The Eclipse Viewer – Episode 31 – Pearls of the Czech New Wave [Part 1]

David and Trevor discuss Pearls of the Deep, Daisies and A Report on the Party and Guests in the first of a two-part series.

This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor conclude their two-part discussion of Eclipse Series 32: Pearls of the Czech New Wave.

About the films:

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: Věra Chytilová, Jaromil Jireš, Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, 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.

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Timeline for the podcast:

Introduction (00:00:01 – 00:25:52)

Pearls of the Deep (00:25:53 – 01:05:46)

Daisies (01:05:47 – 01:33:00)

A Report on the Party and Guests (01:33:01 – 01:48:02)

Conclusion (01:48:03 – 01:50:22)

Buy The Box Set On Amazon:

FAMU home page
FAMU’s list of “the best of the Czech New Wave”
Czech and Slovak Cinema by Andrew James Horton on Green Cine
Czechoslovak New Wave by Simon Hitchman on NewWaveCinema.com
Czech Surrealism and Czech New Wave Realism by Alison Frank on Kinema
Taste of Cinema’s 10 Essential Films of the Czech New Wave

Box Set Reviews

Slant review by Jordan Cronk
A.V. Club review by Noel Murray
DVD Talk review by Christopher McQuain
Criterion Confessions review by Jamie S. Rich

Borumil Hrabel (author)

The Close Watcher of Trains
London Review of Books article by James Wood

Pearls of the Deep

David’s Criterion Reflections review / Journey through the Eclipse Series review
Martin Teller’s Movie Reviews
Reeling Reviews by Laura Clifford

Daisies

David’s Criterion Reflections review / Journey through the Eclipse Series review
Senses of Cinema review by Dylan Rainforth
Cult and World Cinema Connection review by Rob Talbot
CineScene review by Chris Dashiell
Distant Voices review by Reehan Miah
Shock Cinema review by Stephen Puchalski
Lost in the Movies review by Joel Bocko

Vera Chytilova (director)

Homage by Jan Velinger on Radio Prague
New York Times Obituary from 2014

A Report on the Party and Guests

David’s Criterion Reflections review / Journey through the Eclipse Series review
Closely Watched Frames review by Noli Manaig
East European Film Bulletin review by Moritz Pfeifer
Not Coming to a Theater Near You review by Ian Johnston
Scribblings of a Cinema-Obsessed Mind review by Aditya Gokhale
Mubi Notebook review by Glenn Kenny

Jan Nemec (director)

Master of the Czech New Wave (retrospective film series hosted at Cinefamily)
Enfant Terrible of the Czech New Wave by Peter Hames on Central European Review
Fr. Dennis  at the Movies retrospective review by Fr. Dennis Zdenek Kriz

Next time on the podcast: Eclipse Series 32: Pearls of the Czech New Wave, Part Two

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Email: theeclipseviewer (at) gmail.com
David Blakeslee ( Twitter / Website )
Trevor Berrett ( Twitter / Website )