Description
Book SynopsisThis book is the first study in English to examine some of the key themes and traditions of Czech and Slovak cinema, linking inter-war and post-war cinemas together with developments in the post-Communist period. It examines links between theme, genre, and visual style, and looks at the ways in which a range of styles and traditions has extended across different historical periods and political regimes. Czech and Slovak Cinema provides a unique study of areas of Central European film history that have not previously been examined in English.
Trade ReviewDraws on almost the entire corpus of Czech and Slovak cinema! Essential but formerly marginalised talents such as Jiri Trnka and Karel Zeman now rightly enjoy pride of place in the chapter on animation alongside the inevitable Jan Svankmajer! An invaluable book. -- Michael Brooke Sight and Sound A fascinating history of Czechoslovak cinema reveals Czech and Slovak film themes and a discussion of various traditions but it also offers, surprisingly, history seen through the prism of cinema... Innovative and fresh. -- Angela Spindler-Brown British Czech and Slovak Review Peter Hames's monograph is an extremely important publication, providing guidance to the interested reader through the rich history of Czech and Slovak cinema. It will stimulate interest in the cinemas of East-Central Europe in the English-speaking world, undoubtedly becoming a catalyst for heated discussion, as this review has attempted to demonstrate. -- Jan Culik Studies in East European Cinema A comprehensive and exciting look at at Czech and Slovak Cienma. it can be interesting and provocative to veterans of the region's cinemas, but it can also benefit students who are new to this topic. -- Lilla Toke, Rochester Institute of Technology Slavonic and East European Review Draws on almost the entire corpus of Czech and Slovak cinema! Essential but formerly marginalised talents such as Jiri Trnka and Karel Zeman now rightly enjoy pride of place in the chapter on animation alongside the inevitable Jan Svankmajer! An invaluable book. A fascinating history of Czechoslovak cinema reveals Czech and Slovak film themes and a discussion of various traditions but it also offers, surprisingly, history seen through the prism of cinema... Innovative and fresh. Peter Hames's monograph is an extremely important publication, providing guidance to the interested reader through the rich history of Czech and Slovak cinema. It will stimulate interest in the cinemas of East-Central Europe in the English-speaking world, undoubtedly becoming a catalyst for heated discussion, as this review has attempted to demonstrate. A comprehensive and exciting look at at Czech and Slovak Cienma. it can be interesting and provocative to veterans of the region's cinemas, but it can also benefit students who are new to this topic.
Table of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The Comic Tradition; 3. Czech Lyricism; 4. The Avant Garde; 5. Surrealism; 6. Animation; 7. Representations of the Holocaust; 8. Realism and the New Wave; 9. Politics and Film; 10. Traditions of the Absurd; 11. Is There a Slovak Style?.
