SCFZ

I rewatched THE JESTER AND THE QUEEN (1988)...



and i am a bit more inclined to subtitle it (in not too distant future).
The version I watched now was with "Czech subs" and all the German & French words or sentences were left untranslated.
As far as I remember, originally I watched this film after its release (prior to 1989) in cinema, and German & French parts were left unsubtitled too (there were no subs at all).
So, to translate into English only all that is spoken in Czech and the rest to leave intact would be okay, i guess.
French & Geman parts are usually simple claims and many times they are echoed by the repetitive claims in Czech, so fluency in German & French is not necessary to grasp the story.
I feel, translating into English everything would alter the viewing experience of the film (which is characteristic by permanently switching from one language to the other) more than having not a complete clue about few words here and there.
This is my main dilemma related to making subs to this film.

Alongside the film come the extras — the separate comments by Věra (director), Bolek (jester), and Chantal (queen).
There it is said the following (among other things).
After casting Bolek in CALAMITY, Věra wanted to collaborate with him again.
She attended his "Jester and the Queen" play, liked it, and decided to transpose it to the film screen.
An important part of the play is the interaction with the audience (the audience is being asked questions during the play, etc., etc.) so it was necessary to re-invent the play so it would suit the (unresponsive) screen.
And the basic concept (in this regard) was allegedly borrowed from Kurt Vonnegut and his "Billy Pilgrim" capable of commuting back and forth in time.
So, in the film, the main ("Billy Pilgrim" like) character is an imaginative castle warden who is daydreaming about being a jester in the service of a medieval German king and his French wife (ideas triggered by his study of archives).
When a guy from West Germany comes (together with his French wife) to the castle for a hunting trip (source of income for Easterners), the castle warden's conviction they are identical with his medieval "imaginary friends" grows stronger and stronger (and he starts permanently switching in his mind between 1980s reality and his medieval "flashbacks").

brian d wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:48 pm seen 17

brian you can choose our next director if you like!

ok, i think we had enough for germaine dulac last time we checked, so let's go with her if that's cool

When i watched THE VERY LATE AFTERNOON OF A FAUN for the first time i was obviously too young.
Now, being closer to the age of the main character, i find it amusing.
I also appreciate the extensive monologues (externalized internal monologues) of the aging hero.



I didn't notice before, THE VERY LATE AFTERNOON OF A FAUN (1983) is an adaptation of the short story written by Jiří Brdečka.
Jiří Brdečka also wrote the script of f.e. LEMONADE JOE (Oldřich Lipský, 1964) and directed many very cool animation films: PRINCE COPPERSLICK'S THIRTEENTH CHAMBER (1980), LOOOVE! (1978), THERE WAS ONCE A MILLER ON THE RIVER (1971), METAMORPHEUS (1969), MORAVIAN FOLK BALLADS: OUTLAW'S WIFE (1981), MORAVIAN FOLK BALLADS: UNHAPPY MARRIAGE (1981), etc., etc.
In 2017, a documentary about him was made called UNIVERSUM BRDEČKA (Miroslav Janek).

I believe this is Věra's daughter...

brian d wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 2:28 am ok, i think we had enough for germaine dulac last time we checked, so let's go with her if that's cool

it would definitely be cool to poll dulac. i looked back at the terence fisher poll, where we checked views on dulac, and unless i missed anyone, you had 9 views and greennui had 8, and no one else had a lot. so we were close but not quite there. to go ahead, we'll need to find:

- one person who has seen 10+ dulac (if you or greennui have seen more since we last checked, that could get us there)
- one person who has seen 6+ besides brian and greennui

so if anyone can help with dulac views, please post here!

i've got 10 now, might have a few more when we start it

cool that helps a lot, if we can just find one person with 6+ dulac seen, then dulac is our next poll!

i've only seen lancelot, but i'm def curious about seeing more du lac films

ok, fallback would be mrinal sen, i think there was enough support for him, but if not we can check again to see where we're at.

