Occasional Journal II

synopsis

This collective project by third-year directing and cinematography students builds on the socially engaged, satirical and tongue-in-cheek concept of První občasník (The First Periodical, 1961). It comprises six commentaries on the problems of everyday life: space rockets and queues outside shops selling scarce goods, go-kart races on city streets, the uniformity of fashion tastes and gender stereotypes, memory loss, Black Theatre with nowhere to perform, the inescapable noise of civilisation, and a grotesque scuffle at FAMU, where a ruthless battle is waged for the editing suite or a camera. Ironic off-screen commentary and intertitles are used throughout; the segments conclude with the Švejk-esque refrain “That calls for calm”, while the whole is framed by the opening exclamation “That’s a nerve-wracking business” and the closing line “That calls for a solution”. The film was produced in collaboration with students from DAMU and HAMU.

biography

Jaromír Borek (1931–2004), Pavel Brezina (1937–2019), Radim Cvrček (1931–2004), Juraj Jakubisko (1938–2023), Juraj Kerekes (1932–2004), Drahomíra Vihanová (1930–2017): third-year students of feature film directing (in the 1961-62 academic year), who graduated between 1959 and 1964. The most prominent among them were Drahomíra Vihanová (debut film Zabitá neděle [A Squandered Sunday], 1969; she later became a distinguished documentary filmmaker) and Juraj Jakubisko (debut film Kristove roky [The Prime of Life], 1967).

film details

director:	Jaromír Borek, Pavel Březina, Radim Cvrček, Juraj Jakubisko, Juraj Kerekes, Drahomíra Vihanová
producer:	Lukáš Hanzal