by Elo Havetta (1969)
- Birds, Orphans and Fools by Juraj Jakubisko (1969)
- Behold Homolka by Jaroslav Papoušek (1969)
- Case for a Rookie Hangman by Pavel Juráček (1970)
- Valerie and Her Week of Wonders by Jaromil Jireš (1971)
See also