I did some research and the scfz member on letterboxd with the third most Dulac watches is greg with 5.

i watched only THE SMILING MADAME BEUDET and SPANISH DANCES (not sure if DISQUE 957 too — i would watch/rewatch it).
plus, i would watch for the poll at least 3 more short films, thus reaching 6.
does it help?

I would happily watch a few more Dulac shorts too, though I see that her 5-hour film Gossette is now available online (maybe for the first time, judging from the number of Letterboxd logs it has), so if we do have to wait a while to poll her, perhaps some of us will have watched that one by then.

jiri kino ovalis wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:40 pm i watched only THE SMILING MADAME BEUDET and SPANISH DANCES (not sure if DISQUE 957 too — i would watch/rewatch it).
plus, i would watch for the poll at least 3 more short films, thus reaching 6.
does it help?

That would take us over the line I think.

in general, i wait until people have actually seen enough films to start a poll, but with three people all keen to watch more dulac, and when many of her films are short, i'd be happy to go ahead with a dulac poll this time.

but if brian would prefer to wait until people have had a chance to see gossette (i don't know anything about that film), we can check views on sen instead. he had 10+ views from brian and 8 from nrh last we checked, so we'd need one more person with 6+.

i watched something meanwhile and have 7 Dulac now (tho 6 out of them are short).
plus gonna watch at least THE SEASHELL AND THE CLERGYMAN moreover.

perfect, well i'll give brian a few hours to let me know if the existence of a gossette print makes him want to change his pick, and if i don't hear anything i'll start a dulac poll soon!

Just this year I've gone from 4 up to 6 Mrinal Sen, and I'm enthusiastic about him too.

if people are excited about seeing gossette (i'd definitely watch it) then let's go with mrinal sen if he works

For reference I have seen 5 from Dulac - but all over 40m - so none of her real shorts - can catch up on them quickly if she is picked.

Also happy to see Gossette is out, though it might take me a little time to see it. If I hear some great noises here I'll increase its priority though.

PEARLS OF THE DEEP (PART IV): THE GLOBE BUFFET • PERLIČKY NA DNĚ (IV): AUTOMAT SVĚT (Věra Chytilová, 1965)
https://letterboxd.com/film/pearls-of-the-deep/



In each segment, Bohumil Hrabal (a novelist whose texts are being adapted in this film anthology) plays a minor role.
In THE GLOBE BUFFET, he is this man...


However, the main male hero of THE GLOBE BUFFET is Vladimír Boudník (Bohumil's close friend in real-life).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladim%C3 ... udn%C3%ADk
He was the inventor and sole representative of "explosionalism" (his private & local version of the universal & global "informel").

Explosionalism: Seismograms of nerve impulses rendered into concrete forms. —VB

How he was making his explosionalist graphics is (in nutshell) depicted in the film.



Somewhat sinister sound Vladimír's lines in the film about suicide pact offered by his ex-girlfriend.
The film is from 1965 and just 3 years later, he strangled himself (being 44 yrs old) while experimenting with near-death experiences.
He nearly committed suicide several times — usually, he was rescued last-minute.
Bohumil wrote about Vladimír at length in "Tender Barbarian".
https://www.twistedspoon.com/tender-barbarian.html
The book was adapted into a film by Petr Koliha (in 1989).
https://letterboxd.com/film/the-gentle-barbarian/
It is without subtitles (& one of the films i am seriously considering to subtitle).
It is dealing with the friendship of 3 guys, i.e. Bohumil Hrabal & Vladimír Boudník & Egon Bondy (poet & novelist & philosopher).
And (like many other films with "Bolek & crew" cast — Bolek plays Vladimír in "Tender Barbarian") it is slipping into caricature.
Especially Egon Bondy seems like an amusing simpleton in that film.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egon_Bondy
Egon was way smarter than the film suggests, f.e. he wrote “a catechism of the Czechoslovak underground” (a novel called "The Invalid Siblings").

