Chytilová Versus Forman

The clash of Czechoslovak titans, or Věra Chytilová goes to America to interrogate Miloš Forman. Who is Forman, what does he want from life, and what is the essence of cinema and art? The Oscar winner for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, one of Hollywood’s most successful directors, evades answers and often resorts to truisms. Chytilová, used to ongoing struggles against the constraints imposed on filmmakers by the communist regime, perseveres and ensnares her protagonist, forcing him to reflect on a deeper level. Their conversations take place in the context of Forman’s work on the adaptation of Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow, a few years before the director’ next great triumph: the Oscar-winning Amadeus (shown at Timeless with live orchestra and choir). In hindsight, it’s difficult to resist the impression that Chytilová sees in Forman the very figure of Mozart: a carefree, somewhat brusque, but highly gifted eternal child.

Sebastian Smoliński

Věra Chytilová (1929-2014) was a Czech director and screenwriter. Along with Jiří Menzel and Miloš Forman, among others, she was part of the Czechoslovakian New Wave. She referred to herself as “an overheated boiler about to explode” and “a monster under control”. Her most famous film is the surrealist comedy Daisies (1966), but she’s also known for such films as Fruit of Paradise (1970) and Wolf’s Hole (1987), the last of which belongs to the horror and sci-fi genres.