The Eclipse Viewer – Episode 32 – Pearls of the Czech New Wave [Part 2]

Criterion Cast: The Eclipse Viewer

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 – 00:08:05)

Return of the Prodigal Son (00:08:06 – 00:46:16)

Capricious Summer (00:46:17 – 01:05:55)

The Joke (01:05:56 – 01:24:08)

Conclusion (01:24:09 – 01:40:01)

Buy The Box Set On Amazon:

Episode Links

Czech New Wave Links

• History page on Brittanica.com
• Lisa’s Academic Film Archive article by Lisa Draski
• The New Wave and Beyond: Czech Cinematic Classics on The Culture Trip

Box Set Reviews

• Next Projection review by Rowena Santos Aquino
• Wall Street Journal review by David Mermelstein

Return of the Prodigal Son

• David’s Criterion Reflections review
• Nursing Shorelines review by TJ
• I Love Czech Film review by eugenehl

Evald Schorm (director)

• Director Biography on CSFD.cz
• Evald Schorm – Moviemaker on Karamazovi.cz

Capricious Summer

• David’s Journey through the Eclipse Series review
• dcpfilm review by anonymous
• E Street Film Society review by Daniel Barnes
• Expats.cz review by Jason Pirodsky

Jiri Menzel (director)

• Director page on Central Europe Review
• Guardian interview (2008) by Steve Rose

The Joke

• David’s Journey through the Eclipse Series review
• New York Times review (1969) by Vincent Canby
• Eastern European Film review by Francisco Lopez

Jaromil Jires (director)

• Film Reference page
• Obituary (2001) from The Guardian by Ronald Bergen

Next time on the podcast: Eclipse Series 36: Three Wicked Melodramas from Gainsborough Pictures

Contact us

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