Summary
Director Vladimír Sís (Zpívající film – The Singing Film, 1972; Balada pro banditu – A Ballad for the Bandit, 1979; Barrandovské nocturno aneb Jak film zpíval a tančil – Barrandov Nocturne, or How a Film Danced and Sang, 1984) demonstrated his love for musical themes in this film dedicated to one of the most important figures in avant-garde theatre – playwright and author Emil František Burian (“E. F. B.”). The basic storyline centres around the inquisitive character David (Juraj Nvota), who is trying to learn as much about Burian as possible. He goes to an exhibition at the U Hybernů palace in Prague, where he and his girlfriend take in E. F. B.’s works as well as projects he inspired. Among these, for example, is a show by Boleslav Polívka called Trosečník (Castaway, 2000). Instead of editing in the traditional documentary style, Sís tried using a more dynamic form – half-fictitious, half-documentary collage – in a bid to show Burian’s creative personality from a wide variety of perspectives.
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