Movie #57: Released in 1966, directed by Věra Chytilová, 76 minutes. New to me!

LetterBoxd Score: 3.5 stars

If there is a dial between a conventional movie, all about workmanlike execution of a story that general audiences like, and a “museum movie”, which is all about conceptual innovation and avant garde provocation, this is dialed 90% of the way to museum movie. It’s nonsensical, without much plot to speak of, but it unusually entertaining for its genre and a bit less opaque.

On a first watch, it feels kind of like a clown show, except, you know, not bad. I don’t mean the two leads are in facepaint (though sometimes the makeup gets heavy), but they’re just chaos agents that make big messes. Sometimes when they move there are sound effects. And they have a wonderful repeating staccato laugh. Most importantly, they’ve got a ton of charisma. They’re compulsively watchable. But there’s not a plot per se. It’s shenanigans.

On a deeper level, it is also trying to say something about thoughtless destructive consumption, with no regard for the community at large. This is made clear at the beginning, with footage of wartime destruction, and most overtly at the end, when the film is dedicated to “all those whose sole source of indignation is a trampled-on trifle.”

Why would someone think it’s one of the ten greatest movies ever made?

It’s a break with tradition, avante garde provocation buoyed by charismatic leads.

Next: Playtime