Summary
The inevitability of transformation in the “regime change” year of 1989 was not only affirmed by the Velvet Revolution; confirmation also came from this black-and-white, ballad-like feature which marked the debut of three gifted students at Prague’s FAMU film school. These were director Zdeněk Tyc, script editor and screenwriter Jiří Soukup, and cameraman Jaromír Kačer. They take equal shares of the credit for creating such a movie. However, the conception of what was initially a student project was also influenced by script editor Ivan Arsenjev. Vojtěch, řečený sirotek (Vojtěch, Called Orphan) expressed a desire to return to the artistic and moral imperatives of the Czechoslovak New Wave; at the same time, it convincingly demonstrated the creative potential of a new generation that had not been allowed to succeed under the censorship of socialist cinematography. In the following years, it turned out that the “free” post-revolution era would be characterised by commercial considerations that would subordinate artistic films to the reality of the demand for large audiences and revenue. However, in the following decades, the creators of Vojtěch, zvaný sirotek remained – each in his own way, more or less – true to their ideals…. In their deeply inward manner, the creators returned to the poetics of the 1960s. Their story celebrates the natural but ultimately also self-destructive individual rebellion against the established order, whether embodied in representatives of the official judicial system or thieves – poachers. Vojtěch adheres to basic human values without regard to any system; however, he is unable to cope with the norms of society. The insecure hero experiences harmony only when in contact with nature. Still, he perceives socialisation as a necessity, at least while deciding between two women – the mature widow Blaženka and the young, sickly student Anežka. Yet the story of the freethinking loner can scarcely end in anything but tragedy. Petr Froman plays the leading role in this original feature, which enchanted audiences with its captivating visuals.
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