Jaromil Jireš | |
|---|---|
 Jireš in 1986 | |
| Born | (1935-12-10)10 December 1935 |
| Died | 24 October 2001(2001-10-24) (aged 65) |
| Occupations | Film director,screenwriter |
| Years active | 1958–1999 |
Jaromil Jireš (10 December 1935 – 24 October 2001) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He was associated with theCzechoslovak New Wave movement.[1]
His 1963 filmThe Cry was entered into the1964 Cannes Film Festival.[2] It is often described as the first film of theCzechoslovak New Wave, a movement known for its dark humor, use of non-professional actors, and "art-cinema realism".[3]
Another of Jireš's prominent works isThe Joke (1969), adapted from a novel byMilan Kundera.[4] It tells the story of Ludvik Jahn, a man expelled from theCzechoslovak Communist Party for an idle joke to his girlfriend, and the revenge he later seeks through adultery. The film was produced during the political liberalization of the 1968Prague Spring and contains many scenes which satirize and criticize the country's communist leadership. Released after theWarsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, the film had initial success in theaters but was then banned by authorities for the next twenty years.Amos Vogel wrote that the film was "possibly the most shattering indictment of totalitarianism to come out of a Communist country".[5]
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), set in the early 19th century, was based on a novel byVítězslav Nezval. It is a film in aGothic style concerning the onset ofmenstruation and the sexual awakening of a thirteen-year-old girl.[6]
His 1979 filmThe Young Man and Moby Dick was entered into the11th Moscow International Film Festival.[7]
Following the Soviet takeover of Czechoslovakia, Jireš continued to work in the country, making less controversial material. In 1971, he directedMy Love to the Swallows, a World War II film about a Czech resistance fighter.[5] His 1982 filmIncomplete Eclipse was entered into the33rd Berlin International Film Festival.[8] He continued making films through the '80s and '90s, including ballet and opera documentaries for television.[5]
