Intro
Czech Republic is a living temple of culture and high arts, which it’s why I knew I had to choose a Czech film, but that is not the strong reason why I picked Jan Sverák’s Kolja. Even though my father has always been by mi side he is a really quite person that most probably has problems when it comes to talk about feelings and demonstrating love. That is why every time I see a movie that concerns the topic of an absent paternal figure it catches my attention because of two things: the first one is that in each film with this theme I found new and different ways to understand my father more and more; and the second one is that in some distant and estrange way, watching this loving figures transport me to a mental state of comfort and happiness, because every time I hope one day my father will jump over his wall and learn how to express his inner feelings which I know are there, because even though he does not talk about it I can feel, perceive and read it in his eyes every single time he looks at me or my sisters.
The film Kolja, is a film marked by Czech culture and national identity; a film concerned with politics, ethics, truth, life and death, philosophy and fascinatingly enough a religious frame of understanding.
In this paper, the first thing to do is to contextualize the climate prior and in which the movie was settled; then this paper will take you into a tour that talks about setting, history of Czech film relevant to the film Kolja, aesthetic style, narrative, mood and sound & soundtrack; and finally, this paper will talk about the plot’s themes, and their sometimes hidden between the lines, symbolisms.
Part I – The Contextualization of the Film
To comprehend the film Kolja better is necessary to contextualize the climate, in which the film is settled, in order to do so, this paper will use a composition insert:
Czechoslovakia was ruled by the Communist Party from February 25, 1948. There was no opposition. Dissidents (notably Charter 77) published home-made periodicals (samizdat), but they faced persecution from the secret police, and the general public was afraid to support them. A person could be dismissed from their job or school, or have their books or movies banned for having a "negative attitude to [the] socialist regime." This included: being a child of a former entrepreneur or non-Communist politician, having family members in exile, supporting Alexander Dubček, opposing Soviet military occupation, promoting religion, boycotting rigged parliamentary elections, signing Charter 77 or associating with those who did. These rules were easy to enforce as all schools, media and businesses belonged to the state and were under direct supervision. This changed gradually after the introduction of Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika in 1985. The Czechoslovak Communist leadership verbally supported Perestroika, but did little to institute real changes, and speaking of the Prague Spring of 1968 was still a taboo.
1988 and 1989 saw the first anti-governmental demonstrations, which were repressed by the police. The "Velvet Revolution" (November 16 – December 29, 1989) refers to a bloodless revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the communist government there. On November 17, 1989, a peaceful student demonstration in Prague was severely beaten back by the riot police. That event sparked a set of popular demonstrations from November 19 to late December. By November 20 the number of peaceful protesters assembled in Prague had swelled from 200,000 the day before to an estimated half-million. A general two-hour strike, involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia, was held on November 27. With other communist regimes falling all around it, and with growing street protests, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced on November 28 they would give up their monopoly on political power. Barbed wire was removed from the border with West Germany and Austria in early December. On December 10, the Communist President Gustáv Husák appointed the first largely non-communist government in Czechoslovakia since 1948, and resigned. Alexander Dubček was elected speaker of the federal parliament on December 28 and Václav Havel the President of Czechoslovakia on December 29 1989. As one of the results of the Velvet Revolution, the first democratic elections since 1946 were held in June, 1990, and brought the first completely non-communist government to Czechoslovakia in over forty years.
This is the reason why most of the films that are being done in Europe are still concerned with the topics of these hard years, the writer of this paper believes that they are trying to recover the time the lost during these years and criticize all the awful things they went through, like the Holocaust or the Communist Iron Curtain, which are the biggest of all. They always treat themes that are painful, even tough the themes are treated in different styles and from different points of view; Czech cinema is still stuck in the past because they haven’t got over it, yet.
Part II – The Tour
Setting:
The film takes place in Prague in the years of the normalization, the last two years which were 1988 and 1989, as I said before. This film deals with the problems of the Soviet Occupation and the expulsion of them within November 16 and December 29 of 1989, in other words, The Velvet Revolution. Even tough the Czechs are not very religious people; many of the scenes are set in churches and the cemetery. There are few locations in this picture, and they all are in the region of Bohemia; which is given particular relevance in the film. There is a particular scene that raises the importance of Bohemia in the film; which is the scene in which Louka and Nedezda are getting married and little Kolja stares at the ancient Czech coat of arms that know represents the region of Bohemia in the new coat or arms. Kolja stares at it and imitates the arms of the silver lion and growls. “The arms of Bohemia, displayed twice (in the top left and bottom right) to symbolize the traditional importance of that region, shows a silver double-tailed lion on a red background.” Another symbol that promulgates the importance of Bohemia is again shown through the eyes of Kolja when he is at the cemetery and stares at the statue of Saint Agnes de Bohemia, “the first saint from a Central European country to be canonized by Pope John Paul II before the 1989 Velvet Revolution. She was canonized on November 12, 1989, at Rome. She also appears in the 50-koruny banknote.”
History of Czech film relevant to the film Kolja:
During the Soviet Occupation the film industry was highly censored, “The students were supported by theaters in Prague, which had also gone on strike. Instead of playing, actors read a proclamation of students and artists to the audience. Home-made posters and proclamations were being posted in public places. As all media (radio, TV, newspapers) were strictly controlled by the Communist Party, it was the only way to spread the message.” There are two references of this situation in the film one is the presence of Radio Free Europe which was a closer face to reality, the good part; and there is a scene in which Louka takes Kolja to the movies and the film that is being screened is a Russian one, this shows the censorship and the control of media by Soviets, the bad part.
