LARKS ON A STRING
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1991 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis: In Czechoslovakia in the early 1950's, a group of "bourgeois" men are sent to work in a metal scrapyard for "reeducation". There they meet a group of women prisoners. A witty, funny film that contrasts the people's desire for freedom with the tyranny of the socialist state they live in; an extremely sarcastic satire of socialism. A very good but slow-moving film.
Czechoslovakia (English subtitles), color, 1969, banned by Czech government censors, released 1990, 95 minutes. Director: Jiri Menzel.
In Czechoslovakia in the early 1950's (at the time of the Korean war), a group of upper and middle class men have been sent to a steel mill for "reeducation", i.e., to learn to love the Communist party that oppresses and enslaves their nation. The men work in the scrapyard, sorting scrap which is to be melted down into new steel products. They work next to a group of women prisoners, "defectors", who are guilty of the crime of attempting to leave the socialist "worker's paradise".
Although the men and women work in different parts of the scrapyard, and the women are guarded, they get together as often as possible. The basic plot of the film concerns the men interacting with a hypocritical party official and the threat of the ever-present secret police, and two romances. One of the romances is between a man in the reeducation group and a woman prisoner; the other major romance is that of the man who guards the women; he is a newlywed.
The film portrays the Communist government as hypocritical and extremely totalitarian; dissent is prohibited. Simply questioning the rulers on their commands, or reminding them of their own slogans, can result in your being sent to prison for political "crimes". The Party officials who rule the "worker's paradise" are depicted as drunks, fools, liars, and even worse (I won't explain the "even worse" part, as that might spoil part of the film; see it and you will find out!). Given the negative (but probably generally accurate) portrayal of Party officials in the film, it is not surprising that the (Party) censors suppressed the film by banning it.
The subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) struggle of the men for freedom and their human dignity and rights provides many opportunities for sarcastic political humor. The romances give the director a way to poke fun at general human nature, a sort of counterpoint to the political humor. I suppose the general message of the film is that the human spirit can triumph over both the evil tyranny of socialism, and the smaller problems of everyday life.
This film won the Grand Prize at the 1990 Berlin Film Festival. I liked the film, especially its witty, sarcastic humor, and its strong anti-socialist message. However, it is very slow-moving, and you might wonder at times if the film has a plot, or is "going anywhere". There is quite a bit of character development, but not much action in the film.
The film is too slow-moving to recommend to a general audience. However, if you appreciate a witty, funny film laced with social and political satire, it is worth considering.
Distribution: In its first U.S. theatrical release, and showing currently (6/10) in San Francisco (Opera Plaza Cinema). Probably available elsewhere also; New York and/or Los Angeles perhaps?
Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU
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