| | Published September 14th, 2011
| Babí Léto: A Czech Gem in Orinda
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| By Sophie Braccini |  | |
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Sometimes it's better not to know too much about a movie before going to see it. Take a leap of faith and get your tickets to see the charming film, Babí Léto (Autumn Spring), from the International Film Showcase (www.lfef.org/showcasetickets) or the Orinda Theatre, and don't read any further. This film, which will be shown at the Orinda the week of September 16-22, is delightful. Its eccentric humor, tenderness, and profound optimism make it a treasure; it is a film as full of surprises as life itself.
For those who must know more:
Frantisek "Fanda" Hna, played by wonderful actor Vlastimil Brodsky, is an older gentleman who refuses to grow old. Despite his wife, who is already saving and planning for their burial, Fanda continues to be a prankster--playing risky games with his best friend, who is just as old, and trying his wife's patience to the point of no return.
Brodsky will remind cinephiles of Philippe Noiret in Cinema Paradiso, with the same presence and charm of an aging man inhabited by a passion or the sheer love of being alive.
The film's main characters are mostly over the age of 70, but it is full of energy and ultimately delivers a view of life that infuses viewers with happiness.
Some of the most touching and interesting moments are related to love and aging. How can a relationship stay fresh after so many years? What is there to discover beyond the same old tired grief that people carry? The character of the wife, played by Stella Zzvorkov, is quite annoying at the start but ends up being a touching old spouse.
The movie is really for all ages, and some of the characters in the film are younger at heart than their own offspring. Czech director Vladimr Michlek made this movie in 2001 and it was reportedly written for Brodsky.
According to Orinda resident Ksenja Olmer, who is of Czech origin, this is a very Czech movie. The humor is definitely European and so is the film's rhythm, which slows a bit in the middle. Be patient for a few moments--you won't regret it.
Babí Léto is presented by the International Film Showcase, which brings an acclaimed foreign film, not yet distributed in the Bay Area, to the Orinda Theatre each month.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA