Czech Film at Księże – Pearls of the Deep (dir. Menzel, Chytilová, Němec, Schorm, Jireš)

Pearls of the Deep is a 1965 anthology film based on short stories by Bohumil Hrabal. It consists of five short stories directed by young filmmakers of the Czechoslovak New Wave, who over time became some of the most important names of that movement.

The film’s characters are ordinary people caught up in everyday, often absurd situations: participants of a trip to a motorcycle race, two older men inventing new life stories for themselves, insurance agents visiting an eccentric painter and goat breeder, wedding guests unaware of the drama unfolding right next to them, and a young worker in love with a Roma girl.

The film was created as a joint project of directors associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave and was one of the first screen adaptations of Bohumil Hrabal’s prose. Despite stylistic differences between the individual novellas, the whole is united by the writer’s characteristic sense of humor, tenderness towards the characters, and attentive observation of everyday life.

Today, Pearls of the Deep is considered one of the most important films of the Czechoslovak New Wave and a unique record of young directors’ encounter with the work of Bohumil Hrabal.

Secret location! We meet at 8:00 PM at the Księże Małe tram loop, and from there we head together to the screening spot. Where exactly? You’ll see!

Bring blankets, mosquito spray (they like open-air cinema too) and friends! 🙂

Films presented under license granted by the Národní filmový archiv (NFA). © Czech Audiovisual Fund. The event is organized in cooperation with the Czech Centre in Warsaw and Teatr Dialogu in Wrocław. The films are sponsored by our local, favorite spots from Księże: sklep u Zenka, Swojska Wyżera bakery, and the ABC shop on Chorzowska.