All My Good Countrymen (Vsichni dobrí rodáci)
Directed by Vojtech Jasny
Written by Vojtech Jasny
1969/Czechoslovakia
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel
“The moon does not care if the dog barks at it.” — Czech proverb
This film, perhaps the last of the Czech New Wave, mixes savage political commentary, black comedy, and poetic imagery.
The story follows life in a rural Czech village from 1948-68. The villagers’ customs and manual farming methods could have been used in any of the last three hundred years. Their peace, so recently broken by the Nazis, is now blasted by a growing communist movement. Finally, most farmers and small entrepreneurs are collectivized out of existence. Thugs use threats to gain Party loyalty. Rebels disappear suddenly.
We get some black comedy in a plot thread that follows a young “Merry Widow” as each of her many boyfriends and husbands meet with sudden accidents and worse. We also get plenty of absolutely lyrical scenes in the fields and within the village.
This was a pleasure to watch and a nice way to end my viewing of 1969. Recommended.
Clip – no subtitles