Aesthetic Style:
In the film, the photography is really great; the whole work is fully lighted, with warm colors such as the degrade of hot colors such as orange and yellow, and many terracotta, also is a lively film as there is the presence of green in abundance. The contrasts between shadows and light are really soft giving the skin a porcelain touch or really marked, but with the touch, all in all the photography of the film is very lighted, warm and vivid. The presence of such much light in the film is because of the Gothic influence of the Czech Republic architecture, which has large window that let through a lot of light in order to fell the languid presence of God. This makes on the audience a really particular effect, in which people fell calmed and in ecstasy. This works really well with the fact that the film touches a story of a father and a son that get to create a bond to each other, overcoming language barriers; just like in religious prayers.
Narrative:
The narrative of the film is linear; the situations happen one after another and there are non flashbacks neither repeated shots to emphasize on something, although there are very similar shots, still, these are not the same shot. There are obviously many ellipses in the film, because the story takes place within a period of two years or so, located between some time around 1988 and 1989. There also is a symbolic narrative in the film such as the fact that Louka ironically bought a Trabant with the money that came from a Russian, and this car, the Trabant, represents the end of communism. Or for example, that he lives in a tower which is the hardest point to attack in a city and also the place from were a person can watch carefully the city from above to see what is happening, this way he protects himself against the communist invasion; he also gets on a higher tower with Kolja further on the movie. Interestingly enough in Tarot, the tower is the symbol for paradigms, is accurate to say then, that he lives in a temple of a thinking model; “Louka’s political comments are few, it is clear that he identifies with the reality presented trough Radio Free Europe, feels the same way about the Russians as everyone else, and comes from a background that celebrates the democratic values of the First Republic.” (145). An finally in the narrative there are some shots or sequences which the writer of this paper considers are premonitions of things that are going to happen further on in the movie, there is an obvious one which is when Franta’s cello falls over Blanka’s cello and Franta holds his cello and says “Slow, slow”; this is an erotic premonition of the sexual tension and relation they are going to have once she enters his place. There is also another premonition which is a little bit more abstract; in the beginning of the film there is a scene in which Louka hit the cap of the coffee pot, and it hit the floor and goes around Klara making a circle, this represents that she is the chosen one to fulfill the cycle of life, it’s a premonition of Louka braking celibacy, Louka’s future children, or the pigeons always hitting the window and catching the attention of Kolja and Louka; pigeons are messengers, they were hitting the glass not to sharp anything, but the message of the future fall of communism.
Mood:
At the beginning of the film the mood is happy o joking one the best example is when Louka grabs Klara’s ass while she is singing in a funeral, this was a really comical situation, then the mood turns a little bit depressing, because we are shown the sate of loneliness in which Louka lives, and how he tries to fill this empty space by making love with other men’s wives. Then from an already depressing mood it gets even worse, because the mood gets pessimistic especially since Louka has no money, the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia, Czech are now negotiating with the Russians and the situation looks like is not going to change for a while, after all the Soviet Occupation has been at least 40 years by then. Eventually with the proposition of Bronz makes Louka about a bogus marriage, a little arrow of light falls over the whole picture; the mod after the wedding turns again very optimistic and happy, everything seems to be going well and then the mood drops to a lower point again, now the mood is of danger and worry, because Nadezda emigrates to western Europe letting Louka and Broz in a really nasty situation with the law, still the mood gets even more heavy when Louka is given the surprise of having to take care of Kolja, but he is optimistic because of the fact that he thinks its just for a few days until his grandmother gets out of the hospital, but she dies and the mood is at this point the worst of the movie, is intense, uncertainty, impotence, deception and disappointment. But then, step by step Louka and Kolja began to create a relationship an exceptional of father and son, which brings the best mood to the movie, its just happiness, optimism and love. Then once more but just for a few minutes the mood drops down again with the notice of the Social Services of taking Kolja away, but with the decision of Louka to run away the mood raises again this time with a political nuance, which keeps the same until Kolja leaves with his mother, even tough the mood is optimistic, it is really nostalgic too. But then we see that Klara, Louka’s girlfriend is pregnant, and we see Louka playing again in the Philharmonic, ending the film with a happy, optimistic, pleasurable and joyful mood, but with a tasteless nostalgia. Briefly, the whole movie is like a Venetian waltz, it goes fast and slows; it goes up and down at all times in abrupt, but delightful changes; making the audience very susceptible to the emotive scenes; but still it is a slow paced film, which makes it more emotional, as you get time to get feelings out slowly and soft but certain.
Sound & Soundtrack:
The film sound it’s really equilibrated, ambient sound and dialogs are always at the right level there are no strong changes in the sound, and it just keeps a perfect harmony, because it never breaks it perspective. “Music in the Czech Republic has its roots in high culture opera and symphony and in the folk musics or Bohemia and Moravia. Undoubtedly the most internationally famous form of Czech folk music is the Bohemian polka.” These facts are present evidently in the film, the folk traditions are presented in the bars and the reception wedding party, and the symphonic and opera are more evident, Klara sings operas in the funerals and Louka is a classic music player that used to be in the Czech Philharmonic. Once more, this movie brings up the religion, this time through music, the opera that Klara always sings and with which the film ends as Kolja sings it too is totally religious. In fact, in the bible is the psalm 23 of David and says: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” This papers states that this song is an allegory to the conception of death in Judeo-Christian religion, Roman Catholics. The film is full with high culture music is almost everywhere just because of Louka’s work; the music is symphonic radiant, luminous, brilliant, beautiful, sublime, magnificent and inspiring; if the audience just closed their eyes to listen to the music, they truly would appreciate two the two shows this films has the visual and the audio part. The melodies are exiting and capable of pulling out our inner feelings. Superb, indeed, yet the writer of this paper have made clear he is a fanatic of classical music. But it happens to be almost obvious, because of Czech’s music more than a tradition is a national identity; “the Czechs had conquered the world through their music. In other words, a small country may have limited influence in the politics of the world, but the cultural sphere may be different. Indeed, there is a strong appeal to these traditions in Kolja.” (139).
