Women, Men, Love Songs

Pavel Klusák / Czech Republic / 2027 / World Premiere / 52 min.

synopsis

The eight-part series Women, Men, Love Songs explores Czech popular music from the 1950s to the present as a vivid cultural record of its times. Catchy pop melodies and familiar lyrics were never merely a backdrop for listening and dancing. They reflected the values, norms and profound social changes of their day. Each episode focuses on a different period or phenomenon: the influence of the sexual revolution in the 1960s, marital stereotypes in the 1970s, ambivalent portrayals of sexuality in the 1980s, and the uninhibited freedom and commercial glamour of the 1990s. The series also explores emerging queer narratives and the gradual emancipation of women in the 21st century. With wry humour and sharp criticism, music critic Pavel Klusák examines how deeply gender stereotypes were—and still are—rooted in us, and what the hits that continue to fill the airwaves and television screens reveal about the changing Czech identity. What do songs whose lyrics entire generations know by heart tell us about Czech society?

biography

A music journalist from an artistic family, he studied Czech language and literature at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts and screenwriting at DAMU. He has consistently examined contemporary music, particularly its independent strands in an era dominated by streaming platforms (Co je nového v hudbě, 2018). He previously worked for the magazines Týden and Respekt and the Orientace supplement of the daily Lidové noviny. His writing now appears primarily in Aktuálně.cz and Deník N. He has also served as music programmer for the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival. His research into the relationship between popular culture and the totalitarian regime has informed several series for Czech Radio, including Vášeň a zrada and Podivný showbyznys. He is the author of the encyclopedias 101 největších alb pop-music (2006) and Uvnitř banánu (2020). He also explored the cult of personality surrounding Karel Gott in his screenplay for the cinematic hoax Vynález krásy (1994) and the podcast Gotťák (since 2021). His documentary Hudba Zdeněk Liška (2017) charts a body of work whose quality stood in stark contrast to the musical output of its time.