The Barnabáš Kos Case (Prípad Barnabáš Kos)

“Slovak director Solan and his collaborators gave the film both the verve of the Czech New Wave and the economy of classical Hollywood cinema. With its satire of art in the grip of ignorant masters, Barnabáš has bite beyond the travesties of the socialist state” — Gabriel M Paletz, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)

“Set in the 1960s, Peter Solan’s stylish, well shot (by cinematographer Tibor Biath) film is a satirical yet scathing view of society gone mad with bureaucracy” — ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image)

“A film that not only entertains but also provides insight into the societal issues of its time, making it a notable entry in the history of Czech and Slovak cinema” — CzechMovie

“In this bitingly satirical film Peter Solan, a continuous source of trouble for the film functionaries of the socialist Slovakia, tackles an evergreen topic — the corruptive effects of power. The Orchestra serves here as a microcosm that grotesquely reflects the absurd and tragicomic mechanisms of the paranoid apparatus of power” — Letterboxd

“Like later in Fellini’s ‚Orchestra Rehearsal‘ the orchestra and its conductors stand for the society’s subsumption into synchronized compliance. Solan injects fine moments of symbolism when, for example, Kos (extraordinary in Kos‘ mediocrity and gullibility, Josef Kemr) is upgraded, shot against the background of a colossal statue. Equally, the triangle acquires several textures of meaning turned into a symbol of Kos‘ tango with power. A film abundant in performative parodies, wittily orchestrated” — EEFB