Ban from Paradise

Colour, 35mm
Czech Republic, 2001, 120 min
Section: Czech Films

Synopsis

A holiday at the seaside. After a wild night out, Dr Rosťa and his friend Petr philosophise about the essence of human nature. Their heated debate about whether humans are gods or devils is interrupted by the arrival of a naked man from the nearby Paradiso nudist beach. Soon enough, however, the viewer discovers that the above never really happened and that the doctor is also the director of a somewhat experimental documentary film. The idea behind the movie is to analyse how a naked person differs from an ape. The ‘material’ for this investigation are willing nudists attracted by money, curiosity and exhibitionism. The project is being financed by a nouveau-riche Russian producer named Igor. He naively believes that he can push the filmmakers’ philosophical concerns aside and rake in on a titillating comedy about nudists. The situation at Paradiso beach is heading irrevocably toward a dramatic climax. The film shows director Věra Chytilová once again returning to her fundamental themes of morality, freedom and the search for the meaning of existence.

About the director

Věra Chytilová (b. 1929) is one of the leading personalities of Czech film and a key figure in the Czechoslovak New Wave. She has also won many awards at international festivals. In 2000 she was honoured with a Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary IFF for her outstanding contribution to world cinematography, and also received a 2001 Czech Lion for her lifetime contribution to film. Selected filmography: The Ceiling (1962), Bagful of Fleas (1962), Something Different (1963), Daisies (1966), The Fruit of Paradise (1970), Apple Game (1976), Time Is Inexorable (1978), Prefab Story (1979), Calamity (1980), Faun’s Very Late Afternoon (1983), Prague, the Restless Heart of Europe (1984), The Wolf Cabin (1986), The Jester and the Queen (1987), Tainted Horseplay (1988), The Inheritance (1992), Traps (1998), Ban from Paradise (2001).