presents:
1990 Berlin Film Festival / Winner: Golden Bear Award
„Menzel’s deceptively gentle, covertly merciless satire… [a] subversive masterpiece of life behind the Iron Curtain“ — Scott Foundas, Film Comment
„At once a stinging indictment of the repressive politics of Czechoslovakia’s past and an endearing comedy/love story… Larks on a String looks totalitarianism straight in the eye and, instead of spitting, laughs“ — Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
„This long-suppressed Czechoslovak film offers a trenchant blend of playfulness and political satire“ — Janet Maslin, New York Times
„Light and sunny, buoyant and dangerously lyrical“ — LA Times
„The film is a clear commentary on not just the absurdity of Communism, but also its criminality“ — Ivana Košulicová, CER Central Europe Review
„This brilliantly acted film [is], in equal measures, bittersweet, ironic and yes, darkly comic, but more importantly, quietly disturbing in its bleak portrayal of a dismal socio-political environment and absolutely mesmerizing, absorbing and fulfilling for its viewers“ — Cinemascope
„A delightful stinging comedy“ — Boston Herald
„A sort of lyric Orwellian burlesque …Full of mirth and pity, Larks on a String sings a bittersweet melody“ — Washington Post
Shot in 1968, whilst Czechoslovakia enjoyed a brief moment of political liberalisation, Larks on a String is a searing political satire from director Jiří Menzel and writer Bohumil Hrabal. Like their earlier Oscar-winning triumph Closely Observed Trains, it audaciously combines black humour with grim reality. Set in a scrap metal yard where dissidents are interned to be ‘re-educated’, the film is both a powerful critique of totalitarianism and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit.
Promptly banned by the Communist regime, the film remained unseen until 1990, when it was released to great acclaim, winning the grand prize at the Berlin Film Festival. Now regarded as a lost masterpiece, Menzel’s wry comic drama is a hymn to humanity and nonconformity.
Larks on a String is presented from a glorious new 4K restoration and makes its world premiere on Blu-ray.
Our edition also contains tw interviews with the late director, a new newly recorded Projection Booth audio commentary with film historians Mike White and Jonathan Owen, Menzel’s 1963 short film Our Dear Mister Foerster Died (Umřel nám pan Foerster) – plus a booklet featuring a new essay by author and Czechoslovak cinema specialist Peter Hames.
Czechoslovakia, 1969
Length / Feature: 95 minutes
Length / Special features: 37 minutes
1.0 Mono LPCM (48k/24-bit)
Colour
Original aspect ratio: 1:66:1
Language: Czech
Subtitles: English
Blu-Ray: BD50 / 1080p
Region ABC (Region Free)
Blu-Ray RRP: £19.99
Release Date: 18 July 2022
Second Run BD054
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