Monday, July 16, 2012

Dita Saxová (1968)

Dita Saxová (1968)
Dita Saxová (1968)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Drama
Director: Antonín Moskalyk
Starring: Krystyna Mikolajewska
Language: Czech
Duration: 103 min.
Rating: 7.7
Summary:
The story of a young Jewish girl who survives the horrors of WWII but finds difficulty adjusting to a normal life.
Dita Saxová is a film directed by Antonín Moskalyk, adapted from a novel by Czech author Arnošt Lustig. It screened at the 16th San Sebastian International Film Festival where it won the Silver Seashell award (tied with the Hungarian film Summer in the Mountains by Péter Bacsó).

"Life is not what we want, but what we have", goes the favorite saying of the film's title character. A beautiful eighteen-year-old Jewish girl (played by Polish actress Krystyna Mikolajewska), the only member of her family to survive the Nazi concentration camps. A profound quote, however it's obvious from the impassive way she utters them, that these are words she repeats merely out of habit, rather than as a guiding principle. Maybe there was a time when she still believed them, but it's clear that this is a girl who made it out of the war physically but not mentally intact.

Dita Saxová (1968)

The film takes place in late 1947 Prague, where Dita lives in a community sponsored girls' orphanage. She's well looked after, has close friends, supportive professors, and there are several suitors (Jirí Menzel plays one of them) chasing after her. The whole world and the rest of her life lies ahead of her, if only she could overcome her immense psychological trauma.

Shot by talented cinematographer Jaroslav Kucera, whose previous credits include seminal Czech New Wave titles Diamonds of the Night and Daisies, the film is wonderfully rendered in a widescreen sepia filtered black and white. Moskalyk takes full advantage of the scope format, strategically placing his impeccably costumed characters along the far edges, or utilizing depth of field to isolate them in the frame. He also utilizes a great variety of breathtaking locations, with scenes of the Danube and Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, and even a convincing recreation of the Swiss Alps.

There are also a number of remarkable long takes, the most memorable being a two minute sequence (seen in the clip above), set to the incredible music of composer Lubos Fisar, that follows Dita dancing alone in the foreground, with a continuously panning and circling camera that also reveals her bored and disinterested friends in the background.

Dita Saxová (1968)

Legend has it that the film's writer Arnost Lustig, originally tried to get Michelangelo Antonioni to direct, but he balked at the offered fee. Nevertheless, the influence of Antonioni on the film's visuals is very evident throughout. The stunning Krystyna Mikolajewska, who enjoyed a brief career in films all over the Eastern Bloc, plays the title role wearing a permanently detached cold stare, a mysterious mixture of anguish and indifference no doubt modeled after Italian icon Monica Vitti.

It's a stylishly crafted and atmospheric piece anchored by an icy and mesmerizing lead performance. Perhaps slightly too cold to feel a strong emotional connection with unlike similarly themed films of the era like the aforementioned Diamonds of the Night. It's also a very slow moving psychodrama that will not likely appeal to many. However I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the films of the 60s or the Czech New Wave.
Bonjour Tristesse
Dita Saxová (1968)

Dita Saxová (1968)

Dita Saxová (1968)

Dita Saxová (1968)

Dita Saxová (1968)

Dita Saxová (1968)

Dita Saxová (1968)

Dita Saxová (1968)

8 comments:

The Angry Lurker said...

The story sounds like a good one.....

Lesya said...

Yet again, a great recommendation from you. Thanks.

Lisa Thatcher said...

Oh this looks so beautiful. What an interesting face Krystyna Mikolajewska has. She looks both young and old at the same time.
This is a must see for me. That clip is stunning.
And I love the subject matter.
Thanks for a great review.

d_4 said...

I'm just gonna watch some more Czech new wave before I get to this one. Be sure I want to.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks for reading Lurker.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

It is a great little film. Thank you for visiting Lesya.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

She is intriguing, and she does look a bit too old to play 18, but then again her character survived 3 years in a concentration camp. So it makes sense. Thanks for visiting Lisa, I'm certain you will enjoy this one.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Before I'm done, I'm planning on doing a roundup of all the essential must see films. So if you haven't started you'll have an easy place to look.

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