Taste of Cinema's 35 Visually Stunning Czech/Slovak Films That Are Worth Your Time
Created by bjornam.
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"The cinema of former Czechoslovakia, as well as of current Czech Republic and Slovakia, is, perhaps, the richest and most visually striking of all Eastern Europe. Even though fun-as-bricks Commies have tried the best they could to stifle it, the zany and wonderful artistic visions found a way to reach the audience.
EDIT: Taste of Cinema changed the headline of this article to simply "The 35 Best Czech/Slovak Movies of All Time" at some point between when this list was posted and now. I'll keep the old title for now, it feels more humble and honestly less debatable.
From the very beginning, the traditions of visual audacity reigned supreme, due in a large part to cultural traditions rich in imagery, imagination, symbolism, and surrealism. From medieval castles to Kafka, from puppet theatre to theatre of the absurd-all the filmmakers had to do is mine the fantastic and hilarious cultural gold.
It may be noticed that a large portion of the films in this list are from the 1960’s. It really was the true Golden era of Czechoslovakian cinema. The so-called “Czech New Wave” rivals the French one in freshness of ideas and unique works. Slovakian cinema too came into prominence at that time. Though a Communist country, Czechoslovakia espoused a more humane and breathable variety.
It all changed after 1968, when Soviet tanks rolled in and the so-called “socialism with a human face” was crushed. The best filmmakers either left for the West (Milos Forman, Ivan Passer), were condemned to periods of silence and inactivity (Jan Svankmajer, Jan Nemec), or had to find ways to retain their creativity while not crossing the multiple taboos that the oppressive regime forced upon them.
Of course, the restrictions largely went away with the fall of Communism, but now new realities set in-those of market economy, changing political and societal structure, and competition with the worst of the West. The fact that they continue making worthwhile and creative works is the best testament to their talent and spirit.
A note-in this list, Czech and Slovak filmmakers are presented jointly. In reality, their visions, though equally striking, do differ. Czechs urbanized fairly early, and benefitted from both the dark medieval city streets and the “wonders” of technological revolution. Whereas, even for the large parts of XXth century, Slovakia remained more rural.
While both Czech and Slovak cinemas benefit greatly from surrealism motifs, their respective surrealisms are often as different as the city is from the village, though taking away nothing from the visual feast."
Missing from imdb: #22. Dies Irae (1972)/Insane Light (1973) and the overall cinema of Petr Skala
Vlacil's trilogy (Devil's Trap, Valley of the Bees, Marketa Lazarova) is given one entry in the source list.
EDIT: Taste of Cinema changed the headline of the source article to simply "The 35 Best Czech/Slovak Movies of All Time" at some point between when this list was posted and now. I'll keep the old title for now, I honestly feel it's more accurate :)
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1 new
Ekstase
1933 — a.k.a. Ecstasy, in 4 top lists Check -
2 new
Císaruv pekar - Pekaruv císar
1952 — a.k.a. The Emperor and the Golem, in 1 top list Check -
3 new
Staré povesti ceské
1953 — a.k.a. Old Czech Legends, in 2 top lists Check -
4 new
Lev a písnicka
1959 — a.k.a. The Lion and the Song, in 1 top list Check -
5 new
Baron Prásil
1962 — a.k.a. The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, in 1 top list Check -
6 new
Dáblova past
1962 — a.k.a. The Devil's Trap, in 2 top lists Check -
9 new
O necem jiném
1963 — a.k.a. Something Different, in 3 top lists Check -
13 new
Postava k podpírání
1963 — a.k.a. Joseph Kilian, in 2 top lists Check -
10 new
Bláznova kronika
1964 — a.k.a. The Jester's Tale, in 0 top lists Check -
11 new
Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera
1964 — a.k.a. Lemonade Joe, in 2 top lists Check -
12 new
...a pátý jezdec je Strach
1965 — a.k.a. ...and the Fifth Horseman Is Fear, in 2 top lists Check -
14 new
Intimní osvetlení
1965 — a.k.a. Intimate Lighting, in 5 top lists Check -
15 new
Perlicky na dne
1965 — a.k.a. Pearls of the Deep, in 2 top lists Check -
16 new
Kdo chce zabít Jessii?
1966 — a.k.a. Who Wants to Kill Jessie?, in 1 top list Check -
17 new
Ostre sledované vlaky
1966 — a.k.a. Closely Watched Trains, in 14 top lists Check -
18 new
Sedmikrásky
1966 — a.k.a. Daisies, in 19 top lists Check -
8 new
Marketa Lazarová
1967, in 9 top lists Check -
19 new
Panna zázracnica
1967 — a.k.a. Miraculous Virgin, in 0 top lists Check -
7 new
Údolí vcel
1968 — a.k.a. Valley of the Bees, in 3 top lists Check -
20 new
Zbehovia a pútnici
1968 — a.k.a. The Deserter and the Nomads, in 2 top lists Check -
22 new
Spalovac mrtvol
1969 — a.k.a. The Cremator, in 12 top lists Check -
21 new
Ucho
1970 — a.k.a. The Ear, in 4 top lists Check -
23 new
Valerie a týden divu
1970 — a.k.a. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, in 8 top lists Check -
24 new
Obrazy starého sveta
1972 — a.k.a. Pictures of the Old World, in 6 top lists Check -
25 new
Tri orísky pro Popelku
1973 — a.k.a. Three Wishes for Cinderella, in 1 top list Check -
27 new
Tajemství hradu v Karpatech
1981 — a.k.a. The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, in 0 top lists Check -
26 new
Moznosti dialogu
1983 — a.k.a. Dimensions of Dialogue, in 6 top lists Check -
28 new
Tisícrocná vcela
1983 — a.k.a. The Millennial Bee, in 1 top list Check -
29 new
Krvavý román
1993 — a.k.a. Horror Story, in 0 top lists Check -
30 new
Faust
1994, in 1 top list Check -
31 new
Kolja
1996 — a.k.a. Kolya, in 5 top lists Check -
32 new
Kytice
2000 — a.k.a. Wild Flowers, in 0 top lists Check -
33 new
Zelary
2003, in 1 top list Check -
34 new
Karamazovi
2008 — a.k.a. The Karamazov Brothers, in 0 top lists Check -
35 new
Na pude aneb Kdo má dneska narozeniny?
2009 — a.k.a. In the Attic: Who Has a Birthday Today?, in 1 top list Check -
36 new
Prezít svuj zivot (teorie a praxe)
2010 — a.k.a. Surviving Life, in 2 top lists Check
Last updated on May 23, 2016; source