Black Peter

Black Peter is a wonderfully wry and provocative comedy about a young man growing up in a 1960s Czech provincial town. Taking the Best Film prize at the 1964 Locarno Film Festival, this early masterpiece of the emerging Czech New Wave brought to the screen something that Czechoslovak filmgoers weren't used to - an authentic testimony about the lives of young people. Forman made many important American films, but stayed true to his Czech roots. Black Peter, along with his other early works (which include his classic 1965 film A Blonde in Love), perfectly capture the authenticity and atmosphere of life in the eastern bloc during the early 60s, and the feelings of Czech teenagers in youthful rebellion on the cusp of the Prague Spring. (Second Run)