Director:
Stanislav BarabášGuión:
Stanislav BarabášCámara:
Stanislav SzomolányiMúsica:
Zdeněk LiškaSinopsis(1)
The last film Stanislav Barabáš made before he emigrated was an exceptionally accomplished TV adaptation of Dostoyevsky's novella A Gentle Creature – the psychological drama of an unequal marriage between an old pawnbroker and a young girl. Barabáš's directing, Stanislav Szomolányi's restless camerawork, Zdeněk Liška's score and the outstanding performances of Ctibor Filčík and Magda Vášáryová combine to form a work that won the grand prize at the 1968 Monte Carlo TV Festival. Barabáš managed to capture the young woman's gradually rising level of psychological stress with a minimum of dialogue. Magda Vášáryová speaks volumes with a look, a subtle gesture, an inconspicuous facial expression. "The truth is that I've always been interested in man's place in the world, but also our country's place in relation to other countries, above all those that have somehow ruled over us or influenced us, held us back or spoken for us. The novella I adapted I understood as a truthful statement on the Russian people, on the Russian character. I reckoned the best way to talk about the Russians was through their greatest thinker, through Dostoyevsky," said Barabáš. (Art Film Fest)
(más)Reseñas (1)
No, people should not be bought or owned. Although slavery has long disappeared, even in Russia, the exploitation of human need and manipulation of people persist to this day. A wealthy businessman can sense correctly that a young girl deprived of parental support will be easy prey, and he will make her his wife. However, in his male and social pride, he does not take into account her pride and resistance. I once read a novella by Dostoevsky, and it deeply impressed me. True, I remember the thought processes of both sad protagonists a bit differently, but even if my memory didn't fail me, the Slovak creators had every right to their own interpretation. Their television version is no less chilling, brilliantly acted, and within limited financial possibilities, it creates a decent atmosphere of 19th-century Russia. As a bonus, there is also the unsettling disruptive music by Zdeněk Liška, which creates an atmosphere of escalating tension. Overall impression: 90%.
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