Ceeling

Věra Chytilová, 1961

Film at Filmový přehled

Summary

A medium-length 1962 student graduation film made during Věra Chytilová’s time studying film directing at Prague’s FAMU academy. It sees Chytilová return to the familiar world of modelling, having herself briefly worked in this profession. The protagonist of the story is Marta, who works as a mannequin and appears to be contented. But a chance meeting with a former medical student colleague – Marta having dropped out of the course – exposes a figurative “ceiling” which boxes in the young woman’s comfortable and successful existence. To a certain extent, the character of Marta mirrors the reality of the woman portraying her – non-actress Marta Kaňkovská. But the story is chiefly a fictional one, and its primary focus is Chytilová’s favourite theme, namely emancipation. For many of the female characters in Chytilová’s films battle, often in vain, to extricate themselves from an existential stereotype. This documentary-style film also features a number of future celebrities of the Czechoslovak New Wave film scene, including fellow FAMU students Jiří Menzel and Miloš Forman. Strop was released along with Chytilová’s 1962 film Pytel blech (A Bag of Fleas) under the joint title of U stropu je pytel blech (There’s a Bag of Fleas by the Ceiling).
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Film data

About a film

Production year 1961
Countries Czechoslovakia
Categories film
Genres narrative
Form feature
Duration 41 min
Director Věra Chytilová
Cast Marta Kaňovská, Julián Chytil, Jaroslav Satoranský, Josef Abrhám, Ladislav Mrkvička
Director of photography Jaromír Šofr
Screenplay Věra Chytilová
Editor Antonín Zelenka
Music Jan Klusák