Michael D. (azfad)

Absolutely stunning. The only qualm i have with this is the ending which is way too obvious and feels dishonest but that may have been due to the Communist powers that were rather than the filmakers. Other than that though, i would say this film is perfect in every way and has maybe the most brilliant camerawork i have ever seen and Tatyana Samojlova is just spellbinding. A flawed masterpiece but still, a masterpiece.

A landmark Czech new wave film and I imagine, in its own naturalistic way, a big influence on numerous directors since its creation. The story is minimal but if ever there was a film that is more than the sum of its parts then this is it. The cinematography, direction and performances are breathtaking and my first thought on finishing watching the movie was - 'I must see this again'. The fact that all but one of the main actors were non-professionals is amazing. Blazek, who died very shortly after the movie was completed is especially good but all the cast are memorable. Give me this above the Stanislavski method anyday. Simple and superb.