Cloudy

Rok ďábla (Year of the Devil)
Classic Movie Review: Petr Zelenka's mockumentary successfully combines comedy, music and metaphysics
Writer: Petr Zelenka
Starring: Jaromír Nohavica, Čechomor, Jan Prent, Jaz Coleman
Likened by some to a Czech Spinal Tap, Rok ďábla shares little with its supposed forebear beyond the rockumentary format and a minor fixation with spontaneous combustion. Petr Zelenka's magical-realist mock doc spuriously chronicles the rise of Čechomor - actually a long-popular trad-rock outfit, cloaked here as a busking funeral band - through the offices of an angelic folkie (Karel Plíhal), a devilish punk vet (Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman) and an enigmatic bard (Jaromír Nohavica), whose various collisions and collaborations grow ever more musically and metaphysically intense.
Save for Jan Prent as a Dutch filmmaker who becomes fascinated with fellow alcoholic Nohavica, all the principles play themselves, or versions of themselves, in a fictitious story that incorporates real events while playing on the public personae of its stars (particularly the Dylanesque Nohavica). If it all sounds a bit circular and insular, Zelenka "and his friends" (as all his films are credited) eschew postmod gaming for deft deadpan comedy imbued with unexpected stabs of grace, touching on matters of addiction, fame, transcendence, ghosts and grooming with surprising, engaging results. (They even milk a funny, revealing scene out of the eternal boxers/briefs debate.) The refreshingly matter-of-fact approach to questions of spirituality and self-knowledge contrasts nicely with the gossamer eccentricity of too many recent Czech films, including Zelenka's inferior follow-up, Příběhy obyčejného šílenství. Good music too.
Year: 2002
Runtime: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Video on YouTube
Related articles
-
Movie Review: Truth or Dare by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV
The producer of Get Out misses the mark with a spring break horror tale
-
Forman’s Amadeus at the Municipal House by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV
The director will be remembered at a special evening of film and music
-
Movie Review: Rampage by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV
Dwayne Johnson saves this otherwise routine monster mash
-
Director Miloš Forman has died by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV (Foto: wikimedia)
The Czech-born Oscar-winning director of Amadeus was 86 years old
-
Movie Review: Nico, 1988 by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV
A pre-revolution concert in Prague is a highlight in the singer’s solo career
-
Movie Review: Battle of the Sexes by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV
The 1970s tennis match to prove men’s superiority was a turning point for women
-
Movie Review: The Death of Stalin by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV
The passing of the Soviet dictator in the 1950s is played for very dark laughs
-
Days of European Film hits a quarter century by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV
The festival will screen 49 films in seven categories from across Europe
-
Review: 7 Days in Entebbe by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV
Thriller about a real hijacking and hostage crisis fails to ignite
-
Review: Ready Player One by Raymond Johnston - Prague.TV
Steven Spielberg is back in form with virtual reality action thriller
Facebook comments
Translator and interpreter of the English language -...
Send cash around the world in minutes with no bank account...
Superfood for Carnivores!
Need a mortgage?
Driving Infinite Possibilities Within A Diversified, Global...
Men's suits, Ladies' tailor-made costumes
The real sushi experience where ever you want!
Learn and Grow

Prague’s # 1 source for Czech news in English…

Expat and Czech Business Professional Network

German Language Info Service