Part III – Hide and Seek: The Search for Symbols
The plot of the film treats various themes some in a more extensive or clearer way than other which are just referenced; nevertheless the most relevant themes are the ones such as politics, philosophy, ethics, truth, life and death, and religion.
All over the film there are political allusions and positions that is why this paper will take some of them that are considered the most important when it comes to reading between the lines, or finding the meanings. The first reference is in the scene in which Louka was reading the newspaper, the red heading of news said: “Socialism: Our Unwavering Security.” This is a clear reference of the whole situation in which Czechoslovakia was submerged in that time, but if the fact that it is important from the point of view of the Russians is more important from the Czech’s point of view, because the director is making a sarcastic joke of the Socialist Party; which is probably the way most of the Czech people felt in that time or even now: being “Socialism: Our Unwavering Security” a figurative to say “Communism: Our Expansionist and Emancipator Campaign.” Then there is the theme of the Émigrés and its repercussions; for example the fact that Louka was expelled from the Philharmonic because his brother Vitulka deserted Czechoslovakia or the emigration of Nedezka which in some way disturbed again the life of Louka when he was given the surprise of having to take car of Kolja. In the film there is a depiction of how many people were emigrating. When Louka and Nedezka are getting married, the red carpet is full of high heels holes, which could easily symbolize that communism is rotten. That is why this paper implies that these holes mean that many people have been getting married for the last years; many people are trying to escape through bogus marriages, many people have been giving their backs to the regime by walking away or deserting communism.
Then there is a line I the plot that says: “The Russians watch us like hawks.” There are several scenes during the film in which eagles or hawks are in high places and little Kolja notices them, “you have to be one, to know one”, that is a Russian, for example the one on the top of the electric post. This paper that Jan Sverák certainly created a brilliant symbol to talk about the Soviet Occupation and their always vigilant position and attitude towards the Czechs. But this symbol is emphasized even more in an allegoric way with the fairy tale that Zuzi reads for Kolja: The Eagle and the Lamb, which goes like this: “High in the Caucasian Mountain pick lived an eagle. One day he flew so high… he reached a star. On that star lived an old sheep and her lamb. ‘I came for a visit,’ said the eagle. ‘Let’s see how you leave here.’” Once more, the eagle stands for Russia, the star represents former Czechoslovakia and the old sheep and her lamb correspond to the Czech people. In a metaphoric way, the director is talking about the Soviet Occupation: “‘I came for a visit,’ said the eagle. ‘Let’s see how you are leaving here.’” And this metaphor is even more evident when the film establishes that is a Russian Fairy Tale, an expansionist one, in this writer’s opinion.
Followed by that, there are the characters incarnations. The characters represent the countries, Louka’s mother is the personification of the old Czech ideals, the most hurt ones, the ones that don’t accept the Russian invasion and were deeply wounded and disturbed by the Holocaust. Louka represents the people the people that if weren’t born under the communist regime, were too young which is why they don’t know better and is more open minded arguing that: “Not all Russians are alike;” he is part of the transitional generation. And Kolja without any doubt, always wearing red cloth as the Soviet Flag, represents Russia and communism; that is why, when Kolja goes away, so does the Leninist party. Nevertheless, what is most important is that Kolja teached Louka how to be a father and their relationship talks about how easy it is to live together, once the prejudices are dropped. Kolja’s departure marks the beginning of a new period for the Czechs, full of good things yet full of nostalgic memories too. And Klara’s pregnancy affirms the beginning of a new breed, a new generation, a new country, a new world.
Finally, there is line that this paper considers is the main political view of this film; even tough it seems so apparent: “A victim of political persecution. No! a victim of my own stupidity.” In other words, when it comes to politics the decisions made are very important, because they change the perceptions of were we are and were we are going.
Taking another direction, there are some scenes in the film that make suggestions about certain philosophical, ethical and truth concerns which are the following. The re is a scene in which Kolja is taking a bath and looks at his hands and notices that they are all wrinkled, like Louka’s hands. He makes this relation and by comparison, sees himself equal to Louka; he realizes that despite the existent barriers, they are the same. This is a process of introspection and extrospection; the importance of this scene is that Kolja teaches the audience by learning, Kolja teaches the concept of empathy.
Another astute perception is the piece of jewelry that Louka finds, which is worth nothing in economic terms, but emotionally is a priceless piece, because of the meaning attached or attributed to it, it becomes a symbol. In other words, this is an example of the arbitrariness of the meanings; “what one considers real, it’s real in its consequences.”
