The Czechoslovak New Wave Collection Vol. II
A Blonde in Love / The Party and the Guests / Larks on a String
Release Date: 7 December 2015
“The Czech New Wave is perhaps one of the richest cinemas of the 20th century… A generation of Czech filmmakers gave us some of the most ingenious, original, innovative and most beautiful films in the entire history of cinema” MUBI
This specially priced, Limited Edition 3-disc set comprises three extraordinary features from a golden age of Eastern European cinema which came to be known as the ‘Czechoslovak New Wave’.
This brief period, from 1963 to 1969, produced an astonishing sequence of films that made a huge impact on world cinema.
These three integral works of that most creative period were made in the most difficult of circumstances under the gaze of Government censors, yet achieved a miraculous and subversive marriage of content and form.
Now, fifty years on, the films remain as remarkable as ever.
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A Blonde in Love / Lásky jedné plavovlásky (Miloš Forman, 1965)
Widely regarded as one of the great films of the 60s, this bittersweet romance unfolds as a wry critique of life under totalitarianism. Forman’s sweetly seductive Oscar®-nominated feature remains a subtle and beautifully observed social satire.
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The Party and the Guests / O slavnosti a hostech (Jan Němec, 1966)
Considered the most politically dangerous film made during the Czech New Wave – and subsequently “banned forever” – Němec’s film is a biting satire of authoritarianism and conformity. The film’s universal relevance continues to this day.
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Larks on a String / Skřivánci na niti (Jiří Menzel, 1969)
Menzel’s audacious, long-banned political comedy is set in a scrap metal yard where political dissidents are interned for ‘re-education’. A powerful commentary on totalitarianism and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit.
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Special Features:
• The Party and the Guests – a filmed appreciation by Peter Hames.
• Larks on a String – Jiří Menzel: 7 Questions, an idiosyncratic reflection on the film and its history, shot by the director.
• Booklets with each film, featuring essays by writer, editor and film historian Michael Brooke, author/film programmer Peter Hames and DoP Jaromír Šofr.
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Release Date: 7 December, 2015
