Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jul 22, 2016 18:38:18 GMT -6
variety.com/2016/film/reviews/lost-in-munich-review-1201815916/
Film Review: ‘Lost in Munich’
Czech director-writer Petr Zelenka’s absurdist mockumentary “Lost in Munich” offers new theories about the 1938 Munich agreement and reflects on the perils of filmmaking.
Czech director-writer Petr Zelenka’s absurdist mockumentary “Lost in Munich” offers new theories about the 1938 Munich agreement, which forced Czechoslovakia to cede much of its border region to Germany, as part of a failed film within a film on the subject, and also reflects on the perils of filmmaking. While Zelenka was celebrated on the international festival circuit in the late 1990s as the drily witty, young auteur responsible for “Happy End” and “Buttoners,” his brand of whimsy now feels a tad forced and insular. Nevertheless, Czech critics selected “Munich” as their best film of 2015. Expect further fest play geared to expat audiences and humor events.
In the first part of the film, set in 2008, and which is later revealed to be the film within the film, Sir P, a 90-year-old African gray parrot, owned by Edouard Daladier, the French prime minister responsible for signing the controversial Munich Treaty, is brought to Prague by the French Institute for the 70th anniversary of the signing. Before he can barely squawk, Sir P is kidnapped from a press conference by Pavel (Martin Mysicka), a disgraced Czech journalist in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Pavel discovers that the bird can still imitate Daladier’s voice, in which he makes controversial statements like, “The Führer’s a great guy.” Naturally, Pavel uses the bird to revive his own career and create a diplomatic scandal, while the French plot to send Sir P to bird heaven.
Some 34 minutes in, the filmmaking story takes over. It’s 2014, the supposed Czech-French co-production is nearly out of money and encountering just about every problem possible. Likable but anxious Martin, the actor playing Pavel, develops an allergy to almost everything, including the parrot. Jean Dupont (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo), the French first assistant director, at first takes offense that his job is to be a dialogue coach to the bird, but then becomes overly attached to him. Pretty Jana (Jana Plodkova) who is playing the secretary to the director of the French Institute (Stanislas Pierret) ends up having an affair with him, sparking violent jealousy in her new husband, Viktor (Vaclav Neuzil). Even Karlovy Vary festival executive director Krystof Mucha (who is actually a producer at Lucky Man Films) gets into the act as the producer who must shut down the production.
The film’s title, which echoes the 2002 documentary “Lost in La Mancha,” about the woes of director Terry Gilliam trying to film “Don Quixote,” seems to refer to the perils of filmmaking. And while Roman Polanski’s 2008 arrest at a film festival in Switzerland was just a coincidence, its mention in the 2008 story supports the theme.
The wild theories that the film’s director Robert (Tomas Bambusek) and his screenwriters spin about Czech prime minister Edvard Benes’ behavior and thinking at the time of the Munich agreement are both amusing and provocative — and never so much so as when they try to tie them to generalizations about the Czech national character.
Zelenka, who has a parallel career as a playwright and theater director and also helmed most of the Czech version of the cable TV series “In Treatment,” never was much for visual flourishes, and here, too, they exist only to support the comedy.
Film Review: 'Lost in Munich'
Reviewed at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, July 6, 2016. (Also in 2015 London Festival) Running time: 105 MIN. (Original title: “Ztraceni v Mnichově”)
Production
(Czech Republic) A Falcon Release of a Lucky Man Films production, in co-production with Czech Television, Barrandov Studio. Producers: David Ondricek. Co-producers: Milan Kuchynka.
Crew
Directed, written by Petr Zelenka. Camera (color, HD): Alexander Surkala. Editor, Vladimir Barak.
