Olympics 2012 Film Part 3 - Brazil, Greece, Spain, Belgium & Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia €“ 143 medals

Czechoslovakia€™s cinematic history is filled with success in almost every genre. Its heyday was the mid-1960s where a wave of experimental cinema flourished. Establishing a reputation worldwide with its freedom of expression, Czechoslovakian cinema was amongst some of the most admired. And yet the USSR saw this creative freedom as a menace which could spread to the Eastern Bloc, therefore in 1968 Czechoslovakia was invaded, stopping all production and banning or censoring many of the films that had made its cinema so celebrated. And although censorship slightly loosened over the next 20 years, it wasn€™t until the late 80s that the country escaped its communist captors. Yet with the fall of communism, the film industry suffered. Government funding was not forthcoming, leading to a decrease in domestic production, with the industry increasingly reliant on international productions using Czechoslovakia as a location. However, even with funding becoming increasingly stringent, the 1990s brought with it a new wave of directors. Tackling the challenge of critiquing current societal problems, they focused on the issues that affect the individual and the society in which they live. These type of films are often heralded by critics, however the challenge remained ensuring that the public would also pay money to see them. Of course every director wants his work viewed as art, but the pressure of filling up a cinema affects the financing. The Czech Republic's film industry still suffers by these financial mechanics, and with an industry as small as their's, the risk is that the talent they produce may begin to look elsewhere. Hopefully it does not, because when we look back at Czechoslovakian cinema, its history is illustrious. Bronze - Closely watched trains (Jiri Menzel, 1968) A fantastic comedy, Closely Watched Trains was made near the end of Czechoslovakia€™s most prominent film era. Based during a period where Germany is losing the war, it tells the story of a young apprentice train worker, Milos, whose everyday life is affected by his sexually naïvety. With the more experienced Hubricka taking Milos under his womanising wing, he soon discovers Milos' virgin status. When Milos fails at his first attempt with a young conductor called Masa, he becomes despondent and attempts suicide. Saved by a doctor, he begins to look at life differently and the counterpoint of the war around him, has a more prominent affect on his life than sex. Learning of an undercover movement of Czechs that are planning on fighting back against the Nazis, Milos sees the larger picture of life outside his mundane job, joining their venture against the Nazis. Combining a young mans inadequate sex life with WWII, Closely Watched Trains was probably one of the last films to make it through the domestic door before the soviet invasion slammed it shut. A small film in terms of its choice of narrative, the film deals with commonplace characters in an extremely understated and whimsical way. Menzel breaths life and comedy into these characters, which although we see and interact with everyday, have little impact on our lives. And although the film may take an extremely dark turn at its end, it does so by stepping back and reminding us of the bigger picture of war in which the humanist story has the displeasure of sharing with. It may be quite shocking at times, it may even make you laugh hysterically and it is this juxtaposition which makes Closely Watched Trains one of Czechoslovakia's finest exports. Silver €“ Alice (Jan Svankmayer, 1988) Jan Svankmayer€™s stop motion films are a thing of beauty. Unlike anything else out there on the global stage, Svankmayer deservedly seems to have a monopoly with his extensive filmography. Disillusioned by many adaptations of Lewis Carroll€™s literature, Alice is his take on Carroll€™s Alice in Wonderland and also his debut into feature films. Alice is shocked to see her stuffed rabbit come to life one night, following the rabbit through a draw she enters Wonderland. Wonderland is of a different ilk to Disney€™s version; it is a collection of claustrophobic environments which are dull and comparable to a grimy household, far from the vivid colour saturation of Disney. With Alice played by a real young girl, the surrounding characters that she encounters are all presented in bristly, coarse and jittery stop motion. They are far from the polished Disney counterparts; they are made from bone, flesh, socks and many other uncanny objects. They are familiar to the eye, yet strange and disturbing. This counteracts the relatively friendly nature of previous adaptations and presents a more nightmarish and gothic quality, Alice€™s journey into the maze-like wonderland is a journey not meant for pleasure. Svankmayer is often called a surrealist and with his extraordinary vision of Alice in Wonderland it is an easy and appropriate label to attach to him, one that I€™m sure, he would gladly pin on his chest with glee. Gold - The Ear (Karel Kachyna, 1970) Banned until the end of the soviet communist regime that occupied Czechoslovakia, The Ear was kept from its domestic audience until 1989. Thankfully in the period of its censorship the film became an internationally acclaimed hit. Painting a picture of what it was like to live under an extremely oppressive regime; The Ear is a frightening example of how paranoia can affect people. Ludvik and his wife Anna return home after a political dinner with many illustrious guests. When they arrive back at their house, they notice that they have been broken into. When a number of strange occurrences become apparent, such as their phone lines being dead, paranoia begins to set in. Ludvik does not believe that these are mere coincidences, instead coming to the belief that the house is actually under surveillance by the government. As his paranoia grows, Anna€™s unrest at their relationship reaches the surface with unpredictable results. At the films end their paranoia and relationships are defined by a disturbingly unpredictable ending. A brilliant film condemning life under such rule, The Ear is a fascinating piece of paranoia cinema which is full of surprises, however, none within the film shocked me more than the fact that the oppressive regime even allowed it to be made in the first place.