Slavic languages and literatures; Slavic and eastern european studies;
"This eye-popping escapade revolves around a scientist and his doomsday machine—and the pirates who will stop at nothing to gain possession of it."
"Maybe the Czech New Wave’s most anarchic entry, Věra Chytilová’s absurdist farce follows the misadventures of two brash young women. Believing the world to be “spoiled,” they embark on a series of pranks in which nothing—food, clothes, men, war—is taken seriously."
"A hilarious saga of good intentions confounded, the story chronicles a firemen’s ball where nothing goes right—from a beauty pageant whose reluctant participants embarrass the organizers to a lottery from which nearly all the prizes are pilfered. Presumed to be a commentary on the floundering Czech leadership, the film was “banned forever” in Czechoslovakia following the Russian invasion and prompted Forman’s move to America."
"A Czechoslovakian man who loves working at his crematorium begins to take the advice of an old war buddy concerning the importance of his German heritage and the issue of his half Jewish wife."
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (dir. Jaromil Jireš, 1970)
UCLA students, staff, and faculty access through Kanopy. Log into the campus VPN or proxy server to view video.
"An 80-year-old translator, Ali Ungár, comes across a book written by a former SS officer recounting his war experiences in Slovakia. Ali realizes that one of the chapters may well describe his own parents’ execution. And so, armed with a pistol, he sets off to Vienna to look for the SS man and take his revenge."