With
Martin Mysicka, Jitka Schneiderova, Marek Taclik, Stanislas Pierret, Jana Plodkova, Marcial Di Fonzo Bo, Vaclav Neuzil, Tomas Bambusek, Miroslav Skultety, Prokop Holoubek, Krystof Mucha. (Czech, English, French dialogue)
Film Review: ‘Lost in Munich’
Czech director-writer Petr Zelenka’s absurdist mockumentary “Lost in Munich” offers new theories about the 1938 Munich agreement and reflects on the perils of filmmaking.
Czech director-writer Petr Zelenka’s absurdist mockumentary “Lost in Munich” offers new theories about the 1938 Munich agreement, which forced Czechoslovakia to cede much of its border region to Germany, as part of a failed film within a film on the subject, and also reflects on the perils of filmmaking. While Zelenka was celebrated on the international festival circuit in the late 1990s as the drily witty, young auteur responsible for “Happy End” and “Buttoners,” his brand of whimsy now feels a tad forced and insular. Nevertheless, Czech critics selected “Munich” as their best film of 2015. Expect further fest play geared to expat audiences and humor events.
In the first part of the film, set in 2008, and which is later revealed to be the film within the film, Sir P, a 90-year-old African gray parrot, owned by Edouard Daladier, the French prime minister responsible for signing the controversial Munich Treaty, is brought to Prague by the French Institute for the 70th anniversary of the signing. Before he can barely squawk, Sir P is kidnapped from a press conference by Pavel (Martin Mysicka), a disgraced Czech journalist in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Pavel discovers that the bird can still imitate Daladier’s voice, in which he makes controversial statements like, “The Führer’s a great guy.” Naturally, Pavel uses the bird to revive his own career and create a diplomatic scandal, while the French plot to send Sir P to bird heaven.
Some 34 minutes in, the filmmaking story takes over. It’s 2014, the supposed Czech-French co-production is nearly out of money and encountering just about every problem possible. Likable but anxious Martin, the actor playing Pavel, develops an allergy to almost everything, including the parrot. Jean Dupont (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo), the French first assistant director, at first takes offense that his job is to be a dialogue coach to the bird, but then becomes overly attached to him. Pretty Jana (Jana Plodkova) who is playing the secretary to the director of the French Institute (Stanislas Pierret) ends up having an affair with him, sparking violent jealousy in her new husband, Viktor (Vaclav Neuzil). Even Karlovy Vary festival executive director Krystof Mucha (who is actually a producer at Lucky Man Films) gets into the act as the producer who must shut down the production.
The film’s title, which echoes the 2002 documentary “Lost in La Mancha,” about the woes of director Terry Gilliam trying to film “Don Quixote,” seems to refer to the perils of filmmaking. And while Roman Polanski’s 2008 arrest at a film festival in Switzerland was just a coincidence, its mention in the 2008 story supports the theme.
The wild theories that the film’s director Robert (Tomas Bambusek) and his screenwriters spin about Czech prime minister Edvard Benes’ behavior and thinking at the time of the Munich agreement are both amusing and provocative — and never so much so as when they try to tie them to generalizations about the Czech national character.
Zelenka, who has a parallel career as a playwright and theater director and also helmed most of the Czech version of the cable TV series “In Treatment,” never was much for visual flourishes, and here, too, they exist only to support the comedy.
Film Review: 'Lost in Munich'
Reviewed at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, July 6, 2016. (Also in 2015 London Festival) Running time: 105 MIN. (Original title: “Ztraceni v Mnichově”)
Production
(Czech Republic) A Falcon Release of a Lucky Man Films production, in co-production with Czech Television, Barrandov Studio. Producers: David Ondricek. Co-producers: Milan Kuchynka.
Crew
Directed, written by Petr Zelenka. Camera (color, HD): Alexander Surkala. Editor, Vladimir Barak.
With
Martin Mysicka, Jitka Schneiderova, Marek Taclik, Stanislas Pierret, Jana Plodkova, Marcial Di Fonzo Bo, Vaclav Neuzil, Tomas Bambusek, Miroslav Skultety, Prokop Holoubek, Krystof Mucha. (Czech, English, French dialogue)