Summary
Director Antonín Máša was among the artists whose creative career was almost brought to an end by the advent of “normalisation” that followed the events of 1968. He directed only two films in the 1970s, but he then made a belated return with Skřivánčí ticho (Silence of Larks, 1989). The film, for which Máša also wrote the screenplay, shared with other productions the unenviable fate of having been created before November 1989 but released to cinemas after the Velvet Revolution (cinemagoers were spoilt for choice as films flooded into the newly opened market). As a result, this tale of classical music composer Chvála, who tries in vain to find the necessary peace for his work in his native village, failed to impress critics or find an audience. The lead role of the composer whose demanding compositions remain misunderstood was played by Ladislav Frej. The role of the composer’s brother, the venal and deceitful village official Venda, allowed Petr Čepek a rare opportunity to play the villain. Čepek also performed in Máša’s last film, the drama Byli jsme to my? (Were We Really Like This?, 1990).
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