Finally, when Kolja is watching at the ceiling, he just sees the shadows of the Russian tanks. The importance of this scene is not if is unfortunate or not that that Kolja and the Russians are in Czechoslovakia, but the suggestion that it’s made here to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which explained in simple words, “talks about the dualistic perception of the world, in which we should wake up to the truth about us. Plato is questioning the very nature of reality and playing the ultimate “What If” game.” This is important because Czechs are really insightful people, and even more, that they are devoted to the theme of truth; as a matter of fact, present Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia’s motto is: “Truth Prevails.” To conclude the idea, it becomes apparent that Czech people are really moralistic and ethical, theme which is portrayed too in the film in the scene in which Louka rejects the payment Nedezka is giving him at the airport for their fake marriage, because he feels it is wrong to accept it after having created a father and son especial bond with little Kolja. It would be like if Louka was charging Nedezka for being Kolja’s “putative” father.
Life and death in this film are expressed in Judeo-Christian precepts. Life is divided in three stages which are: childhood, adultness and oldness, faces that are tightly and respectively linked to birth and education, reproduction and action, and reflection and death. But the theme of death has a greater importance. The fact that Louka works as a funeral musician and that in one scene Kolja imitates Louka’s job by making a representation of a funeral in the puppet theater, says that the real job of Louka is to guide de gone ones to the other side through his music. Also the Otter River is an allegory to live and death via the absence of the ones we need, we are destined to vanish like the waters of the river, they are always moving as things are in life which is Heraclites theory, but still this same river calls for our attention when we realize that the only thing that does not change about the river is that the river is always changing; in other words, life is always changing, but death is always there. In the film, death is the entrance to a chamber of eternal darkness in which the doors of earthly life close behind out caskets. Death is forever, is a trip with no return, is being asleep, is a dream of eternal dimensions. Certainly this is a religious perception of the concept of death and life, which is really weird because in Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia, “in the religious sphere, atheism was officially promoted and taught. Despite the very visible presence of cathedrals and church buildings all over the country, the majority of Czechs (59%) are agnostics or atheists or without any dogmatic organization of belief, mostly as a consequence of the anti-religious policy during the communist era. Significant religious groups include Roman Catholics (27%), Protestants (1.2%), and Czechoslovak Hussites (1%).” This movie makes part of that little percentage.”
In the same way there are other religious other religious topics on the film such as the prophecies or visions and some coincidences that further on will fall onto a very interesting relation. The visions or prophecies are very mystical and most of the time religious things and the appearance of a prophecy in this film gave it an even more religious nuance. The prophecy appears twice in the movie before fulfilling, first when Louka’s friend says it: “The kids and the nurses rebelled. They drove the communists to Albania… with a great pealing of bells… and set up reservations for them like the Indians in America. What a vision!” And then the vision is emphasized in a more abstract way when Kolya falls for 42° fever, probably the vision as he represents Russia gave him the fever pain. In his dream he sees the shadows of people that vanish, this represents Communism; he sees the bells ringing; he sees the spinning toy that stands for the spin of the situation, the changing times; and finally he sees the statue of Saint Agnes de Bohemia that, if we know her biography, represents the nurses.
Finally, there is a number that is subsequently present in various ways across the whole film, which is the number three. There are three corks of Champaign; three stages of life, three large windows in the church were Louka plays music for funerals, three bells in Louka’s apartment and three stars in the crown of the statue of Saint Agnes de Bohemia. All these coincidences are too much to be a coincidence, and the fact that this film has a very heavy religious influence. And the fact that at the starting shot there is the hand of a little boy in the window of an airplane first with one finger extended and then with five; and this shot is almost duplicated in the final sequence with the same pattern: one finger, then five fingers in the airplane’s window where we see the sky, the infiniteness of God. And even more the fact that the main character of the film name is Louka made me run to the bible, and in a really astonishing and surprising coincidence, in the New Testament in Luke’s book, chapter 3, versicles 1 to 5; I found a passage that can be read as a metaphor to the main themes of the film. That is, the end of communism and the years prior to it. The passage is the following:
John Baptist Prepares the Way
Luke 3:1-5
1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.
This an allusion to the years of the Holocaust and then the Soviet Communist Occupation, it refers to the prophecy of the fall of communism and the further fall of it in 1989 with the Velvet Revolution and the Velvet Divorce, it refers to the events that occurred in order to prepare the way for the arrival of God; in other words, the arrival of free expression of word and cult, freedom, democracy, westernalization and capitalism.
Conclusion:
The film Kolja, is a film marked by Czech culture and national identity; a film concerned with politics, ethics, truth, life and death, philosophy and fascinatingly enough a great religious frame of understanding. It’s a movie that contextualizes and talks about a particular time in Czech history; that is the years on “Normalization” and a little of the years prior and after this period of Soviet Occupation. Kolja is a film that through its various technical aspects such as: direction, screenplay, aesthetic style, narrative, mood, sound & soundtrack; and the plot’s themes, and their sometimes hidden between the lines, symbolisms, portrays the greatness and excellent tradition of Czech cinema, and the insightful character of the Czechs. But what is more important for the writer of this paper, Kolja became another useful film for the creation of a comfort zone and the understanding of a silent father.
Works Cited & Annotated Bibliography
Imre, Ankió. “The ironies of history: the Czech experience.” East European Cinemas. Great Britain: Routledge/Taylor &Francis Group, 2005. 135-149.
Luke. “New Testament: John the Baptist Prepares the Way.” The Bible. The New International Version, 2005. Chapter 3: Versicles 1 to 5.
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2006. Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, The Velvet Revolution, Allegory of the Cave, 27, 28 March. < http://en.wikipedia.org>
World Prayers. 2006. Prayers of Adoration, 4 April.
