gudaulin

David Cronenberg had been considering an adaptation of the famous William S. Burroughs novel for a long time, but he didn't know how to make it and with what resources. Despite the diametrical differences in the environments that shaped them and the differences in their personalities, both creators are united by a high level of creativity and a refusal to be bound by conventions and prejudices. Given his and the writer's reputation and the scandalous content of the work, he understandably could not secure the support of major studios. The adventures surrounding the making of the film could be the subject of another movie. Because Naked Lunch is essentially a surrealist affair that can only be literally filmed as an animated film or an extremely expensive digitally created blockbuster without a chance of box office success, Cronenberg wrote a screenplay that used the literary source material only as a starting point. It's a film about how writer William Lee, aka Burroughs, writes Naked Lunch, the creative struggles he experiences, and how he's plagued by demons of drug addiction and sexual fantasies. Dream visions and drug hallucinations often appear. This provocative, hard-to-digest film, which is definitely not for everyone, received enthusiastic acclaim from critics and won several professional awards, but logically failed commercially. The central theme of Cronenberg's film is loneliness and the resulting frustration of a highly talented individual surrounded and threatened by a conventional environment. Overall impression: 95%. Acting-wise, Peter Weller and Judy Davis had great performances.

David Cronenberg is a director whose work corresponds to my ideas about the sci-fi genre, and his style, which deals with mysterious elements, atmosphere, and morbid ideas, has thrilled me in many cases. EXistenZ is his fantastic piece, where the cast, performances, screenplay, and individual visual elements have come together to create a work that I have nourished within myself for many months. In the film, reality seamlessly merges into a dream without warning the viewer, and the protagonists themselves do not know whether they are connected to a computer game in virtual reality or experiencing real emotions and events. "You don't have to kill me," says one of the heroes, and immediately adds, "but tell me, are we still playing the game?" The film raises a number of questions about the extent to which technologies controlling the human mind can go and the price of human life. Overall impression: 95%.

I saw the film City Zero briefly in the summer of 1989, just before the fall of real socialism, and it was a significant cinematic experience for me. I was familiar with the feeling of absurdity and immobility from real life as I had just graduated and had fresh experiences from working in a system-affected factory. Many scenes and dialogues fascinated me and stayed in my memory. I would say it is one of the greatest cinematic experiences I have ever had, but I have not seen the film since then and with such a long time gap, I hesitate to add it to my favorites. With a note on the significant time gap - 80% of the overall impression. The film accurately depicted the madness of the system.

This film caused quite a stir in the film world at the time and was successfully shown in dozens of countries. Karel Zeman became a figure in the film industry, and if he didn't work behind the Iron Curtain, he would probably have had a great career and child actors would have become recognized stars. The exceptionally well-made special effects scenes with attractive images of prehistoric animals still make the film an interesting piece and a remarkable reminder of film history today. However, the script is flat with a didactic intention that is obvious over time. In many aspects (exclusively Czech cast, scout ideals, desire for adventure), the film reminds and probably intentionally draws on Foglar's work. Overall impression: 70%.

Bláznova kronika may not have as distinct a storyline as, for example, The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, and it may not be as visually elaborate as The Fabulous World of Jules Verne, but personally, I have a closer connection to it because it deals with a time period that has always interested me and approaches it with a great deal of humor typical of Karel Zeman's work. It portrays the Thirty Years' War to the audience with unmistakable irony. The opportunistic nobleman, who changes allegiance as easily as the wind turns the weather vane on his estate, has written on his shield, "Fidelity is my virtue." The mercenary changes his allegiance after his capture simply by changing his coat, and gives the novice instructions on military loot, which under no circumstances should be considered theft - these and many other scenes have stayed in my memory and contributed to my enjoyment of Bláznova kronika. The film's success was also due to the strong cast led by Petr Kostka and Miroslav Holub. Overall impression: 90%.

Incredible geyser of visual fantasy and unique artistic ideas combined with top-notch acting led by Miloš Kopecký as Baron Prášil. Excellent script, camera, editing, simply from my perspective, this film does not have any visible flaw even after decades. A tribute to old Mr. Melies. Overall impression: 90%.

I would say that this is one of the absolute highlights of rich Czech animated productions. It's a dark substance, appreciated more by those who are more mature and ideally by adults, but that's fine in the end because fairy tales in the original sense of the word meant stories mainly orally transmitted to adults. There is tension, courage, self-sacrifice, and a big dose of romance in it. This film fascinated me as a boy and I love coming back to it today. The artistic treatment is also amazing, and it is one of the peaks of classical flat animation. Overall impression: 100%. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is one of the rare cases where the film triumphs over the book. It has plenty of fantasy, but it also has a horror visual stylization that adds to its impact.