NinadeL

A thoroughly entertaining operetta, apparently dehumanized by the alleged ravages of time. Yes, Czech film operettas are a completely different experience than other contemporary productions, but understanding that this is not a serious work should not be such a problem. The story of a trio of couples whose love affair culminates over the holiday of St. Anthony is, in its abstract form, the typical stuff of light musical entertainment theater since at least the mid-19th century. The contrasting encounters between modern people (here a Czech-American and a journalist) and the distinctive figures of Slovácko are successful caricatures on both sides. Those proclaimed painted nails of Ljuba Hermanová are not so dramatic, considering that this is a B&W film and there is no detail on her hand in the entire film. The fact that she functions as the female mayor of an entire village (and referee in matters of love) deserves much more attention. The parody of big-city journalist Franta Paul is something that today's media studios would love to play with. Dohnal and Pospíšil are a classic pair of passionate youths. Dohnal is a charming young comedian who prefers coffee above all else, and Pospíšil's fresh voice gives this film a really strong relationship with its original musical score by Jára Beneš. The operetta diva Alena Frimlová, who makes her debut in the film, also represents an ideal link between the original theatrical form and the film adaptation; in addition to her great voice, she also looks great and caricatures her Czech-American character so well that all others must be compared with her version. And Hana Vítová is classically pleasant. It should be added that while the style of operettas in Czech film had been determined mainly by Piskáček, the arrival of Beneš and later Stelibský turned this genre into something excellent.

Czech film had no experience with contemporary operettas by Oscar Strauss. It is therefore very easy to misunderstand this great narrative film. Czech film of the 1930s had a hard time finding its relationship to operetta; the original film operetta was written by Piskáček and the most popular pieces were the ones that were the most human. It was therefore natural for someone who had always felt cosmopolitan to turn to the latest international piece, which premiered in Berlin in the autumn of 1932. And indeed, within two years, two simultaneous language versions of A Woman Who Knows What She Wants were released. Binovec cast one of his many delicate discoveries, Markéta Krausová, in the lead role. We can only regret that she preferred the theater, as this way, we are left with only a fraction of her art in cinema.

A beautiful modern operetta. Oscar Straus wrote "A Woman Who Knows What She Wants" in 1932, based on the 1920 novel "Mademoiselle ma mère" by Louise Verneuil. Today, this film helps us follow the development of operetta in the 1930s in unsuspected detail. The wonderful subject follows the classic problem of the modern woman - the family or career? This operetta has a very clear answer. The gorgeous Lil Dagover reigns supreme once again in the lead role, as she is simply amazing. By this time, she had already made her only American film, The Woman from Monte Carlo, as well as Empress Sisi, and had already established her place in European sound film. Of the male actors, Anton Wohlbrück, the future Walbrook, shines above them all in full glory.

I am, of course, fascinated by the general theme of the role of women in the Third Reich, but if we have separate books and films dedicated to all the secretaries of Hitler, Goebbels and Göring, is it possible to perceive Brunhilde Pomsel differently? Individually? Hitler's suite of loyal ladies was supplemented at the end of the war by the addition of Traudl Junge from Munich, while Goebbels recruited a former radio reporter, and Göring got Louise Fox. Those who were barely twenty years old during the war mostly grew up in the Bund Deutscher Mädel, while the older ones were marked by hardship during or after World War I. The stories are all very similar to each other. However, I'm afraid that today's generation no longer understands them. The previous generation at least had to face a black-and-white interpretation. It is therefore up to us to make present the destinies of individuals despite the passage of time. This documentary is handled somewhat differently than Blind Spot. Hitler's Secretary, but it depends mainly on how deeply you understand the subject matter.

Angels in America is a series adaptation of the famous 1993 stage play. Tony Kushner's play won the Pulitzer Prize (an award given for new works of art significant to American culture, now transcending literary genres, a tradition since 1917). Which explains a lot. The lead acting trio of Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Emma Thompson is great and beyond their typical casting. Even the young actors proved that they were well chosen. Their other work has found success, for example, on Showtime. The subject matter is really dense, linking AIDS sounding the alarm across the gay community with the question of the religious identity of Mormons outside their home state of Utah. It really pays to have a grasp of modern US history, because otherwise, you will have absolutely no idea what this is all about. On the other hand, it's so crazy that you can't be sure of anything. However, there is one major flaw in it. There's virtually no reference to the fact that this all takes place in the mid-1980s and only the final epilogue specifies the time period to five years later, 1990, which is simply inconsistent. The discourse around AIDS has been different in each decade and we need to be aware of the shift in time.

The serial retelling of Gereon Rath's second case, "The Silent Death", is the next step for the attractive late-Wimmerian series Babylon Berlin. The seemingly exquisite setting of the film studios in Babelsberg, the advent of sound film, the escalating political situation, the impending stock market crash, and many other themes offer a truly extraordinary experience. Unfortunately, with such an ambitious project, you have to please everyone and everything and the final product is not consistent enough. When I looked at the book's premise, I realized that Volker Kutscher had basically written a simple linear retro crime novel with a naive romantic storyline. Viewers of the series unfamiliar with the book would be very surprised at how uncomplicated the prescribed romance between Gereon and Lotte is... We thus have to put all the extra credit on the filmmakers, who have a responsibility to the widest possible audience. Some of the episodes were great, others weaker, and the final double finale was very far-fetched. We did see the spectacular premiere of the late expressionist film Dämonen der Leidenschaft, which Lilian Harvey was also present at, but by far the strongest impression left on me was the legend of Hans Westmar, the future martyr of the NSDAP, inserted into the fictional story.

For someone who prefers to avoid all sorts of Shakespeare updates, this Richard III charmed me on the first listen. This is really just a loose adaptation set in a fictional fascist England of the 1930s, and only the number of great period songs can compete with the number of murders. Moreover, the cast is generous indeed - Bening and Scott Thomas are wonderful in addition to the demonic McKellen, but we also get Maggie Smith and Robert Downey Jr.

Of Tolstoy, filmmakers loved "Anna Karenina", "Kreutzer Sonata"... and "War and Peace." In this lavish, widescreen, colorful and overlong version, we follow the famous story from Slavkov to 1820. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, the attractive events follow several young marriages, loves, and other entanglements, and everyone is satisfied. The actors have their parts to play, today's viewer is happy to make a series out of the film, and even Audrey Hepburn doesn't get in the way here, as the empire is really tolerant of her silhouette. Even Anita Ekberg is not yet vulgar, and Mel Ferrer is as beautiful as a doll.

I've been looking forward to Branagh's Hamlet ever since it came on TV. Today, I don't feel that the wait for this was worth it. Branagh's version has its own ideas, and the all-star team recites the famous verses as best they can, but the whole thing is an experimental fake that lacks depth.

Redford's famous hit film based on Nick Evans. An A-list cast for the time (Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill) and a great human story, what more could you ask for? Perhaps only that it doesn't run out of steam (the film is incredibly slow for today’s standards) and that we don't feel that Scarlett Johansson is the only familiar face today. 20 years can't be that much of a time gap.