MY SWEET LITTLE VILLAGE
Czechoslovakia, 1985, 98 minutes, Colour.
Janos Ban, Marion Labuda.
Directed by Jiri Menzel.
My Sweet Little Village is a charming Czech film. It was nominated for Oscar for Best Foreign Film of 1986. Dylan Thomas created an imaginary Welsh town with a marvellous gallery in Under Milkwood. Czech writer-director Jiri Menzel does something of the same for Krecovice. It does not have Thomas's lilt, although the downbeat kindly doctor goes for a drive, orating poetry about the beautiful countryside. The characters are recognisable while eccentric. At the centre is a lanky, slow-witted but engaging worker and his short, stocky truck-mate. There is plenty of comedy and pathos.
1. Oscar nominee? Success in Czechoslovakia? International appeal? Humane and universal?
2. The Czech atmosphere: the village, the doctor's poetry, lyrical about the countryside? The people and their lives? The contrast with Prague? Editing, mood and pace?
3. The focus on the village and the details of its way of life? Poetic, humorous, sardonic view? Life, the day, the layout of the village, the locations of the people, their work? Human nature?
4. The start of the day, Pavek and Otik? Laurel and Hardy types? The bond between the two, friendship, work, walking in step, the mistakes, the laughter, the post breaking and the comment? Five years of working together, the desire to break the friendship after the harvest? The setting up of a dramatic tension?
5. Otik: in himself, his history, home and the old lady, the job, the room and the pictures, the doctor, going to Prague? His being lost? The office? Windows? His apartment and working in Prague? Pavek arriving? His happiness? The detail of character, incidents? A portrait?
6. The contrast with Pavek and his stockiness, work, his being a father to Otik, understanding the complaints, his own complaints, life at home, the meal, arguments, the discussion about Otik? Wife and grandmother? The television? His son and the PTA? Spying on the artist? The dance? The peep? Suicide? The doctor? The reconciliation with Otik and going to find him? In step? Detail of character and portrait?
7. The doctor and the cars, his accidents, his poetry, with the barman and the symptoms, his capacity for talk, drink? Sardonic? The running over? The talk about fidelity and the wife? The dog? His going to Pavek's son? The humour of the new car?
8. The office and the authorities, their ruling of the town, bureaucracy, talk, plans? The desire for Otik's house? Television at home and the watching of the film 'Harpoon'? The various officials and their interaction?
9. The official and his wife, his swimming, her carrying on? her lover and going to the pictures, the picnic and her husband's breathing, being exposed, the party and the fight, the bashing, the divorce? Her lover and his work in the town, economist, the supervisor and his work?
10. The accident, the statue? The teacher, the artist (and the painting of the house!), the sexual relationship? A combination of farce and comedy, the comedy with the truck, the salt, the seat? The fight? The dance? An amiable presentation of human nature?
