La fête et les invités

Masterfully lensed film. Wonderful black and white compositions with great placement of figures in the frame.

This is a fiercely anti-Stalinist work that can relate to anyone who hates unquestionable authority. It's opening scenes are pure Kafka-horror. A sadistic magistrate sent down to interrogate people just trying to live their lives seems to have absolute freedom to torment and humiliate.

Then, the magistrate is himself humiliated by a benevolent, yet all- powerful, "host". At this point the tone becomes one of blackest satire. Clearly a commentary on the post-Stalinist USSR and eastern block, the authorities "banned the film forever."

'A Report on the Party and the Guests' is not just a biting political allegory on Communism, it is also one of the most astute observations on human nature I have ever seen- which is what makes it universal.

The "plot" revolves around a group of friends who are having a picnic in the park one afternoon, but are eventually forced into going to a birthday celebration for a man they do not know. In order to gain his favor, some of the group betray a friend who left the party. The plot is actually loosely structured after the manner that Czechoslovakia was taken over by the Communists in the 50's, and the way the Czechs allowed it to happen. Interestingly for a film that was "banned forever" by the Communists, I found it to be more scathing in its depiction of the people who were seduced into the situation, and then collaborated with the party overseeres.

In a film with a surrealist plot, the acting is surprisingly realistic. The situation is so bizarre, but the film poses the question: if you were there would you have acted any different? The situation, after all, was very bizarre in real life too. The acting is excellent, the cinemetography is excellent, and Jan Nemec (whose Holocaust film 'Diamonds of the Night' I found to be disappointing) directs with a bold hand. This is a great film, and it's not just a history lesson. There's humor in it too, and it's very interesting from a psychological perspective. 10/10

It's a political allegory set in 1966 Czechoslovakia that was banned for many years except for a short time during Prague Spring in 1968.

The story follows a group of seven middle-class men and women having a picnic near a lake. There is a discussion about an obscure future event. At one point, they see what appears to be a wedding party dance by at a distance. They finally decide to proceed to get to the "celebration" in time.

Suddenly, the group is accosted by a significant number of men. The men are led by Rudolf (Jan Klusak). It's not clear if they are threatening or joking. Karel (Karel Mares) defies Rudolf at one point and is roughed up. Josef (Jirí Nemec) from the picnic group helps to bring peace. Then an older man in white appears. Known as The Host (Ivan Vyskocil), he welcomes everyone to his joint birthday party and wedding celebration. He reprimands Rudolph and seems to smooth everything over.

During the meal, the Host learns his guests occupy the wrong seats and that one of the men from the picnic has left. This causes great consternation, and the Host and Rudolf decide to go and find the missing man and return him to the party. They use a large dog with massive teeth to aid in the search.

The aura of threat over a façade of peace apparently offended the Czech government of the time. This is not usually my type of film, but I thought it effectively communicated its point. It was banned in 1967 because it had "nothing in common with our republic, socialism, and the ideals of Communism."

This simple and intelligent movie skillfully and effectively questions conformism and obedience to authority. It was made within the framework of the Czechoslovak New Wave and banned as "subversive" after the Soviet intervention in 1968. The critique developed in this movie is applicable to every society, not just Cold War Czechoslovakia, and therefore is still very topical and significant.

The plot is surrealist: a picnic turns into an interrogation, but the guests are soon escorted to a birthday party, which then becomes a manhunt for the one man who refused to participate in it. Along with conformism and silent consent of the oppressed, the movie shows how those who have the monopoly over means of coercion and violence arrogantly enjoy their power and control, how they meet people's fear and uncertainty with smugish delight. Each scene is ambiguous and filled with symbolism - every conversation, as well as many one-liners, can be interpreted outside of their context and applied to various social issues, which makes the movie additionally provocative and politically interesting.

Bland and pointless. At just over 1 hour in length, it drags on for what feels like a much longer time. At best, this movie might be useful for its soporific effect; it could very easily lull a tired person to sleep with its slow pace and meaninglessness. Beyond that, it's just another pretentious "art" project by someone who wanted to make a movie but had nothing to provide the viewers other than a small bit of surrealism.