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Daisies (1966)

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Daisies (1966)

A film by Věra Chytilová

An essay by Sámal Jákup Jakobsen

Class: Moving Narratives

Tutor: Helen McGregor

21st of January 2012

Introduction

“Chytilová's heroines rebelliously try to subvert the patriarchal system and gender stereotypes—and fail”! That is how Małgorzata Radkiewicz puts the film in a very short description. In the middle of a very Communist society in Czech Republic the imbalance between male and female roles is vast. In order to get through to the political realm, Věra Chytilová made Sedmikrásky (Daisies, 1966) that would show to the public their society from another point of view. When the film came out the government not only banned the film from being screened in the entire country but …show more content…

Looking at the two girls in Daisies, Weston is struck by how much they remind of Cléo Victoire’s self-absorbed heroine in search of something more.
We see a lot of flowers throughout the film including the crown of flowers, worn by one of the Maries. With this in mind I can’t help thinking of the Hippie revolution in the United States that affected the whole world. Chytilová might have heard of this and thus tried to fit it with her own culture.
One of her biggest inspirations must have been her teacher Otakar Vávra who was a film director in Czechoslovakia. He had students including Milos Forman, Ivan Passer and Jiri Menzel who were all directors in the Czech New Wave. He has probably encouraged Věra to stand firmly by her own actions and to say in an interview by Galina Kopaněvová “I don't know any action that would not be risky”. This has inspired many filmmakers around the globe and especially female filmmakers. Technically the film stands out from most other films in the world, which has inspired the world of cinema.

The technical part of the film

Daisies was made in 1966 with a State-approved script written by Chytilová herself. It is noticeable that the film is very much about the costumes and design, which is almost inevitable when the screenplay was co-written by costume designer Ester Krumbachová. Despite its very uniqueness in the storyline itself, Chytilová thought completely out of the box when it came to

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