Angry young girls
Gender representations in
the films of Věra Chytilová
Chytilová's heroines rebelliously try to subvert the patriarchal system and gender stereotypes—and fail. Małgorzata Radkiewicz examines the plight of female leads in two of Chytilová's most famous films.
The void behind the mask
Game-playing in
the films of Věra Chytilová
The mortality of human life and the shallowness of existence are repeated
themes in Chytilová's work. Ivana Košuličová explores how these themes are realised through the concept of the game.
"Now I don't know how
to keep on going"
The early films of Věra Chytilová
In Chytilová's early films, there is already clear evidence of the themes that would continue to obsess her, expressed in a unique and remarkable style, as Jiří Cieslar argues.
Against destruction
Věra Chytilová's Panelstory
(Prefab Story, 1979)
Images of destruction, especially in opposition to creativity or a utopia, are a perennial motif for Chytilová. Andrew James Horton looks at a film in which this reaches an apogee.
Bones, bones, bone-eater...
Věra Chytilová's
Pasti, pasti, pastičky (Traps, 1998)
Pasti, pasti, pastičky was largely a disappointment for the critics. Jaromír Blažejovský explains how it fits into Chytilová's oeuvre and prepares the viewer for some of the film's "problems."
Naked allegory
Věra Chytilová's Vyhnání z ráje (Expulsion from Paradise, 2001)
Chytilová's latest tale of moral decay has confounded critics with its deliberate contrasting of acting styles and mixed levels of reality. Dora Viceníková analyses the film.
Chytilová on the web
Links to online resources on Věra Chytilová
Compiled by Sarah Andrews.
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From the archives...
Can we live
with the truth?
Věra Chytilová's
Ovoce stromů rajských jíme
(Fruit of Paradise, 1969)
Critics widely misunderstood Chytilová's operatic parable on its release. Daniel Bird discusses this film that was "for the next decade."
Hitchhiking:
The perils and the romance
Věra Chytilová's
Pasti, pasti, pastičky (Traps, 1998)
Chytilová's "feminist black comedy" is less controlled than her earlier works and contains mixed messages. Andrew James Horton finds it unsatisfying.