<http://www.worldprayers.org/frameit.cgi?/archive/prayers/adorations/the_lord_is_my_shepherd.html>
Czech Republic is a living temple of culture and high arts, which it’s why I knew I had to choose a Czech film, but that is not the strong reason why I picked Jan Sverák’s Kolja. Even though my father has always been by mi side he is a really quite person that most probably has problems when it comes to talk about feelings and demonstrating love. That is why every time I see a movie that concerns the topic of an absent paternal figure it catches my attention because of two things: the first one is that in each film with this theme I found new and different ways to understand my father more and more; and the second one is that in some distant and estrange way, watching this loving figures transport me to a mental state of comfort and happiness, because every time I hope one day my father will jump over his wall and learn how to express his inner feelings which I know are there, because even though he does not talk about it I can feel, perceive and read it in his eyes every single time he looks at me or my sisters.
The film Kolja, is a film marked by Czech culture and national identity; a film concerned with politics, ethics, truth, life and death, philosophy and fascinatingly enough a religious frame of understanding.
In this paper, the first thing to do is to contextualize the climate prior and in which the movie was settled; then this paper will take you into a tour that talks about setting, history of Czech film relevant to the film Kolja, aesthetic style, narrative, mood and sound & soundtrack; and finally, this paper will talk about the plot’s themes, and their sometimes hidden between the lines, symbolisms.
Part I – The Contextualization of the Film
To comprehend the film Kolja better is necessary to contextualize the climate, in which the film is settled, in order to do so, this paper will use a composition insert:
Czechoslovakia was ruled by the Communist Party from February 25, 1948. There was no opposition. Dissidents (notably Charter 77) published home-made periodicals (samizdat), but they faced persecution from the secret police, and the general public was afraid to support them. A person could be dismissed from their job or school, or have their books or movies banned for having a "negative attitude to [the] socialist regime." This included: being a child of a former entrepreneur or non-Communist politician, having family members in exile, supporting Alexander Dubček, opposing Soviet military occupation, promoting religion, boycotting rigged parliamentary elections, signing Charter 77 or associating with those who did. These rules were easy to enforce as all schools, media and businesses belonged to the state and were under direct supervision. This changed gradually after the introduction of Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika in 1985. The Czechoslovak Communist leadership verbally supported Perestroika, but did little to institute real changes, and speaking of the Prague Spring of 1968 was still a taboo.
1988 and 1989 saw the first anti-governmental demonstrations, which were repressed by the police. The "Velvet Revolution" (November 16 – December 29, 1989) refers to a bloodless revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the communist government there. On November 17, 1989, a peaceful student demonstration in Prague was severely beaten back by the riot police. That event sparked a set of popular demonstrations from November 19 to late December. By November 20 the number of peaceful protesters assembled in Prague had swelled from 200,000 the day before to an estimated half-million. A general two-hour strike, involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia, was held on November 27. With other communist regimes falling all around it, and with growing street protests, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced on November 28 they would give up their monopoly on political power. Barbed wire was removed from the border with West Germany and Austria in early December. On December 10, the Communist President Gustáv Husák appointed the first largely non-communist government in Czechoslovakia since 1948, and resigned. Alexander Dubček was elected speaker of the federal parliament on December 28 and Václav Havel the President of Czechoslovakia on December 29 1989. As one of the results of the Velvet Revolution, the first democratic elections since 1946 were held in June, 1990, and brought the first completely non-communist government to Czechoslovakia in over forty years.
This is the reason why most of the films that are being done in Europe are still concerned with the topics of these hard years, the writer of this paper believes that they are trying to recover the time the lost during these years and criticize all the awful things they went through, like the Holocaust or the Communist Iron Curtain, which are the biggest of all. They always treat themes that are painful, even tough the themes are treated in different styles and from different points of view; Czech cinema is still stuck in the past because they haven’t got over it, yet.
Part II – The Tour
Setting:
The film takes place in Prague in the years of the normalization, the last two years which were 1988 and 1989, as I said before. This film deals with the problems of the Soviet Occupation and the expulsion of them within November 16 and December 29 of 1989, in other words, The Velvet Revolution. Even tough the Czechs are not very religious people; many of the scenes are set in churches and the cemetery. There are few locations in this picture, and they all are in the region of Bohemia; which is given particular relevance in the film. There is a particular scene that raises the importance of Bohemia in the film; which is the scene in which Louka and Nedezda are getting married and little Kolja stares at the ancient Czech coat of arms that know represents the region of Bohemia in the new coat or arms. Kolja stares at it and imitates the arms of the silver lion and growls. “The arms of Bohemia, displayed twice (in the top left and bottom right) to symbolize the traditional importance of that region, shows a silver double-tailed lion on a red background.” Another symbol that promulgates the importance of Bohemia is again shown through the eyes of Kolja when he is at the cemetery and stares at the statue of Saint Agnes de Bohemia, “the first saint from a Central European country to be canonized by Pope John Paul II before the 1989 Velvet Revolution. She was canonized on November 12, 1989, at Rome. She also appears in the 50-koruny banknote.”
History of Czech film relevant to the film Kolja:
During the Soviet Occupation the film industry was highly censored, “The students were supported by theaters in Prague, which had also gone on strike. Instead of playing, actors read a proclamation of students and artists to the audience. Home-made posters and proclamations were being posted in public places. As all media (radio, TV, newspapers) were strictly controlled by the Communist Party, it was the only way to spread the message.” There are two references of this situation in the film one is the presence of Radio Free Europe which was a closer face to reality, the good part; and there is a scene in which Louka takes Kolja to the movies and the film that is being screened is a Russian one, this shows the censorship and the control of media by Soviets, the bad part.
