Jiri Menzel146;s magic laughter

The Ninth Kolkata Film Festival opened on Monday and one of the highlights of the week-long festival is the conferring of the Satyajit Ray Award on Jiri Menzel, the pioneer of Czech cinema, as an acknowledgement of his contribution to world cinema. This is Jiri Menzel8217;s second visit to the city, he had come here earlier in 1988.

Jiri Menzel, described as the embodiment of the 8220;smiling humanity8221; of Czech cinema, had stunned the world by winning the Oscar for his very first film, Closely Observed Trains, 1967. Groomed under his teacher, Otakar Vavra, at the Czech Film Academy during the socialist regime, Jiri Menzel learnt to demonstrate, through his work, a way to 8220;laugh at life8221;. As he put it, 8220;We all know that life is cruel and sad. What8217;s the point of demonstrating this in films? Let us show we8217;re brave by laughing at life.8221; A fierce critic of the brand of 8220;socialism8221; that he witnessed in his country, Menzel, however, appears very confused about some of the big truths he has had to encounter in his lifetime. During the socialist era, Jiri Menzel and collaborators like Vera Chytilova, Jan Nemec and Jaromil Jires, were responsible for making experimental films 8212; work that was quite different from the films of 8220;socialist realism8221; that marked the Czech new wave. They managed to get funds to make films of their own choice, despite the all-observing eye of the Film Script Committee. But despite their success, they still chafed at the lack of freedom they experienced.

On his first visit to Kolkata, he was questioned about his 8220;double standards8221;. How could accept 8220;funds8221; from the same 8220;socialist state8221; that he is so critical of? He explained that the conditions under which he and his colleagues worked helped them in their filmmaking. 8220;We had to play our own tricks while making our scripts. You could say, we survived under disguise8221;. Menzel admits that, unlike many nations, Czech filmmakers 8220;did not suffer from poor funds8221; because in a socialist state a definite budget was set aside for 8220;cultural activities8221;. Thus, even filmmakers 8220;opposed8221; to socialism could make films, win international fame and survive.

What now? There is a lot of freedom, after the fall of socialism all over the world, but no funds, no 8220;film script committees8221; to help dissenting filmmakers. Jiri Menzel has not made a film since 1991. His last film was The Day of the Old Time, a satire on everyday life. He now stages only plays. Besides, he is totally disillusioned with the present state of affairs in his own country. But he can take some consolation from the fact that his film, Skylark On A String, 1969, once held back by the authorities, finds free circulation today. The Kolkata film festival will be showcasing a retrospective of Jiri Menzel8217;s eleven films. It is bound to be a huge attraction for film lovers in this cinema crazy city.