L'oreille

Like so many other films made in Eastern Europe in the 60s and 70s, I've longed to see this gem again. Once upon a time, back in the 80s, the UK's Channel 4 used to show all kinds of weird and wonderful films into the early hours, introducing this teenager (now 36) to a new and exciting world of international cinema.

This Czech classic (banned when Dubcek's regime was toppled in '69) concerns Ludvik, a top bureaucrat, and his wife, Anna, coming home one night from a reception to find their home has been bugged (during a period of political purging). The paranoia and sleepless night sets Lunvik and Aanna against each other, and the film finally shows what it took to 'get head' in a Stalinist regime.

i saw this at a university art screening years ago and this is one of those rare glimpses into what one can only wonder as being one of many practically lost gems as i have never seen it available on video or screened ever again, yet this is a truly classic film. i sadly don't remember much of the plot, but this film is about the very real fear that the main character's home is bugged by state police (the ear in question). the black and white cinematography is great, but this film is all about tension. it deserves to be seen.

I've seen this a couple of days ago in a tribute to Karel Kachyna who died recently. It is simply amazing. A well connected party/government (same thing) aparatchik and wife get driven back to their villa from a state reception to find their keys missing, house unlocked, without electricity, working telephone. They are being snippy with each other to start with, but when the man starts getting a little paranoid about the situation and starts getting little flashbacks from the reception (his immediate boss - a minister - and several colleagues are not present there, some ppl express mild suprise he is there himself, he is obviously not privy to certain hush-hush information, their chaffeur is missing and the place is full of "cliftons" i.e. secret police (get me a salmon, that's the red thing:)) they both really deteriorate into panic, accusssations, dragging long-forgotten things into open... The point is they know they are being listened to, but their safe haven are the toilets, the bathroom and the kitchen where the bugging devices are not ordinarily placed... but not for long I cannot imagine how did Mr. K imagine this thing would be released ever. It's a miracle it only got shelved and can remind us nowadays how bad it really was...It is one of the most thruthfull portrayals of uncertanities of love and life back then

As other reviewers mentioned, there are indeed echoes of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", so this movie is WAOTVF + a political drama thriller. If that sounds interesting to you, watch it, it definitely won't disappoint you. It takes place in one night, it's very interesting, script is "tight", not a single second is wasted, good use of flashbacks and the acting is great.

It's not a masterpiece though like WAOTVW. Furthermore, i won't say that some things didn't make sense but i didn't get convinced entirely, i mean, during the last 20 minutes or so, a character was too hostile against the other and this character's transition was not so smooth. It didn't feel real, whereas during the first hour, it was like watching a real couple arguing with each other.

Despite these flaws, this is a good movie.

"The ear" is a late production of the Czech new wave movement. It is politically more explicit that earlier films of this movement such as "Closely watched trains" (1966, Jiri Menzel) or "The Firemen's ball" (1967, Milos Forman).

It was made in 1970, that is after the invasion of the Warsaw pact in 1968. The film was prohibited by the communist censorship and only released in 1990.

"The ear" is situated in a hectic time for the Czech communist party. A couple of promiment members have been purged away. The main character is still on his job, but suspects that he is being eavesdropped.

A comparison with "Das leben der anderen" (2006, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck) is obviious, but there are differences too.

In "Das leben der anderen" the eavesdropping is certain, in "The ear" it is only a suspicion of the main character.

In "Das leben der anderen" the victim is a citizen outside the communist party. In "The ear" members of the communist party are fighting each other.

In "Das leben der anderen" the victim and the perpetrator are both being portrayed. "The ear" focusses exclusively on the victim (because it is not sure that there is a perpetrator). There is lot of attention for the effect on the married life of the victim. In this way the film also has a twist of "Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966, Mike Nichols) in it.