Mučedníci lásky
Directed by:
Jan NěmecCinematography:
Miroslav OndříčekCast:
Petr Kopřiva, Marta Kubišová, Jiří Reichel, Zdena Korčáková, Hana Kuberová, Karel Gott, Jan Klusák, Jan Krumbach, Jana Dufková, Josef Koníček, Denisa Dvořáková (more)Plots(1)
Riding the wave of international fame that came with his first two feature films, artistically emboldened, Němec turned to his first love – music – to try his hand at an enjoyable audience pleaser. Featuring pop stars Karel Gott and Marta Kubišová (who later became the director's second wife) in lead roles, with cameos by the two girls from Chytilová's Daisies and director Lindsay Anderson as traffic policeman, Martyrs of Love is the most perfect embodiment of Němec's vision of a film world independent of reality. The nearly dialogue-free music comedy about three timid lovers, which combines aesthetics of 1920s silent slapstick cinema with romantic music of the 1960s, cemented the director's reputation as the kind of unrestrained nonconformist the Communist establishment considered the most dangerous to their ideology. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)
(more)Reviews (2)
After Démantech noci, it is the second and almost definitive proof for me that Němcová's allegories are not for me. I will never like music that doesn't fit the atmosphere, trivial plots elevated to art by erasing dialogues, and characters that I almost hate due to their patched actions. These kinds of wedges into the viewers' heads, who love classical film, will always be there.
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When they show gems like this in film school, which I also happen to study, I begin to wonder whether I shouldn’t rather study ethics in a remote corner of the world; it would make a lot more sense than this masterpiece. Sorry Honza…
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