Film: A Blonde In Love
Release date: 24th January 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 85 mins
Director: Miloš Forman
Starring: Hana Brejchová, Vladimír Pucholt, Vladimír Mensík, Ivan Kheil, Jirí Hrubý
Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama
Studio: Second Run
Format: DVD
Country: Czechoslovakia
In 1975 came One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a groundbreaking film which swept the board at the Academy Awards, taking five Oscars. To this day, it remains the most celebrated moment of Miloš Forman’s career. However, a decade before the film which made Jack Nicholson’s career came a more subtle, yet intriguing work from one of Czechoslovakia’s best-loved exports - a film with such strokes of comedic genius it was itself Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.
A Blonde In Love is set in the industrial town of Zruč, which lies to the southwest of Prague. The local shoe industry has prospered to such levels that the female population of the town outnumbers the male by sixteen to one, causing the factory manager to request that an army regiment be stationed there.
Although the news is at first greeted with excitement by the female contingent, this quickly dissipates when the men arrive – ageing, balding, some even married. This makes for some entertaining shenanigans, as the welcome dance early on in the film provides some highly amusing slapstick moments of comedy, the pretty young ladies attempting to avoid the advances of the lecherous soldiers.
Lead character Andula finds herself more interested in Milda, the piano player at the dance, which opens the door to possibility of a new life in Prague. That is, until she meets the parents…
At first, Forman places paramount importance on audience identification with his central characters, creating set pieces in which we empathise and understand the emotions and actions portrayed. Watching the girls trying to escape the attentions of the soldiers, who aren’t completely sure how to co-ordinate their approach, makes for an excruciatingly awkward, yet extraordinarily entertaining opening.
Once the audience has begun to warm to the main protagonists, our focus shifts to one or two more pressing issues, as Forman provides insight into the limitations of the era, both politically and socially. Although many of the film’s messages are presented in the form of satirical comedy, reading between the lines remains relatively straightforward, thanks largely to a script which juggles masterfully with the levels of wit and sarcasm whilst still conveying a more serious theme.
Perhaps the most effective element of the film is the fact that Andula is the only character who is entitled to displays of complex human emotion. Aside from the moments in which she and Milda are getting to know each other, the remainder of the cast are restricted to roles as caricatures – they have one specific role within Forman’s story, and he utilises their unique characteristics to bounce off one another.
The film’s finest moments come when Andula ventures to Prague with suitcase in hand, knocking on the door of Milda’s parents’ house while Milda is out. What follows is comedy gold – Andula is subjected to random quizzing from his mother, who fulfils her role dutifully as the nosy, intrusive housewife. Every once in a while, Milda’s father pipes up and they bicker about Andula, as if she is not there, happily mocking her for her naivety.
The cynicism and utter disdain with which Milda’s mother addresses Andula strips away any previous innocence and tenderness, shifting our focus onto the impossibility and impracticality of love in communist Czechoslovakia. As the film descends into mild farce, certain realities become clear, and there is little choice but to laugh at the hopelessness of Andula’s situation as Milda’s parents poke fun at her.
The only minor criticism would be in its slightly short running time, and although all strands of narrative are concluded in a satisfactory manor, there comes a certain disappointment when the film ends. Perhaps the central messages would have become yet more prominent. Or perhaps the film reaches such levels of humour, we are simply left wanting more.
A Blonde In Love’s charm is in its approach, exploring themes such as the naivety of young love and the political confusion of the era, whilst maintaining a light-hearted frame of mind. A witty script holds together the strands, making for a highly absorbing comedy with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. MC
