Tribute to Zdeněk Liška 2022 / Ovoce stromů rajských jíme / Czechoslovakia, Belgium 1969
One of the cinematic masterpieces of the Czechoslovak New Wave, Fruit of Paradise is a highly stylised blend of detective story, parable and comedy of morals. For this project director Věra Chytilová brought together the same team she had worked with on her previous endeavour, Daisies, namely film designer and screenwriter Ester Krumbachová and cinematographer Jaroslav Kučera.
One of the cinematic masterpieces of the Czechoslovak New Wave, Fruit of Paradise is a highly stylised blend of detective story, parable and comedy of morals. Here Věra Chytilová brought together the same team she had worked with on her previous project Daisies: film designer and screenwriter Ester Krumbachová and cameraman Jaroslav Kučera. The woman Eva and the man Josef live in the ambiguous environment of a guest house with a garden; here, Eva encounters the mysterious Robert. Tempted by thoughts of infidelity, she soon realises Robert is a murderer of women. The mythical nature of the story is enhanced by remarkable visual experimentation. The sense of hopelessness and cathartic release only reinforces the experience of Zdeněk Liška’s music as something quite exceptional.
Pavel Klusák
95 min / Color, DCP
Director Věra Chytilová
/ Screenplay Ester Krumbachová, Věra Chytilová
/ Dir. of Photography Jaroslav Kučera
/ Music Zdeněk Liška
/ Sound Ladislav Hausdorf
/ Editor Miroslav Hájek
/ Production Filmové studio Barrandov
/ Cast Jitka Nováková, Karel Novák, Jan Schmid, Eva Gabrielová, Julius Albert, Blanka Hušková, Luděk Sobota, Jaromír Vomáčka, Alice Auspergerová, Josef Somr, Jan Klus
/ Sales Národní filmový archiv
Věra Chytilová (1929, Ostrava – 2014, Prague). Selected filmography: Something Different (1963), Pearls of the Deep (1965), Daisies (1966), Fruit of Paradise (1969), The Apple Game (1976), Prefab Story (1979), Calamity (1980), Faun’s Very Late Afternoon (1983), Snowball Reaction (1988), The Inheritance (1992).
Národní filmový archiv
Závišova 5, 140 00, Praha 4
Czech Republic
E-mail: [email protected]
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