"He used to sing? Yes We all did, don't you remember?"
Director Jaromil Jires' 1969 black and white film, "The Joke" is adapted from the book of the same name by Czech author Milan Kundera. The film is at once an excellent adaptation of the book and also a fine example of the type of work done by the New Wave of Czech film makers during the golden years (more like months I suppose) that made up the Prague Spring.
The film, set in 1969 is the story of the seduction of Helena a middle-aged Czech reporter by Ludvik a similarly middle-aged scientist. The seduction is planned by Ludvik not as an act of love or passion but as an act of revenge. A series of flashbacks, seen through Ludvik's eyes, to the early 1950s explains the motive. Like many of his college colleagues, in 1949 or thereabouts Ludvik was a devoted follower of the new Communist regime. As he notes, in those days everyone sang and to be joyful was a duty. Ludvik and his college friends played folk music and traveled throughout the republic to spread the joy of the new regime. Ludvik's life comes undone when he plays a little joke on his then girlfriend. One summer day, Ludvik receives a postcard in which his girl friend tells him how optimistic she is about the future. Frustrated by her reluctance to accept his arduous embrace he pens a rather silly joke in response: "Optimism is the opium of the people! The healthy atmosphere stinks! Long live Trotsky!"
His colleagues and fellow young-party leaders did not quite see the humor in the sentiment expressed in the postcard. Ludvik finds himself expelled from the party and college and drafted to that part of the Czech military where alleged subversives form work brigades and spend the next few years working in mines. Despite the interruption in his career Ludvik has become a successful scientist. But despite his success, his treatment at the hands of his former friends has left him bitter and angry. An opportunity arises when he meets Helena, a reporter assigned to interview him. He finds out she is married to Pavel, the friend who led the efforts to purge Ludvik from the party. Ludvik decides to seduce Helena as a means of exacting his revenge on Pavel. In essence this is the second `joke' of the novel. The seduction is successful but it does not quite work out the way Ludvik thought it would. A lifetime spent waiting for revenge blows up in his face.
The film's construction differs from the book in many respects while at the same time remaining faithful to the story. Two particular differences are worth mentioning. The book was narrated through the voices of the four main protagonists. The movie does not attempt to do this. Rather, the movie is viewed only through Ludvik's eyes. In fact, in the flashback scenes we do not see Ludvik at all. Rather, the scene is filmed as if through Ludvik's eyes so the viewers see the event from Ludvik's perspective. Each contemporary scene in the film runs with flashbacks that put the current scene in context. I think this device worked very well. The second is the use of folk music throughout the film. Czech folk music played an important back story in the novel. However, it is the nature of the medium that we can only read about the music. In the film, we hear the music and see the musicians and that adds a great deal to the film.
A word about the subtitles. They are not good at all. They are filled with the type of errors that you might find if you run English text through an internet translator. You sometimes get meaningless sentence formations. Everything was understandable in context. "Good lucis" is easily understood as good luck. But it was something of a distraction,
The Joke is a good film. I think it is best seen after reading the book but it is worth watching for its own sake even if you haven't read the book.
L. Fleisig
The prize for an injustice can be a terrible boomerang! This cult movie is based on a novel of Milan Kundera (The Unbearable lightness of being) . This ironic was filmed during the Prague Spring of 1968. A young man , a clear metaphor of the intelligent resistance to the Status Quo, writes a postcard with a humorous reference to Trostky and this is a wrong choice because of that crime according the stupid Cerberus criterion . He is sentenced to years of hard labor , but upon his release reminding us a reincarnated Count he takes revenge by seducing the wife of the Communist Party official who turned him in . As you suppose the film and the book was banned in Czechoslovakia. It could not be of another way . Nevertheless at the end of the film you will celebrate this personal trick and also will remind the clever statement: the revenge is a dish you eat extremely cold!
Minor Czech New Wave The Czeck New Wave produced some classics: Loves of a Blonde, Firemens Ball, Shop on Main Street, Closely Watched Trains. But this is just a minor classic. While the black and white cinematography is really something the film just doesn't rise to the level of those other films mentioned. Its close though. Based on a Milan Kundera novel the story takes place in Czechoslavakia in the 1950's when many students were caught up in the communist propaganda that looked innocent enough if you didn't look too deeply. From a distance it looks like one long springtime celebration of youth and purity and optimism. However this is just the surface truth for while these celebrations are going on others are being rounded up and denounced and sentenced to long prison terms for their "crimes". One student who refuses to get caught up in all the hype writes a letter to his girlfriend in which he states, "optimism is the opium of the masses." For this one line his girlfriend turns him in and his friends denounce him. He is sentenced to 6 years of hard labor as a result. During the trial he claims he wrote the line merely as a joke and thus the title of the film. We view these events in flashback after the "criminal" has been released and has returned to his home town. As he walks the streets and runs into old acquaintances he can barely contain an urge to strike out against all those smiling faces that once condemned him. Finally he does strike out. The stark black and white cinematography captures the utter alienation and contempt that this character feels. There is not a shred of sentimentality in this film. The effect is that it makes each thing seem matter of fact; this guys fate--the fact that he spent his youth in a work camp-- just seems utterly inconsequential to everyone. The tragedy is that not only was his youth stolen from him but that the social hypocrisy perpetuated by the communist regime has ruined his faith in life. When you think back about the film you remember the main characters sardonic smile and the one little joke that changed everything for him and became the defining moment of his life. The films abrupt and ironic ending may seem to leave you wondering if the film makers just ran out film or what. But actually the ending seems appropriate--everything about this guys life has been absurd and so the ending has to be equally absurd.
Why hasn't anyone seen this? Get a hold of this movie if you can. Jires was a great director and artist who never quite got the recognition he deserved outside of his home country of Czechoslovakia, unlike his peers Menzel and Forman; this is mostly due to the fact that he stayed in the country and was stifled by the harsh Soviet rulers. It's great that Facets has made this available and I hope that Jires' next film, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders gets a release on dvd also. This film is stylish, witty, and sad all at the same time.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
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