http://cultural-opposition.eu/registry/ ... ual/n34987
The novel “The Invalid Siblings” (Invalidní sourozenci, 1974) is one of the most important works by the Czecho-Slovak poet, novelist, playwright, philosopher and “guru” of the Czechoslovak underground, Egon Bondy (real name Zbyněk Fišer, 1930–2007). Marcel Strýko, a Slovak philosopher and dissident, compared the dystopian novel to “a catechism of the Czechoslovak underground”. The novel, which was completed in February 1974, presents a vision of the moral and ecological crisis of a totalitarian society in the distant future. The plot takes place around the year 2600 on the last piece of land surrounded by rubbish. After this last area is also flooded, only the “invalids” (intellectuals, outcasts from totalitarian society, reminiscent of underground dissidents) survive on an improvised raft.

The bride in THE GLOBE BUFFET (who accompanies Vladimír Boudník in a dreamlike, closing sequence) is clearly an uninhibited "sibling" of Marie I. & Marie II. (heroines of the upcoming "Daisies").

Just watched Something Different. Need to mull it over a bit but the first impression is pretty damn positive, so gonna throw it a vote over Daisies. So I have a one film list now, gonna try to grow it in the next few days if this is still open.

Something Different

Can I have till the end of the week?

I have only seen 3 of her films so far, but I loved all of them. A wonderful, wonderful, wonderful director.
My no. 1 was the best film I've seen in 2020.

1. A Bagful of Fleas (1962)
2. Daisies (1966)

Chytilová seen: 3

jiri kino ovalis wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 6:56 pm A BAGFUL OF FLEAS which is my absolute favorite (among all the Věra's films).

I personally can't imagine filmmaking getting any better than this. For me this film is "a dream come true".

Curtis, baby wrote: ↑Wed Feb 24, 2021 5:40 am Can I have till the end of the week?

yeah no problem - it sounds like mrcarmady is also watching more, so if you can both let me know when you're ready, i'll tally up then

Bagful of Fleas was brilliant, thanks jiri and wba for pushing me towards it!
I've still got a couple to watch so will try to finish up a list tomorrow, but if not:

Bagful of Fleas
Something Different

yw!
glad to hear you liked it.
btw. thanks to this poll i developed a relentless urge for subtitling THE JESTER AND THE QUEEN.
(so stay tuned.)
(i mean, it won't be that fast but...)

Sadly, Fruit of Paradise was the opposite of brilliant, though it did amuse me to think of what Holyman would make of it. The first ten minutes are daring, eye-grabbing stuff, but the hour and a half that follow consist of nearly unwatchable am-dram, annoying sound design, and empty symbolism. Pretty but that's about it. Panelstory next.

ERRATA:
I wrote before...

After FRUIT OF PARADISE (1969) Věra was banned to make movies for 8 yrs (her next movie coming in 1977).

she was banned after making a TV film (41 min long) called "Friends" (Kamarádi) in 1971.
so, the gap was (strictly speaking) 5 years (APPLE GAME is actually from 1976).

on čsfd, there is only one review (the person saying, he/she watched "Friends" in the Czech TV study/research room).
so, it is a nearly unavailable rarity.

AND (i already wrote it on ltbxd) "Friends" (Kamarádi) attributed by ltbxd and imdb (the profile picture with four kids) to Věra Chytilová is actually the (locally popular) TV mini-series for children called "Friends" (Kamarádi) by Vlasta Janečková from the same year. Věra's "Friends" are not about the adventures of four kids but (according to the čsfd synopsis) it is an adaptation of the story (taking place during WW2) written by Franz Fühmann.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_F%C3%BChmann

ERRATA OF THE ERRATA:
čsfd actually lists also some TV short documentary (duration not specified) called "A Handful of Wrinkles" (Hrst vrásek) from 1974.
I have no clue about the details (never heard of it before, nobody reviewed it on čsfd, no synopsis).
P.S. allegedly a documentary about a person working as a carer of the elderly.

@jiri, others?

How do you say her name? I've always said Kit-til-ov-a in my head, but based on a similarly named Czech NHLer I think it might be hee-tul-ov-a?