Thursday, July 19, 2012

Dragon's Return (1968)

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)
Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)
Czech New Wave
Genre: Drama
Director: Eduard Grečner
Starring: Radovan Lukavský, Emília Vášáryová, Gustav Valach
Language: Czech, Slovak
Duration: 81 min.
Rating: 8.3
Summary:
A ballad of love, hatred, and desire to escape from loneliness. The story of a reclusive potter, who returns, years after being shunned by his village.
Dragon's Return is a film directed by Eduard Grečner, adapted from a novel by Slovak author Dobroslav Chrobák. Grečner got his start as an assistant to Stefan Uher. Most notably working on the latter's The Sun in a Net (1962), the film considered by many, including Milos Forman, to be the first film of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Dragon's Return was Grečner's third feature film, and the last one he was able to make before being banned in 1968 for publishing a controversial magazine article.

The story is a simple one, set in medieval times, in a small village near the Tatra mountain range bordering Slovakia and Poland. Where a potter named Martin Lepiš (Czech actor Radovan Lukavský, perfectly cast here in the role of an outsider), whom the villagers refer to as Dragon, returns, several years after he was wrongfully driven away for crimes he did not commit. He comes back not for revenge or any motive other than to simply live his old life in peace. However his former fiancée Eva (Emília Vášáryová, wonderfully expressive in an almost silent role), is now married, and her new husband Simon (Gustav Valach) and the other villagers, are suspicious of Dragon's intentions. Is there anything he can do to gain acceptance and respect, or is it a hopeless cause?

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

Although set in ancient times, this one has more in common with the contemporary New Wave pictures of Milos Forman, Jirí Menzel, and Věra Chytilová, than the realist period films by directors like František Vláčil and Hynek Bočan. Grečner's focus was not on the accuracy or realism of the setting, but rather on universal themes, and the psychology of his characters.

There's not a lot of dialog, and the narrative relies a lot on its visuals and sounds. The film is shot almost entirely with a large telephoto lens, which has the mystical depth-of-field effect of isolating the characters, while blurring out their surroundings. It gives the picture an epic feel, and also hides any imperfections in the low budget sets that might otherwise be revealed. Even the action scenes are shot this way, and there is an astonishing sequence in the second act of the film, where Dragon and Simon grudgingly work together to lead the village's herd of cattle through a forest engulfed in flames, across a river, and then over a mountain pass.

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

The sound design is also quite impressive. A chorus of unseen women whisper their gossip from behind closed doors. The tortured mooing of frightened cattle and the frantic clanging of their cowbells as trees sizzle and crackle under the heat of roaring flames. All heightened by the haunting operatic music of Ilja Zeljenka that brings to mind Stravinsky's masterful Oedipus Rex.

Like many of the criminally overlooked Slovak films of the era, it's a beautifully poetic piece, big on atmosphere and intense psychological reflection. But what I find most impressive is it's still just as relevant, exciting, and far more emotionally compelling than most of what gets released today. Another truly special film from a truly special time.
Bonjour Tristesse
Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

Dragon's Return • Drak sa vracia (1968)

2 comments:

d_4 said...

Of the Czech new wave films I've seen here, this is one of the ones I look forward to the most. It just sounds like it might be easier to watch. The style also grabs my attention.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah as far as the historical films go, it is an easier watch. For one thing it's short, and it's also got a modern storytelling style to it.

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