450. Sedmikrasky/Daisies (1966)

Running Time: 74 minutes
Directed By: Vera Chytilova
Written By: Vera Chytilova, Ester Krumbachova
Main Cast: Ivana Karbanova, Jitka Cerhova, Marie Ceskova, Jinna Myskova, Marcela Brezinova
Click here to view the trailer

COUNTERCULTURE

Well last night was SUPPOSED to be the start of my three film tribute to Sergio Leone, but the old VHS copy that I had, didn't have any sound and thus, I went to a backup movie - "Daisies", in a continued effort to expand my knowledge of 60s cinema.

It's going to be quite difficult for me to write a plot summary for "Daisies", but, as always, I'll give it the old college try. There really isn't any clear plot, but rather the film uses symbolism, vibrant colors and even experiments with sound effects, to tell it's story. The film centers around two young girls, both named Marie, who decide that since the world has "gone bad", then they will also go bad. Their exploits include frolicking in a meadow and picking fruit from a tree, probably symbolizing the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden, scamming old men out of free meals, dancing at a nightclub and using scissors to cut up many different objects, mostly phallic symbols. I'm just going to stop there, because any further attempt to describe the happenings of the film, will simply turn into boring blathering.

As far as my personal thoughts go, that's kind of a hard one too. I will say that from the opening scene, I was really dreading the next seventy-four minutes. However, as the film progressed, it actually had kind of a hypnotic effect on me. The mixing of colors, alternating between many different tones and using black and white for certain scenes, really seemed to lull me into this movies' submission. There are MANY absolutely gorgeous scenes and the way that they're cut together and put on display, is sometimes quite magical. There's a certain sexual arousal that comes along with the film too, as we're forced to watch two young ladies frolic around in next to nothing, barefoot and fancy free. In fact, while we're on the subject of sex, I often wondered throughout the film if these two young women were meant to be portrayed as lesbians, or simply two foot soldiers for the cause of feminism, getting across the point that men are the Devil.

On the other hand, the film, at times, seemed very pointless and nonsensical. There wasn't a plot and if you take a look on the special features of the DVD, you'll see that the Czech authorities actually used this film as an example, when citing that many of the Czech films being produced around this time were too confusing and made no sense. It's hard to disagree with them, as there really isn't a whole lot of sense to be made here...or is there? If I were able to watch "Daisies" another time or two and really get a grasp on what the message was and what Chytilova was trying to say, I think it would help me to really appreciate it a lot more and maybe....maybe even consider it a favorite. It certainly appealed to me, in some ways. It interested, engaged, hypnotized and aroused me also and that's certainly nothing to sneeze at. However, it also bored me, at times, and usually made no sense. This is a prime candidate for a film that I would have really loved to watch a second time, but I have an unwritten rule: Films that I watch for the book only get one chance to impress.

RATING: 5/10 We'll call that a review. I know it's short, but the last one was really long, so it evens out, right? I'm going to watch this again someday and I'm certainly going to keep it at the forefront of my mind. Don't be surprised if you see that rating jump two or three notches come recap time. As for now, since I can't decide, we'll slice it down the middle.

MOVIES WATCHED: 343
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 658

November 2, 2011 1:20pm