Early years of communism were the hardest in Czechoslovakia. Bohumil Hrabal's short story collection "Larks on a string" became Jiri Menzel's inspiration for his second film and collaboration with Hrabal. The film was produced by the state-run Barrandov Studios which later censored and shelved the film under the regime's oppression.
A Philosophy professor, a lawyer, a saxophonist together with other so call bourgeois men come together briefly in this scarpeyard. They cherish the freedom of their past, endure the work of the present and dream of their future plans. They are indoctrinated and reeducated to abide by the regulations imposed by the communist regime of the 1950's. Their only entertainment is sneaking in the evenings to watch the women convicts. These men's plans are also overheard by the women themselves. Although they work in the same location yet they are segregated as the women convicts are closely supervised by their guardman. Their dull routine days are broken by visits by a Television crew, a Union labour, a school trip. They take pride in those workers who reflect the future of this nation. However failing to notice the dismay of some of them who covertly express their unhappiness at the current political situation. This scrapyard that tears up their past will gain them some hope for their future. The youngest student falls in love. The guard gets married. In the darkness of their times, they are optimistic and hopeful for their future. But the film questions how those years tried to eliminate the uniqueness of an individual by trying to make everyone look alike, engage in the same things. Work is a sacred code. The graffiti and slogan assert this point. The youngest Pavel is soon to get married. He's elderly mother takes comfort in sleeping after a long day of work rather than share her son's joy or hear about his matrimonial plans.
The subject matter is dark and absurd yet enlightening towards the end. No matter what kind of regime is in control, the human spirits isn't broken. Being fed, falling in love, marrying and caring for children will always be significant in anyone's life. Jaromir Sofr's eye brings out the subtle connections these women and men have with each other.
Jiri Menzel's lyricism equally delivers a serious subject matter into a compassionate film. He is part of the 60's Czech new wave. He studied film at Famu Film School. In France, the French new wave filmmakers were defining cinema and likewise in Czechsolvakia. Jan Němec, Milona Formas and Vera Chytilova contributed to this New wave, lasting a decade. Menzel's first film won him an Academy award for Closely Watched Trains. But Larks of the string won him the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival 20 years after it was made.
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