Black Peter

"May I ask?" - "But they're not playing..." - "Oh well. Then I'll come later." Even today, there are individuals like Pucholt's exhibition tatar Čenda. Moreover, anyone who has not experienced the feeling of slight loss on the journey of life has not experienced puberty. And it is precisely because of that, this experience from the position of an impartial observer is such a comfort. (04/01/2009)

After every other film from the Czechoslovak New Wave, I wonder how it’s possible that we’re not extinct. *** I still have an amusing memory of Black Peter from my university days, when at a college party a classmate glowingly explained the principles of the CNW to Indian and Korean students, which culminated in everyone high-fiving each other for immediately watching Black Peter, with the catch that I, who signed on to do the subtitles for the TV series, would translate it simultaneously. The Erasmus students picked up chips and beers and excitedly spread around the room in anticipation of the comedy that their classmate (perhaps Miloš?) had promised them. Sometime around the dialogue "Shall we dance?" "But there's no music." "Well, I'll come again." they had definitely become convinced that I didn't speak much English and was just making up the lines from scratch. So they slowly began dropping off, establishing a base on the balcony behind a wall of apologetic smiles. We finished the film with a classmate who kept insisting I keep translating from the English, even though there was no one to translate for. I didn't even mind, because as the Erasmians disappeared, so did the ban on smoking in the rooms. What was that classmate's name...? (09/12/2017)

A symphony of awkwardness, banality, everyday stereotypes, naivety, adolescent youth, and the rudeness of adults. In its time, this film literally represented a revolution because it broke all the ideas of what a film script and an engaged film should be. Today, it represents a classic for me that has not lost any of its impact even after half a century. The creators of the British series The Office brought this style to perfection, creating a much more compact work, where adolescent immaturity doesn't play a role but rather emphasizes the rudeness and awkwardness of adult characters in responsible positions. Overall impression: 75%. (03/03/2012)

The first feature film by Miloš Forman, in which you can see how perfectly he was able to capture the characters of our little world. Some scenes are almost absurd and sound enchanting, especially in the sense that we have similarly nonsensical conversations among ourselves. This film wonderfully reflects the time... However, it's quite amusing that even after 50 years, it hasn't lost any of its relevance. We still encounter similar people, and we are still compelled to do similar things. (22/01/2014)