czech animation: past and present

Czech Animation: Past and Present

The transition from communist rule to a democratic nation created social and cultural changes within the Czech Republic. Although I am not knowledgeable about the details of Czech history, it is clear that the Czech animation practices before and after communist rule express distinctive attitudes. Here I will compare and contrast Words, Words, Words (1991) by Michaela Pavlatova, and Swimming Pool (2010) by Alexandra Hetmerova.

                
During communist times, the arts in Czechoslovakia were particularly affected by censorship. The Hand (1965) by Jiri Trnka illustrates the government’s control over the artists through the metaphor of “the hand”, which literally uses the artist as a puppet for their political message. The mood of Words, Words, Words is also darkly comical in nature. The scene at a restaurant exposes the meaning behind exchanges of dialogue by representing spoken words with cartoons and accompanying noises.  Similarly to how Trnka used the metaphor of the hand to expose the invisible forces of control, Pavlatova visualizes dialogue as images to express their meaning. Though the film moves from table to table, exploring the varying conversations at each, the narrative focuses in on the waiter and his preoccupied love-interest. The film ends with a courting gentleman running out in a huff, leaving the woman for whom the waiter longs alone at her table. The waiter approaches her with a puzzle piece lost from thread of conversation she’d had with the other man. When he “speaks” the puzzle piece, it fits perfectly to complete the puzzle-conversation from before. Relieved and enlightened, the woman runs off in search of her courter, instead of the waiter who had spoken the kind words. We are left to sympathize with his feeling of unrequited love. As with The Hand, things did not work out in the end for our protagonist. Although ending darkly, Words, Words, Words is strongly supported with comedy, which might point towards the imminent mood of post-communist era animation that would exude whimsy and joviality.

Swimming Pool expresses a carefree, fun attitude that reflects a post-communist, free education Czech culture. The vibrant drawing, saturated colors and smooth, clean lines are exuberant, unlike the sketchy animation and faded bleak colors of Words, Words, Words. The narrative follows a lonely man who stumbles upon a woman in a swimming and falls in love. Their love, while complicated by their anatomical differences (he turns out to be part-horse, she is a mermaid), does
not lessen their bond.                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                   

While Swimming Pool differs greatly in tone from Words, Words, Words it is important to acknowledge the similarities present between each. In terms of narrative, both explore close personal relationships among characters that appear to be lonely outsiders. Both narratives are reinforced by visual styles that match the mood of the film, and neither use spoken language, but rather employ sound effects to convey words.