Summary
The 1980 Strahov Stadium Spartakiad performance by soldiers is the focus of Kluci z bronzu (The Bronze Boys), directed by Stanislav Strnad and premièred only a year later in the summer of 1981. Thanks to support from both the Czechoslovak People’s Army and the staff of the Spartakiad, The Bronze Boys featured documentary recordings from the mass gymnastics display, interwoven with the film's fictional framework. The main protagonist is Captain Chmelař (Ladislav Mrkvička). He has trained a whole divisional unit for the performance at giant Prague stadium, despite grappling with numerous obstacles along the way. These include the consequences of his own disciplinary lapses brought about by his relationship with schoolteacher Eva (Jitka Smutná). Chmelař decides to leave the army despite being useful and a favourite, but he is fortunately made to reconsider following the success of his loyal “boys” at Strahov. The high optimism presented by this film is counterbalanced by Věra Chytilová's documentary Praha – Neklidné srdce Evropy (Prague – The Restless Heart of Europe, 1984). It uses archive footage of the second performance, during which the soldiers went through their routine in a Strahov quagmire.
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