Prague – The Restless Heart of Europe / CZ / film

Prague – The Restless Heart of Europe / directed by: Věra Chytilová / 1984 / 59 min.

The artistic documentary was commissioned by RAI to become one part of the Cultural Centres of Europe series. In the strictly personal film, Prague became a mere springboard “element”. The city is a concentrated “stage” set for the crisis of history and individual. In the fast fly-by, the individual components always appear for only a split second, either in motion or otherwise deformed, only to disappear, continuously carried away in a wild torrent of the observer’s vision, losing their otherwise unchanging moorings. The commentary is interspersed with extracts from Sapho, Kosma, Charles IV., extracts from songs and choruses... J. Malíř’s camera perfectly reflects the rhythm, cut, and colour – a wild maelstrom of metaphors.