Aesthetic Style:
In the film, the photography is really great; the whole work is fully lighted, with warm colors such as the degrade of hot colors such as orange and yellow, and many terracotta, also is a lively film as there is the presence of green in abundance. The contrasts between shadows and light are really soft giving the skin a porcelain touch or really marked, but with the touch, all in all the photography of the film is very lighted, warm and vivid. The presence of such much light in the film is because of the Gothic influence of the Czech Republic architecture, which has large window that let through a lot of light in order to fell the languid presence of God. This makes on the audience a really particular effect, in which people fell calmed and in ecstasy. This works really well with the fact that the film touches a story of a father and a son that get to create a bond to each other, overcoming language barriers; just like in religious prayers.
Narrative:
The narrative of the film is linear; the situations happen one after another and there are non flashbacks neither repeated shots to emphasize on something, although there are very similar shots, still, these are not the same shot. There are obviously many ellipses in the film, because the story takes place within a period of two years or so, located between some time around 1988 and 1989. There also is a symbolic narrative in the film such as the fact that Louka ironically bought a Trabant with the money that came from a Russian, and this car, the Trabant, represents the end of communism. Or for example, that he lives in a tower which is the hardest point to attack in a city and also the place from were a person can watch carefully the city from above to see what is happening, this way he protects himself against the communist invasion; he also gets on a higher tower with Kolja further on the movie. Interestingly enough in Tarot, the tower is the symbol for paradigms, is accurate to say then, that he lives in a temple of a thinking model; “Louka’s political comments are few, it is clear that he identifies with the reality presented trough Radio Free Europe, feels the same way about the Russians as everyone else, and comes from a background that celebrates the democratic values of the First Republic.” (145). An finally in the narrative there are some shots or sequences which the writer of this paper considers are premonitions of things that are going to happen further on in the movie, there is an obvious one which is when Franta’s cello falls over Blanka’s cello and Franta holds his cello and says “Slow, slow”; this is an erotic premonition of the sexual tension and relation they are going to have once she enters his place. There is also another premonition which is a little bit more abstract; in the beginning of the film there is a scene in which Louka hit the cap of the coffee pot, and it hit the floor and goes around Klara making a circle, this represents that she is the chosen one to fulfill the cycle of life, it’s a premonition of Louka braking celibacy, Louka’s future children, or the pigeons always hitting the window and catching the attention of Kolja and Louka; pigeons are messengers, they were hitting the glass not to sharp anything, but the message of the future fall of communism.
Mood:
At the beginning of the film the mood is happy o joking one the best example is when Louka grabs Klara’s ass while she is singing in a funeral, this was a really comical situation, then the mood turns a little bit depressing, because we are shown the sate of loneliness in which Louka lives, and how he tries to fill this empty space by making love with other men’s wives. Then from an already depressing mood it gets even worse, because the mood gets pessimistic especially since Louka has no money, the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia, Czech are now negotiating with the Russians and the situation looks like is not going to change for a while, after all the Soviet Occupation has been at least 40 years by then. Eventually with the proposition of Bronz makes Louka about a bogus marriage, a little arrow of light falls over the whole picture; the mod after the wedding turns again very optimistic and happy, everything seems to be going well and then the mood drops to a lower point again, now the mood is of danger and worry, because Nadezda emigrates to western Europe letting Louka and Broz in a really nasty situation with the law, still the mood gets even more heavy when Louka is given the surprise of having to take care of Kolja, but he is optimistic because of the fact that he thinks its just for a few days until his grandmother gets out of the hospital, but she dies and the mood is at this point the worst of the movie, is intense, uncertainty, impotence, deception and disappointment. But then, step by step Louka and Kolja began to create a relationship an exceptional of father and son, which brings the best mood to the movie, its just happiness, optimism and love. Then once more but just for a few minutes the mood drops down again with the notice of the Social Services of taking Kolja away, but with the decision of Louka to run away the mood raises again this time with a political nuance, which keeps the same until Kolja leaves with his mother, even tough the mood is optimistic, it is really nostalgic too. But then we see that Klara, Louka’s girlfriend is pregnant, and we see Louka playing again in the Philharmonic, ending the film with a happy, optimistic, pleasurable and joyful mood, but with a tasteless nostalgia. Briefly, the whole movie is like a Venetian waltz, it goes fast and slows; it goes up and down at all times in abrupt, but delightful changes; making the audience very susceptible to the emotive scenes; but still it is a slow paced film, which makes it more emotional, as you get time to get feelings out slowly and soft but certain.
Sound & Soundtrack:
The film sound it’s really equilibrated, ambient sound and dialogs are always at the right level there are no strong changes in the sound, and it just keeps a perfect harmony, because it never breaks it perspective. “Music in the Czech Republic has its roots in high culture opera and symphony and in the folk musics or Bohemia and Moravia. Undoubtedly the most internationally famous form of Czech folk music is the Bohemian polka.” These facts are present evidently in the film, the folk traditions are presented in the bars and the reception wedding party, and the symphonic and opera are more evident, Klara sings operas in the funerals and Louka is a classic music player that used to be in the Czech Philharmonic. Once more, this movie brings up the religion, this time through music, the opera that Klara always sings and with which the film ends as Kolja sings it too is totally religious. In fact, in the bible is the psalm 23 of David and says: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” This papers states that this song is an allegory to the conception of death in Judeo-Christian religion, Roman Catholics. The film is full with high culture music is almost everywhere just because of Louka’s work; the music is symphonic radiant, luminous, brilliant, beautiful, sublime, magnificent and inspiring; if the audience just closed their eyes to listen to the music, they truly would appreciate two the two shows this films has the visual and the audio part. The melodies are exiting and capable of pulling out our inner feelings. Superb, indeed, yet the writer of this paper have made clear he is a fanatic of classical music. But it happens to be almost obvious, because of Czech’s music more than a tradition is a national identity; “the Czechs had conquered the world through their music. In other words, a small country may have limited influence in the politics of the world, but the cultural sphere may be different. Indeed, there is a strong appeal to these traditions in Kolja.” (139).
