Thanks to Szwagier and his blog at Avantgardening, I've been watching this over and over. A piece of subtle 1970s Eastern European comic genius. I recommend going and having a look: I did, and I keep going back and watching it again and again. I've laughed out loud every time.
Update: Sunday morning, get out of bed. Have a wash, drink some water and have a cup of green tea. Browse the net for a few minutes. Get ready to go to the shops to buy some items for a late breakfast. Realise, something's missing...click on the link to watch Jozin z Bazin once again, and feel a sense of completeness. Now I can get on with the day. Is this getting out of control?
The Hösen few
About Me
The Hösen few
Loiter with intent
- anna mr
- anticant
- avantgardening
- b
- beautiful world
- benches
- but why
- caroline smailes
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- chasing sheep
- comfort food
- djkirkby
- fire byrd 897
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- ms melancholy
- queen vixen
- signs
- stray
- that's so pants
- the periodic englishman
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- wayfarer scientista
- zhisou
- zola
24 comments:
I'm.... honoured. We should really be thanking my ex, though. She showed it to me. And so the chain goes on.
I might suggest, incidentally, that if your local arthouse cinema happens to show any Czech comedies, even with subtitles, they're worth it more often than not.
At worst you'll leave with a sort of wry smile and a lot of question marks, while at best some splitting of sides is not contraindicated.
I remember every so often an "obscure" piece of Czech and other E. European animation would be shown on tv when I was a child. I alsways used to think, oh not another one of those and, more often than not it used to be brilliant.
One which stood out was called something like "Shoving." It had a series of people (well, more like strange animated creature-beings) all in a line and, in time with a deliciously haunting minor-key melody, one person/thing would shove the next one. When it got to the end of the line the last one would fall off the edge of a cliff, the rest would shuffle up and the whole routine would start again.
Along the way, each person/thing's oddities and quirks would be revealed more and more as the whole shoving/ last one falling/ the rest shuffling up again routine continued.
It was a delight, I only saw it the once and my above description couldn't possibly do it any justice. I might go a-hunting on youtube...
It doesn't really count as comedy, although there are certainly some comic moments, but if you haven't come across Jan Svankmajer's work before - I believe there's one of his short animations in the Tate Modern at least - then you should really give it a go. Much much darker than Jozin z bazin, it's still highly entertaining. I particularly recommend Conspirators of Pleasure, which has some very fine moments among the general surrealist weirdness. It also doesn't require subtitles or dubbing, as there's no dialogue. Keep an eye out for it.
Well 'Like a Czech film' is Polish slang for 'S.N.A.F.U.'.
Says it all.
I'll second Szwag's recommendation. Svankmayer's stuff really is excellent. Check out Lunacy, too, if you get a chance. Quite dark, and very very good.
It's the wobbly dancing bloke that gets me. But then I'm half Polish.
Erm.
How... very... erm...
Erm.
That's very interesting, Böbø, because my ex, who pointed this out to me, is 100% POlish and she tells me it has a large cult following in Poland, too.
But why? - that's a very promising first impression. :o) It'll grow on you.
Meanwhile, I've said this till I'm blue in the face, but if any of you ever get to a chance to beg, borrow, or steal, or just see, a Czech film called Rok d'abla (Year of the Devil), then... see it. It's quite the most wonderful film ever made. And the director, Petr Zelenka, hasn't made a bad film yet (this was his second major one, I believe).
Remember, Rok d'abla. I absolutely guaran-f*****g-tee you've never seen anything like it.
Has echoes of the Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band.... or am I just showing my age.
You do have a weird sense of the absurd, don't you.
pxx
I'll definitely check those out szwag and nell, sounds very promising. Plus I think I'm becoming obsessed with Jozin z Bazin (I was having a walk round earlier today and was chuckling out loud every time I thought of it: and I've just been to have another look) so it would probably do me good to have a look at something else.
Year of the Devil sounds good too - I haven't actually seen you go on about it before, honestly, but you're doing a good job of selling it to me. No need to censor the word "flipping" though :)
Hahah, I like that merk, I'm going to make it a goal of mine to drop that into conversation at the earliest opportunity.
bobo, the wobbly dancing bloke is incredible - and this is from someone who isn't Polish in either fractions or decimal. I'm going to make it a goal of mine to dance like that at the earliest opportunity.
but wh, erm...
pixie, yes it does have that kind of flavour to it. Am I showing my age by agreeing?
Which makes me think: would age be an issue if we didn't make reference to it? An idle visitor to this blog might otherwise have assumed we were all in (say) our mid twenties and just very knowledgeable...
your going to dance like that....OMG! will it take the full alcohol intake or can you do it sober?
pxx
I don't know pixie, I don't know. Anything can happen once the mood takes me...
Very enjoyable but perhaps a bit too subtle for me, Trousers. I get the idea that it could kind of grow on you. But would I want it to? The answer must clearly be yes as I too would like to begin the day with a sense of comleteness. Hm.
Hi signs, I don't often begin the day with a sense of completeness - far from it - so there must be something to be said for Czech comedy, no?
We must be broadly the same age trousers, cos I too remember the absurd Czech animations from my childhood. I do think you might benefit from talking to someone about your compulsion to watch this daily though....
For anyone who's interested, I've actually had a go at translating the lyrics of this masterwork. My translation won't win any prizes, but it will give you a good idea of what's going on,
Incidentally - Here is the plot synopsis for Year of the Devil
Lovely to see you round this way again Ms M! Yes I do believe we're of a similar age; meanwhile, is there a psychotherapist you would recommend?
Szwag, thanks for linking (not to mention translating) above and beyond the call of duty. By the way, I realised I've seen some of Svankmayer's work, a friend has a DVD and we watched a fair number of them. I did enjoy them very much, and they do have a deliciously dark edge: I just think I would have been better off not being terribly hungover at the time :)
If it is comedy of any sort, genius or otherwise, I'd best just not bother to avoid feeling inadequate! When you've finished laughing come on over to my blog and join in the party, bring a few freinds if you want!
Dude in the brown suit with beard rocks! Get some help trousers :0) Its funny, and obviously becoming something of a self soothing mechanism for you. I do get it!
Darts is good.
More darts.
Hi dj, I'd just sauntered over to your place by the time you posted that, perhaps a bit of bloggy serendipity - it was really good to read that post of yours. Do check out the link as well, it's comedy but not jokes: you might laugh, but you won't know til you go and have a look :)
Correct qv, the dude does rock. Yes it's self-soothing - I find myself singing what little I know of the lyrics whilst at work. Haven't had any funny looks yet :)
zola, please write a post detailing your full and comprehensive thoughts on the subject of darts. Oh, go on.
Please.
Stop clicking on the link and write a post!
Your wish is my command...
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