End of a Priest (Fararuv konec)
Czechoslovakia, 1968, 95 mins, cert. 18
Directed by Evald Schorm
Having a bogus Priest living off the village community sets the tone for notions of selfish individualism in this comedy that the Communists wanted to highlight. That the film was actually sympathetic to him was, not surprisingly, the main reason that it was banned. The film was based on a story by author Josef Skvorecky, who was objective in the conflict between Christian morality and socialist inconsistencies.
The Communist oppression in this film comes from a village schoolteacher who represents local power, seeking to bring the phoney Priest to justice. He admits to being an atheist himself. This, however, is the underlying narrative in what is mainly a film full of comical villagers enjoying themselves during the annual village fair. The travelling Theatre comes to the village, echoing the 200-year Czech preoccupation with puppets that have been a part of the Czechoslavik theatrical tradition, logically adapted by the film medium in animations. One could draw a parable here that it’s the people who have become the puppets under the new regime.
The most memorable scenes in the film include a house on fire amidst the hi-jinks of the village fair, an example of the dangers of intoxicated behaviour, seemingly sympathetic to the Communist ethic of order. Also, a woman gets a thrashing from the outraged village community when she seduces a married man. Later in the film, a Black Priest is the guest of the village and the phoney priest faints when he sees him. The most memorable scene of the film, though, is near the end, and it’s in this that the whole ethos behind the film’s intentions is revealed.
Ultimately the film is a call from non-communists for individual liberty and beliefs. It was banned five years after it was made because the government saw it as supporting Christianity over Socialism, a ban that many would consider taboo in itself, but then such is the paradox of censorship.
Czechoslovakia, 1968, 95 mins, cert. 18
Directed by Evald Schorm
Having a bogus Priest living off the village community sets the tone for notions of selfish individualism in this comedy that the Communists wanted to highlight. That the film was actually sympathetic to him was, not surprisingly, the main reason that it was banned. The film was based on a story by author Josef Skvorecky, who was objective in the conflict between Christian morality and socialist inconsistencies.
The Communist oppression in this film comes from a village schoolteacher who represents local power, seeking to bring the phoney Priest to justice. He admits to being an atheist himself. This, however, is the underlying narrative in what is mainly a film full of comical villagers enjoying themselves during the annual village fair. The travelling Theatre comes to the village, echoing the 200-year Czech preoccupation with puppets that have been a part of the Czechoslavik theatrical tradition, logically adapted by the film medium in animations. One could draw a parable here that it’s the people who have become the puppets under the new regime.
The most memorable scenes in the film include a house on fire amidst the hi-jinks of the village fair, an example of the dangers of intoxicated behaviour, seemingly sympathetic to the Communist ethic of order. Also, a woman gets a thrashing from the outraged village community when she seduces a married man. Later in the film, a Black Priest is the guest of the village and the phoney priest faints when he sees him. The most memorable scene of the film, though, is near the end, and it’s in this that the whole ethos behind the film’s intentions is revealed.
Ultimately the film is a call from non-communists for individual liberty and beliefs. It was banned five years after it was made because the government saw it as supporting Christianity over Socialism, a ban that many would consider taboo in itself, but then such is the paradox of censorship.
posted by Steven Yates at 12:33 PM
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