Part III – Hide and Seek: The Search for Symbols
The plot of the film treats various themes some in a more extensive or clearer way than other which are just referenced; nevertheless the most relevant themes are the ones such as politics, philosophy, ethics, truth, life and death, and religion.
All over the film there are political allusions and positions that is why this paper will take some of them that are considered the most important when it comes to reading between the lines, or finding the meanings. The first reference is in the scene in which Louka was reading the newspaper, the red heading of news said: “Socialism: Our Unwavering Security.” This is a clear reference of the whole situation in which Czechoslovakia was submerged in that time, but if the fact that it is important from the point of view of the Russians is more important from the Czech’s point of view, because the director is making a sarcastic joke of the Socialist Party; which is probably the way most of the Czech people felt in that time or even now: being “Socialism: Our Unwavering Security” a figurative to say “Communism: Our Expansionist and Emancipator Campaign.” Then there is the theme of the Émigrés and its repercussions; for example the fact that Louka was expelled from the Philharmonic because his brother Vitulka deserted Czechoslovakia or the emigration of Nedezka which in some way disturbed again the life of Louka when he was given the surprise of having to take car of Kolja. In the film there is a depiction of how many people were emigrating. When Louka and Nedezka are getting married, the red carpet is full of high heels holes, which could easily symbolize that communism is rotten. That is why this paper implies that these holes mean that many people have been getting married for the last years; many people are trying to escape through bogus marriages, many people have been giving their backs to the regime by walking away or deserting communism.
Then there is a line I the plot that says: “The Russians watch us like hawks.” There are several scenes during the film in which eagles or hawks are in high places and little Kolja notices them, “you have to be one, to know one”, that is a Russian, for example the one on the top of the electric post. This paper that Jan Sverák certainly created a brilliant symbol to talk about the Soviet Occupation and their always vigilant position and attitude towards the Czechs. But this symbol is emphasized even more in an allegoric way with the fairy tale that Zuzi reads for Kolja: The Eagle and the Lamb, which goes like this: “High in the Caucasian Mountain pick lived an eagle. One day he flew so high… he reached a star. On that star lived an old sheep and her lamb. ‘I came for a visit,’ said the eagle. ‘Let’s see how you leave here.’” Once more, the eagle stands for Russia, the star represents former Czechoslovakia and the old sheep and her lamb correspond to the Czech people. In a metaphoric way, the director is talking about the Soviet Occupation: “‘I came for a visit,’ said the eagle. ‘Let’s see how you are leaving here.’” And this metaphor is even more evident when the film establishes that is a Russian Fairy Tale, an expansionist one, in this writer’s opinion.
Followed by that, there are the characters incarnations. The characters represent the countries, Louka’s mother is the personification of the old Czech ideals, the most hurt ones, the ones that don’t accept the Russian invasion and were deeply wounded and disturbed by the Holocaust. Louka represents the people the people that if weren’t born under the communist regime, were too young which is why they don’t know better and is more open minded arguing that: “Not all Russians are alike;” he is part of the transitional generation. And Kolja without any doubt, always wearing red cloth as the Soviet Flag, represents Russia and communism; that is why, when Kolja goes away, so does the Leninist party. Nevertheless, what is most important is that Kolja teached Louka how to be a father and their relationship talks about how easy it is to live together, once the prejudices are dropped. Kolja’s departure marks the beginning of a new period for the Czechs, full of good things yet full of nostalgic memories too. And Klara’s pregnancy affirms the beginning of a new breed, a new generation, a new country, a new world.
Finally, there is line that this paper considers is the main political view of this film; even tough it seems so apparent: “A victim of political persecution. No! a victim of my own stupidity.” In other words, when it comes to politics the decisions made are very important, because they change the perceptions of were we are and were we are going.
Taking another direction, there are some scenes in the film that make suggestions about certain philosophical, ethical and truth concerns which are the following. The re is a scene in which Kolja is taking a bath and looks at his hands and notices that they are all wrinkled, like Louka’s hands. He makes this relation and by comparison, sees himself equal to Louka; he realizes that despite the existent barriers, they are the same. This is a process of introspection and extrospection; the importance of this scene is that Kolja teaches the audience by learning, Kolja teaches the concept of empathy.
Another astute perception is the piece of jewelry that Louka finds, which is worth nothing in economic terms, but emotionally is a priceless piece, because of the meaning attached or attributed to it, it becomes a symbol. In other words, this is an example of the arbitrariness of the meanings; “what one considers real, it’s real in its consequences.”
