(CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1990 10 min)
Director / Writer Jan Svankmajer
by Stephen Russell-Gebbett
The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia could be seen purely as a polemic, a vengeful explosion of rage pent-up through decades of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. It is a polemic, an angry and spite-filled attack, and yet, in some respects, it does not feel any different to a Documentary. Not Documentary in terms of the archive footage of enraptured crowds; instead, the film is akin to putting on those sunglasses from They Live to see the true skeletal horror beneath. Svankmajer said animation was like magic and it is through that medium that those awful years live on, criminals and victims zombified through potent symbols in sad reenaction and commemoration.
The artistry, creativity and venom behind a work may make one suspicious of its verisimilitude. It may damage its credibility. However, although snook is cocked at these figures (a penchant for comedy eyeballs is indulged) it is hard to say that it contains exaggeration or falsification of political realities. Whatever the metaphorical, allegorical illustration of the political course and its impact on the people, The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia is an accurate enough short history of Czechoslovakia from World War II to the end of the Cold War. It is as all dictatorships can be.
Even without subtitles the film is easy to understand : Stalin’s clay head is cut open and out of his brain a new Czech leader (Klement Gottwald, Communist President) is removed. He speaks in Stalin’s voice and, slapped on the back of the head, cries like a baby. Stalin’s representative, born of his mind. Rolling pins tumble down the steps of cobbled streets like Russian tanks, crushing cans and everything in their path. Workers are moulded and sent down a conveyor belt. At the end of the belt they are hanged, dropping splat into a bucket of clay to be remodelled at the start of the cycle. Skulls burst through the thin paper posters of Dictators. Death in human form. Mass public physical exercise is juxtaposed with old lithographs of sexual depravity. Impurity masquerading as purity. Elevation and degradation of the body.
In the end, the bust of Stalin, painted in the Czech flag, is split open and nothing new can be found inside. It’s all finished. But there is a void. Who and what will fill it? When the end comes, there is joy. There is unease and insecurity too.
Svankmajer’s films can ramble because they struggle to get hold of any semblance of power or impact from their (thus random seeming) effects. It can be the case, perversely, that his films appear to have no imagination at all – only objects. The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia has a point that helps centre and hone it into a potent force. What makes it more affecting still is the feeling of impotence : Svankmajer is retaliating when the battle is already over, shadow-boxing with a toppled foe. What he wants most is not to dance on Communism’s grave but to make those lost decades vanish into the ether.The damage wrought can never be properly avenged or undone.
Stop-motion of this kind gives the impression of people and objects that have little agency of their own. That is why it is a perfect medium for such a subject. They move jerkily from place to place in a trance. Stop-motion can be eerie because these unthinking movements are unpredictable and other in their rapid, jaggedly teleporting step. Amplified and emphasised sounds bring out disgust, rawness and humour, the extra squelch and scrape teasing the inner qualities and thoughts of inanimate objects out. One could say that sound transubstantiates these symbols into what they speak of. For ten mintues those are the victims.
Given that the film shows how images can speak louder than, and speak for, words, I think it best to say no more.
I don’t know, again a complicated choice.
I know politics should be in some other place when you try to review something, but I can’t.
Au contraire to what it’s written here (and I don’t mean at all that is badly written, all the contrary) that this film does beat on a dead horse and does have a message about the future of Checkoslovakia, we do hear a baby cry and the almost compulsive and ridiculous painting does hint to something else.
I understand your reticence Jaime.
It’s not a subtle film and I am not an expert in Czech history but it is so very well put together, evocative, with a feeling of anger and impotence and farce that is very powerful.
A great description of Svankmejer’s style, which I find fascinating but frustrating (I’ve yet to get into him the way I’m into the Quays).
Thanks MovieMan.
I found it hard to put across the unique Svankmajer style, but felt I had to (try).
Like Joel, I need to immerse myself in Svankmejer at some point, but this looks like an especially inspired choice. You really do seem to be at your absolute best with Eastern European cinema (though there isn’t a weak entry in this series) and you favor works with philosophical and/or political underpinnings. This makes for a profound and multi-leveled survey, and this animation auteur is an essential component.
Thank you, Sam.
This isn’t the last East European entry by any means.
Very glad to see this on the list. I caught this almost by accident — I had assumed it was actually a documentary on the subject when I recorded it off of IFC — but I was really blown away by it. Even not knowing much of the politics, not knowing anything of the context, the rage and pain shine through to make an immensely powerful experience. I’ve seen some more Svankmejer since this, and liked all of them, but nothing can compare to this initial exposure to him.
Great to see you Krauthammer, as as insightful as ever!
Krauthammer,
For me it was the opposite in fact. This film was pretty much the last I saw of his films before the countdown and it made as great an impact as any of them.
I got into Jan Svankmajer for the sake of the Horror countdown as many of his well know feature lengths are Horror themed. I watched ‘Little Otik’, which is bizarre, but I’d have trouble rating it as a ‘great’ film. ‘Faust’, is certainly scarier, and I think a much better film– it nearly made my top 100 Horror films. Then I saw ‘Lunacy’ which is quite good too– it’s the most surreal (though all his films could be included in this genre), and rather scary too. I’d at least recommend them all, as they are different enough that a film fan can find much to love, plus I liked them enough and I’m by no means the animation fan Joel, Sam, Dennis, or Stephen are (in fact I’m mostly ‘ugh’ about the genre as a whole).
I assume Stephen can speak on the short film collections of his out there. There are two volumes and I assume some pretty good stuff in there.
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This film (‘The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia’) I’d never seen, and liked quite a bit. Just as the ‘Lusitania’ I wanted more ambiguity, here –with the lack of subtitles– we get that. I appreciate having to decipher and figure out the clues Svankmajer. I also like the anger at display here, as Lydon said in PiL, “anger is an energy”. indeed.
Another terrific essay by Stephen to boot, probably my favorite actually.
It really it a very great essay Jamie, one of Stephen’s most masterful pieces. This countdown is revealing many things, and one of those (as if we didn’t already know) is that as a writer he is truly of the very first rank.
these genre countdowns are really beautiful Sam. You should be proud of the diversity of taste(s) and talent(s) that frequent this site and want to write for it.
Amen to that Jamie! It is a great honor.
Thanks very much indeed, Jamie
I hope that this isn’t the last Svankmajer film on the countdown. Such an important and great filmmaker with an incredible canon of films under his belt.
Hey Anu! I suspect we will see more of him for certain.