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Cosy Dens
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Wikipedia article
'Cosy Dens' is a 1999 Czech film directed by Jan Hebejk. It is loosely based on the novel 'Hovno Ho' (Czech: "Flaming Feces") by Petr abach. It was voted the best Czech film by 'Reflex' magazine in 2011.
Plot summary
Pelky is a bittersweet coming-of-age story set in the months from Christmas 1967 leading up to the ill-fated 1968 Prague Spring. Teenager Michal ebek (Michael Beran) has a crush on his upstairs neighbour, Jindika Krausov (Kristna Novkov). Michal's family is headed by a stubborn army officer who is a firm supporter of the communist system and who believes that communist technology will eventually triumph over 'western imperialist capitalism', while Jindika's father is an ardent foe of the Communists and a war hero, who has been imprisoned several times because of his outspoken opposition to the regime; he believes that "the Bolsheviks have a year left at most, maybe two". In contrast, the younger generation couldn't care less for politics. Instead, Michal sports a Beatles mop-top while Elien (Ondej Brousek), the local hipster whose parents live in the USA, runs a local film group specialising in Hollywood and pre-war French films, while Jindika becomes Elien's girlfriend. After a wedding that unites the families, the film ends with the news breaking of the invasion of the Warsaw Pact.
A dispute in the film illustrates the tension between the nationalistic and stalwartly anti-Communist father and Jindika, who is more apolitical. Jindika dares to suggest that her mothers dumplings are closer to Italian 'gnocchi' than traditional Czech 'knedliky' (translated as "Viennese dumplings" in the English subtitles), sending her father into a rage. The plastic spoon on the poster refers to the gifts, miracles of "socialist science", that a ebek uncle keeps sending the family and which always fail to perform as promised, humiliating Mr. ebek. Both cases foreshadow how the political hopes of the fathers are destroyed by the coming Soviet invasion.
Trivia
Pelky was screened at the 1999 Vancouver Film Festival.
The Czech title is a plural and diminutive of the word "pelech", literally meaning animal den or burrow. It is used figuratively for a cosy hideout.http://slovnik.cz
Cast
*Miroslav Donutil as Mr. ebek
*Ji Kodet as Mr. Kraus
*Simona Staov as Mrs. ebkov
*Emlia Vryov as Mrs. Krausov
*Bolek Polvka as Uncle
*Eva Holubov as Teacher
*Marek Morvai as Petr
*Stella Zzvorkov as Grandmother
*Jaroslav Duek as Saa Mal
*Michael Beran as Michal ebek
*Kristna Novkov as Jindika Krausov
*Ji Krejk as Doctor Strek
*Sylvie Koblkov as Uzlinka ebkov
*Ondej Brousek as Elien
*Boris Hybner as Magician
Soundtrack
The 'Pelky' soundtrack was released in April, 1999, and contains clips of some of the actors memorable lines in addition to the musical numbers.
# Blue Effect - "Slunen hrob"
# Miroslav Kaman, Jaroslav Duek - "Dv dvky"
# Vclav Neck - "Tu kytaru jsem koupil kvli tob"
# Boleslav Polvka - "Nebe na zemi"
# Kristna Novkov, Michael Beran, Ondej Brousek - "Kozaky..."
# Petr Novk & Flamengo - "Povdej"
# Kristna Novkov, Michael Beran - "Nco jako pbuzn"
# Waldemar Matuka - "Poj se mnou, lsko m"
# Emlia Vryov, Ji Kodet - "Dvm bolevikovi rok"
# Hana Hegerov - "eren"
# Miroslav Donutil, Boleslav Polvka, Silvie Koblkov - "Nerozbitn sklenika"
# Kuerovci - "Ajo mama"
# Miroslav Donutil, Michael Beran - "Gagarinv bratr"
# Kuerovci - "La mulher rendeira"
# Stella Zzvorkov, Simona Staov, Miroslav Donutil, Boleslav Polvka - "Marl Malinovskij"
# Judita eovsk - "Je po deti"
# Eva Holubov, Jaroslav Duek, Marek Morvai-Javorsk - "Vydraj, pijanr"
# Vclav Neck - "Lkoice"
# Emlia Vryov, Kristna Novkov, Ji Kodet - "Noky"
# Karel Gott - "Santa lucia"
# Miroslav Donutil, Boleslav Polvka, Ji Kodet - "Kde udlali soudruzi z NDR chybu?"
# Waldemar Matuka - "Mrhol"
# Eva Holubov, Jaroslav Duek, Marek Morvai-Javorsk - "Ho hovno? ..."
# Karel Gott & Olympic - "Trezor"
# Ji Kodet - "Proleti vech zem ..."
# Matadors - "Get Down From The Tree"
# Soulmen - "Baby Do Not Cry"
# Soulmen - "I Wish I Were"
# Blue Effect - "Snakes"
# Miroslav Donutil, Boleslav Polvka - "Prmrn ensk"
# Blue Effect - "Slunen hrob"
References
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