Dir: Ivan Passer | 71’ Drama 1965
Czechoslovakia contributed several substantial talents both to the British and the American cinemas; not least cinematographer Miroslav Ondricek, one of the two cameramen on this Chekovian chamber piece.
Ivan Passer may have failed to achieve the heights managed by his compatriot Milos Forman upon his later arrival in Hollywood, but he did manage a couple of notable productions and this was considered one of most memorable films of the Czech New Wave.
The Czech cinema of the sixties was always marked by a rather low-keyed whimsical tone, aptly demonstrated by this – Passer’s first full-length feature – detailing a small provincial gathering of musicians who gather one weekend.
Developed at a leisurely pace, not a lot really happens but the experience manages to be quite agreeable. @RichardChatten