Majáles 65

Jiří Danda / Czechoslovakia / 1966 / The film already had its Czech Premiere / 16 min.

synopsis

A documentary about Prague’s first state-authorised Majáles student festival since 1955, which took place under the auspices of the communist Czechoslovak Youth Union on 1 May 1965 in the Julius Fučík Park of Culture and Leisure. It captures the organisational preparations, the gathering on Wenceslas Square, the procession across the bridge and the celebrations at the Prague Exhibition Grounds. Allen Ginsberg, who was nominated King of Majáles, describes it as a festival of resurrection and joy and presents a bouquet to Miss Majáles. The film uses stop-motion shots to capture the slogans of the various universities, the speeches made by the candidates for King, the concerts, the fireworks, the bonfires and the entertainment provided by the various groups. It concludes with the organising committee’s evaluation of the event. It makes use of rapid pans, flash montages and tilted camera angles. The opening credits, which are painted on a wall and on the street paving, are also original. The cinematographer Eduard Hrubeš was also a student at the Department of Film and Television Journalism; the film was produced by the student group Stativ (Tripod) and utilises footage from the cinematographers of Zpravodajský film. The work is a third-year practical assignment from the Department of Film and Television Journalism.

biography

Jiří Danda (1944) graduated from FAMU in 1967. He directed the television documentaries Konec flamendra zmizelé Prahy (The End of the Flamenco of Lost Prague, 1965), Splněný sen 1903 (A Dream Come True 1903, 1965), Vyznání (Confession, 1968), Tajná chodba zuřivého reportéra (The Secret Passage of a Fiery Reporter, 1968), Odnes to všechno čas? (Has Time Taken It All Away?, 1968) and the programme Aktuální kamera (Current Camera, 1974).