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| Czechoslovak New Wave | |
|---|---|
 Polish poster ofFiremen's Ball byMiloš Forman | |
| Years active | 1960s |
| Location | Czechoslovakia |
| Major figures | Miloš Forman,Jiří Menzel,Věra Chytilová,Ivan Passer,Jan Němec,Jaromil Jireš |
| Influences | Devětsil, political liberalization of Czechoslovakia leading up to thePrague Spring |
TheCzechoslovak New Wave[α] (alsoCzech/Slovak New Wave[β]) is a term used for the Czechoslovak filmmakers who started making films in the 1960s. The directors commonly included areMiloš Forman,Věra Chytilová,Jan Švankmajer,Ivan Passer,Pavel Juráček,Jiří Menzel,Jan Němec,Jaromil Jireš,Evald Schorm,Hynek Bočan,Juraj Herz,Juraj Jakubisko,Štefan Uher,František Vláčil and others. The movement was sometimes called the "Czechoslovak film miracle".
The films touched on themes which for earlier film makers in thecommunist countries had rarely managed to avoid the objections of the censor, such as the misguided youths of Czechoslovak society portrayed inMiloš Forman'sBlack Peter (1963) andLoves of a Blonde (1965), or those caught in a surrealistic whirlwind inVěra Chytilová'sDaisies (1966) andJaromil Jireš'Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970). The films often expressed dark and absurd humour in opposition tosocialist realist films of the 1950s.
The Czechoslovak New Wave differed from theFrench New Wave in that it usually held stronger narratives, and as these directors were the children of a nationalized film industry, they had greater access to studios and state funding. They also made more adaptations, includingJaromil Jireš'sadaptation ofMilan Kundera's novelThe Joke (1969). At the Fourth Congress of the Czechoslovak Writers UnionSvaz československých spisovatelů [cs] in 1967,Milan Kundera described this wave of national cinema as an important part of the history ofCzechoslovak literature.[1] Forman'sThe Firemen's Ball (1967), another major film of the era, remains acult film more than four decades after its release.
The majority of films shot during the New Wave were Czech-language as opposed toSlovak. Many directors came from the prestigiousFAMU, located in Prague, while the state-runBarrandov Studios were located just on the outskirts of Prague. Some prominent Czech directors includedMiloš Forman, who directedThe Firemen's Ball,Black Peter, andLoves of a Blonde during this time,Věra Chytilová who is best known for her filmDaisies,[2] andJiří Menzel, whose filmClosely Watched Trains (Ostře sledované vlaky 1966) won anAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[3][4]
The Shop on Main Street (1965) won theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1966,[5][6] although it is not considered part of the New Wave, because it was directed byJán Kadár andElmar Klos, who were a generation older, and the film is fairly traditional.Juraj Herz,Juraj Jakubisko,Štefan Uher andDušan Hanák were Slovak filmmakers who were part of the New Wave.
