Cry

Czechoslovak cinema was reinforced in 1963 by the emergence of Jaromil Jireš. He made his directing debut with a simple narrative based on a book by Ludvík Aškenazy (who also wrote the screenplay). Similarly to contemporaries at Prague’s FAMU film academy, this talented young filmmaker was influenced by the documentary approach to making feature films. The protagonists in Křik (The Cry), husband and wife Slávek and Ivana, experience a rather important day in their lives during which they are separated from each other. Ivana lies in the delivery room giving birth to their first child, while Slávek is repairing televisions at work. The spouses dwell on themselves and the life they have up until now experienced with each other. Jireš and cameraman Jaroslav Kučera use a hidden camera perspective, something that was quite unusual at the time. The director also uses non-actors to add authenticity to the narrative. Slávek is, however, played by the experienced Josef Abrhám. The motion picture earned Jireš the Special Recognition for a Young Director award at the XVII Cannes Film Festival in 1964.