Finally, when Kolja is watching at the ceiling, he just sees the shadows of the Russian tanks. The importance of this scene is not if is unfortunate or not that that Kolja and the Russians are in Czechoslovakia, but the suggestion that it’s made here to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which explained in simple words, “talks about the dualistic perception of the world, in which we should wake up to the truth about us. Plato is questioning the very nature of reality and playing the ultimate “What If” game.” This is important because Czechs are really insightful people, and even more, that they are devoted to the theme of truth; as a matter of fact, present Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia’s motto is: “Truth Prevails.” To conclude the idea, it becomes apparent that Czech people are really moralistic and ethical, theme which is portrayed too in the film in the scene in which Louka rejects the payment Nedezka is giving him at the airport for their fake marriage, because he feels it is wrong to accept it after having created a father and son especial bond with little Kolja. It would be like if Louka was charging Nedezka for being Kolja’s “putative” father.
Life and death in this film are expressed in Judeo-Christian precepts. Life is divided in three stages which are: childhood, adultness and oldness, faces that are tightly and respectively linked to birth and education, reproduction and action, and reflection and death. But the theme of death has a greater importance. The fact that Louka works as a funeral musician and that in one scene Kolja imitates Louka’s job by making a representation of a funeral in the puppet theater, says that the real job of Louka is to guide de gone ones to the other side through his music. Also the Otter River is an allegory to live and death via the absence of the ones we need, we are destined to vanish like the waters of the river, they are always moving as things are in life which is Heraclites theory, but still this same river calls for our attention when we realize that the only thing that does not change about the river is that the river is always changing; in other words, life is always changing, but death is always there. In the film, death is the entrance to a chamber of eternal darkness in which the doors of earthly life close behind out caskets. Death is forever, is a trip with no return, is being asleep, is a dream of eternal dimensions. Certainly this is a religious perception of the concept of death and life, which is really weird because in Czech Republic and former Czechoslovakia, “in the religious sphere, atheism was officially promoted and taught. Despite the very visible presence of cathedrals and church buildings all over the country, the majority of Czechs (59%) are agnostics or atheists or without any dogmatic organization of belief, mostly as a consequence of the anti-religious policy during the communist era. Significant religious groups include Roman Catholics (27%), Protestants (1.2%), and Czechoslovak Hussites (1%).” This movie makes part of that little percentage.”
In the same way there are other religious other religious topics on the film such as the prophecies or visions and some coincidences that further on will fall onto a very interesting relation. The visions or prophecies are very mystical and most of the time religious things and the appearance of a prophecy in this film gave it an even more religious nuance. The prophecy appears twice in the movie before fulfilling, first when Louka’s friend says it: “The kids and the nurses rebelled. They drove the communists to Albania… with a great pealing of bells… and set up reservations for them like the Indians in America. What a vision!” And then the vision is emphasized in a more abstract way when Kolya falls for 42° fever, probably the vision as he represents Russia gave him the fever pain. In his dream he sees the shadows of people that vanish, this represents Communism; he sees the bells ringing; he sees the spinning toy that stands for the spin of the situation, the changing times; and finally he sees the statue of Saint Agnes de Bohemia that, if we know her biography, represents the nurses.
Finally, there is a number that is subsequently present in various ways across the whole film, which is the number three. There are three corks of Champaign; three stages of life, three large windows in the church were Louka plays music for funerals, three bells in Louka’s apartment and three stars in the crown of the statue of Saint Agnes de Bohemia. All these coincidences are too much to be a coincidence, and the fact that this film has a very heavy religious influence. And the fact that at the starting shot there is the hand of a little boy in the window of an airplane first with one finger extended and then with five; and this shot is almost duplicated in the final sequence with the same pattern: one finger, then five fingers in the airplane’s window where we see the sky, the infiniteness of God. And even more the fact that the main character of the film name is Louka made me run to the bible, and in a really astonishing and surprising coincidence, in the New Testament in Luke’s book, chapter 3, versicles 1 to 5; I found a passage that can be read as a metaphor to the main themes of the film. That is, the end of communism and the years prior to it. The passage is the following:
John Baptist Prepares the Way
Luke 3:1-5
1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.
This an allusion to the years of the Holocaust and then the Soviet Communist Occupation, it refers to the prophecy of the fall of communism and the further fall of it in 1989 with the Velvet Revolution and the Velvet Divorce, it refers to the events that occurred in order to prepare the way for the arrival of God; in other words, the arrival of free expression of word and cult, freedom, democracy, westernalization and capitalism.
Conclusion:
The film Kolja, is a film marked by Czech culture and national identity; a film concerned with politics, ethics, truth, life and death, philosophy and fascinatingly enough a great religious frame of understanding. It’s a movie that contextualizes and talks about a particular time in Czech history; that is the years on “Normalization” and a little of the years prior and after this period of Soviet Occupation. Kolja is a film that through its various technical aspects such as: direction, screenplay, aesthetic style, narrative, mood, sound & soundtrack; and the plot’s themes, and their sometimes hidden between the lines, symbolisms, portrays the greatness and excellent tradition of Czech cinema, and the insightful character of the Czechs. But what is more important for the writer of this paper, Kolja became another useful film for the creation of a comfort zone and the understanding of a silent father.
Works Cited & Annotated Bibliography
Imre, Ankió. “The ironies of history: the Czech experience.” East European Cinemas. Great Britain: Routledge/Taylor &Francis Group, 2005. 135-149.
Luke. “New Testament: John the Baptist Prepares the Way.” The Bible. The New International Version, 2005. Chapter 3: Versicles 1 to 5.
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2006. Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, The Velvet Revolution, Allegory of the Cave, 27, 28 March. < http://en.wikipedia.org>
World Prayers. 2006. Prayers of Adoration, 4 April.
<http://www.worldprayers.org/frameit.cgi?/archive/prayers/adorations/the_lord_is_my_shepherd.html>
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