Summary
After making an anthology film about the work of Czechoslovak border guards called Boty plné vody (Boots Full of Water, 1976) young director Jaroslav Soukup embarked on his feature film debut with Drsná Planina (Rough Life at Planina, 1979). Once again, Soukup returns to the short story format of author Rudolf Kalčík. The mandated pro-regime subject matter benefits from the director’s decision to enrich this tale with a distinctive, stylised point-of-view. The story again deals with South Bohemian border patrols stationed along the Iron Curtain, in this case taking place from 1946-1949. An almost documentary-like realness is created by Soukup in the movie. Instead of fearless and courageous heroes, convinced that they are defending the country’s borders against the dangerous enemy in the West, we are offered characters primarily battling with the frontiers of their own life opportunities amidst the unforgiving natural environment and a tough era filled with despair. The performances of the three leading actors, Jiří Bartoška, Ivan Vyskočil and Ladislav Potměšil, add to the authenticity of the work.
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