[Film review] Postřižiny (1980) by Jirí Menzel

The movie is based on the same name novel by Czech novelist Bohumil Hrabal. The story takes place in the context around a brewery in a small town in Czechoslovakia, at the time, perhaps, of 1920s or 1930s.

Its very beginning is a sensuous saying which may work up any beer-buffs into some thrill:

 “Vaše podlomené zdraví, pivo upevní a spraví”

(“Feeling weak and pale, down a pint of ale”).

Czechoslovakia has long been considered as a place producing most tasty beers across the world, and here in this movie presents quite a few scenes in which characters consume food and beer contentedly in a charming and tranquil setting of a seemingly remote countryside. It’s such a pleasure to watch this lovely movie.

The plot revolves around a couple there: the husband is a manager of a brewery in the region who is of the reticent type, while the wife often expresses her freshness, carefree manner with lively vigor. Besides, there is a secondary character who is a younger brother of the male protagonist, who talks all the time with the loud and enthusiastic voice with as much carefree as the wife regardless of anyone’s thinking. This noisy guy often get the husband (and other male characters) into irritation and trouble. These three are core characters in this story, but in fact the female protagonist is the focus of attention (of both viewers and other characters). She possesses a terrific long and bright hair, always tied up. With her cheerful, active personality and her gulping food and beers in a keen manner, she always rivets everyone’s notice wherever she gets, which also causes the husband to be somewhat disturbed. Hence, as the movie rolls on a while, it reaches a slackened moment as the wife has an accident resulting a minor injury in her foot, and she has to take some rest. This detail easily evokes another cinematic incident, in the movie named Tristana (1970) by Luis Buñuel in which the female protagonist gets so injured in her leg as to amputate it. Consequently, the audience may feel concerned a bit, unsure whether that situation would lead to a certain troublesome outcome or not. Yet, this is a smoothly peaceful movie, in spite of some petty unfortunate episodes, or fleetingly and slightly worrisome thoughts in characters’ mind; and eventually the movie gets back to its cheery and insouciant mood.

The filmic representation resonates a comedic air of the silent era, seemingly echoes some aspects from Jour de fête (1949) by Jacques Tati, rings some bell in its unfortunateness from Tristana by Buñuel which might instill a little bit thrill into the audience, pushing the movie slightly out of its monotonous rhythm to be peppered with some bits and pieces of roughness. This work by Jiří Menzel is really a masterpiece in the kind of comedy which unfolds a subtle and pure sense of humor.