Film detail | And Give My Love to the Swallows

...a pozdravuji vlaštovky

Days of Czech and Slovak Cinema - Festival is 50

Country: Czech Republic
Language: Czech
Subtitles: (No Subtitles)
Directed by: Jaromil Jireš
Year: 1972
Length: 86`
Rating: 12
Story: Jaromil Jireš
Screenplay: Jaromil Jireš
Director of Photography: Jan Čuřík
Music: Luboš Fišer
Edited by: Josef Valušiak
Production: Filmové studio Barrandov

Synopsis: "I wouldn't live differently today. Except that I would avoid the mistakes I made." Maruska has 99 days left to live. Sentenced by a German court for high treason, she waits in her cell for execution. 99 last days in the life of another victim of a fascist machine. 99 last days in which a person sees their whole life pass before their eyes, from their fist steps till their illegal fight against fascism... This chamber drama from death row with the young Magda Vašáryová in the main role has been stylized by a poetic film based on the literary legacy of Marie Kudeříková (the book Fragments of Life) and a serious attempt by director Jaromil Jireš to meet with a public demand just before the main wave of "Normalization".

Jaromil Jireš: Jaromil Jireš (1935-2001) studied camera work and directing at FAMU. He debuted with The Cry (Křik, 1963). His episode Romance from a collective work called Pearls in the Deep (Perličky na dně, 1965) was followed by the famous film The Joke (1968, Žert). His rich productions of the '70s-'80s were led by the poetic film And Give My Love to the Swallows (…a pozdravuj vlaštovky, 1972). The Dance Teacher (Učitel tance, 1994) and Double Role (Dvojrole, 1998) stand out among his last films.