Vera Chytilová: Daisies [Blu-ray]

Brittioriginaali, eli toimii normaalisti suomisoittimissa mutta ei suomitekstejä. Tekstit englanniksi. 

Presented from newly remastered materials, Second Run are delighted to present a new Blu-ray Special Edition of one of our most popular tiles - the glorious Daisies.

V ra Chytilová s classic of surrealist cinema is perhaps also the most adventurous and anarchic Czech movie of the 1960s.

A satirical, wild and irreverent story of rebellion. Two young women revolt against a degenerate, decayed and oppressive society, attacking symbols of wealth and bourgeois culture.

Defiant feminist statement? Nihilistic, avant-garde comedy? A riotous, punk-rock poem of a film that is both hilarious and mind-warpingly innovative, Daisies remains a cinematic enigma. Refreshingly uncompromising, it continues to provoke, stimulate and entertain audiences and its influence is still felt today.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• Daisies (Sedmikrásky, 1966) presented from a new HD transfer from original

materials by the Czech National Film Archive

• Audio Commentary by Daughters of Darkness Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger
• Audio Commentary by film historians Daniel Bird and Peter Hames
• Journey (Cesta, 2004): Jasmina Bla evi s acclaimed documentary film portrait of director V ra Chytilová
• Trailer
• Booklet with writing on the film by author and film programmer Peter Hames
• New and improved English subtitle translation

Region Free Blu-ray (A/B/C)

• Original soundtrack in Dual Mono 24-bit LPCM audio

Daisies by Chytilová

Vera Chytilová, like French Agnès Varda, is one of the still universally rare female Czech film directors, especially in the 1960's. By this, I do not mean to imply that female directors are not behaving like directors, but that their choice of topics and view of the world is bound to have, while not necessarly a gender, non- or anti-masculine touch, a certain feminine dimension.

Chytilová is best known for her Czech New Wave film Daisies (Sedmikrásky, 1966), which became also the film that established her international reputation. The film follows the antics of two characters, Marie I and Marie II, who engage in a series of destructive adventures in a surrealist atmosphere. Such techniques, in Chytilova's own words, "restrict [the spectator's] feeling of involvement and lead him to an under-standing of the underlying idea or philosophy."

Though famous for its experimentation in form and content, Daisies is also marked by witty imagery and visual puns, not unlike the work of the Dada artists of the 1920s who pushed the limits of artistic expression with cleverness and anarchic humor. Film historians point out Chytilová's debt to Luis Buñuel and other Surrealists. The inventive and visually striking cinematography is by Chytilová's second husband, Jaroslav Kucera.

Those familiar with Chytilova's background in philosophy discuss the film as nihilistic or existential, while cultural critics see it as a statement against materialism and consumerism in modern society. Others focus on the antics of the two Maries in search of a feminist reading. Daisies is clearly open to multiple interpretations that do not necessarily contradict each other, but exist as parallel readings of a complex film. ''

''Though completed in 1966, Daisies was not released for a year. Bureaucrats and politicians were disliked the film, most likely because of its complexities and avant-garde style. Officially, one deputy from the Czech National Assembly complained that the imagery of the film revealed a wastage of food (scenes at the banquet setting). As soon as it was released, Daisies won the Grand Prix at the film festival in Bergamo. This would become the pattern of Chytilová's career--while gaining recognition for her work on an international level, she obtained no further state funds in her own country.

PS Let me take this occasion to remind my readers that my grading of films is often a mixture between artistic valuation and historical relevance. Also, I am often short of space - reviews are meant to be kept to a certain average length, with amazon quite tolerant. In some cases like Daisies, I need to reduce my aspects to keep to my length - but then, there is the internet right at your fingertips, and if you start searching for more on the subject, you make me happy, as there is plenty more, easily accessible, and mostly worthwhile.

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