Thursday, July 5, 2012

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)
Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Drama
Director:Jerzy Skolimowski, Peter Solan, Zbynek Brynych
Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Joanna Szczerbic, Viera Strnisková, Jirí Holý, Jozef Kroner, Ljuba Hermanová.
Language: Slovak
Duration: 78 min.
Rating: 6.5
Summary:
Three episodes by different directors, in which couples aged 20, 40, and 60 discuss the questions of love and marriage with the same dialog.
Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)
Dialóg 20-40-60 is a film in three parts written by Slovak screenwriter Tibor Vichta, and directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, Peter Solan (Before Tonight Is Over), and Zbynek Brynych (The Fifth Horseman is Fear). It explores the relationship of three couples from different generations, using the same written dialog.

It's an experimental work with an intriguing premise that could have been brilliant, but doesn't quite hold up as a whole. The dialog tries to be comical and ironic, but isn't all that interesting the first time around, so by the third repetition, the gimmick has long worn out its welcome. The characters are also barely real people, who for the most part do and say nonsensical things, so it's difficult to really get invested into what little story is presented in these sketches.

If you are a fan of the era, then it is still worth checking out for curiosity's sake. There's a great upbeat jazz rock soundtrack composed by Branislav Hronec that ties everything together. Though, most noteworthy is the appearance in the first segment (directed by Polish helmer Jerzy Skolimowski), of French New Wave star Jean-Pierre Léaud, who plays a singer in a big band arriving home after a performance to find an unexpected stranger in his apartment. The second part, shot by Slovak director Peter Solan, is the most straightforward one, with the strongest dramatic thread, but does tend to drag on without purpose, and unfortunately uses the same punchline as the first.

While the final segment, directed by Czech filmmaker Zbynek Brynych, is the most poetic and enigmatic of the three. Comprised of noirish visuals with lots of closeups and shadows, it stars Josef Kroner (The Shop on Main Street) as an old man who seems to be trying to recall memories from his past.
Bonjour Tristesse
Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

Dialóg 20-40-60 (1968)

7 comments:

Pappu said...
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Lisa Thatcher said...

My god - WHAT a concept!
That is such a good idea - to use the same dialogue over three generations. The stills look fantastic as well. What a hjuge shame that it didn't quite work. Im seeking this out anyway. The idea alone is enough for me to want to take a look.

The Angry Lurker said...

A good idea but maybe for me and late night TV!

d_4 said...

I was really loving the idea behind it. The same idea under different generations. I have to wonder if maybe speaking the language yourself might make the watch worth while.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah the idea ended up better than the execution, but I think you would still enjoy this.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I doubt you'll come across this one on late night tele, unless maybe you're on vacation in Bratislava :)

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I admit that's a possibility, but there's also the fact that this film only carries a 52% rating on the Czechoslovak equivalent to IMDb...

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