No director pushed the boundaries of the Czechoslovak New Wave further than Věra Chytilová, an uncompromising individualist whose fiercely antiauthoritarian attitude courses through every frame of her work. Though she remains best known for her feminist touchstone DAISIES—a patriarchy-exploding Molotov cocktail that still stuns with its exuberantly experimental visuals and anarchic energy—Chytilová left her mark on a wide variety of genres, defying Soviet censorship as well as conventional cinematic forms over the course of a radically inventive career.
Directed by Věra Chytilová • 1963 • Czechoslovakia
The debut feature from Věra Chytilová interweaves two stories simultaneously: one a narrative about a frustrated mother (Vera Uzelacová) discontented with the drudgery of housework, the other a quasi documentary about a gymnast (real-life Olympi...
Directed by Věra Chytilová • 1966 • Czechoslovakia
Maybe the New Wave's most anarchic entry, Vera Chytilovà's absurdist farce follows the misadventures of two brash young women. Believing the world to be "spoiled," they embark on a series of pranks in which nothing, food, clothes, men, war, is...
Directed by Jiří Menzel, Věra Chytilová, Jaromil Jireš, Jan Němec, and Evald Schorm • 1966 • Czechoslovakia
A manifesto of sorts for the Czech New Wave, this five-part anthology shows off the breadth of expression offered by the movement's versatile directors.
