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Beauty in Trouble
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Wikipedia article
'Beauty in Trouble' is a 2006 Czech tragicomedy directed by Jan Hebejk. Eddie Cockrell, writing in 'Variety', said the "[t]itle comes from the Robert Graves poem, itself adapted into a Czech popular song in the 1980s, and performed in the film by homegrown thrush Radza. Germ of the pic's idea was the first line, 'Beauty in trouble flees to the good angel/On whom she can rely...'"
Plot
The script is based on Robert Grave's enigmatic poem, Beauty in Trouble and it begins with these words set to music sung by a chanteuse who accompanies herself with an accordion.
The film is a naturalistic love story about the sex life of a beautiful woman, Marcela, and her concurrent relationships with three men; Jarda, her abusive husband, Risha, her abusive step-father, and Evzen, a dashing, older man she meets shortly after the film begins. With her husband, Jarda, she enjoys lustful sex and his physical abusiveness is an extension of a chauvinism that powers strong sexual encounters, but he is vain and not particularly bright about this. Richard, her mother's husband is unwittingly cruel, like an obnoxious and malicious child. He is played like one of Steve Martins "wild and crazy guys" but more repulsively. Even, who becomes Marcela's benefactor/meal ticket, is a man of sophisticated tastes and fortunate parentage, a Czech who has inherited vineyards in Tuscany, to which home he takes Marcela and her two children.
At the beginning of the story, Marcela, Jarda and their children are living in Prague above the garage where Jarda operates his chop shop. She isn't happy with this situation. Jarda couldn't care less how she feels about their situation and is even less interested in the health of their son, who is suffering because of their living conditions. By chance, Jarda's associate steals Evens car, which is equipped with a satellite tracking device and when Jarda goes to prison, Marcela takes her children to her mother's apartment, where they are met with Risha's venomous attention. Marcela despises her mothers lecherous boyfriend and it eventually comes out that Risha fathered her first child and she escaped into marriage with Jarda at the age of seventeen.
Even and Marcela meet at the police station, when they both came to deal with the fate of Jarda. Taken by her, although she doesn't encourage it, Evzen offers to help her and eventually, her children move into Jarda's empty manse in Prague when life with Risha becomes unbearable. Marcela gives herself to Evzen and they move to Italy but when Marcelas mother dies, she and the children come back to Prague to the funeral where she sees Jarda, now released from prison. She and Jarda have one of their typical sexual encounters and when he speaks to her as he did during their marriage she pushes him away and leaves. Jarda's character is patently chauvinistic, which turns her on but insults her afterwards. When they return to Italy, ironically, Evjzen invites Risha to come with them to live in their guest house.
Cast
*Anna Geislerov as Marcela
*Roman Luknr as Jarda
*Emlia Vryov as Lba
*Jana Brejchov as Zdena
*Ji Schmitzer as Richard
*Josef Abrhm as Even
*Jan Hrunsk as Havlk
*Ji Machek as Patoka
*Andrei Toader as Mirek
*Nikolay Penev as Pius
*Adam Mik as Kuba
*Michaela Mrvkov as Lucina
*Radza as singer
*Jaromra Mlov as Havlkov
*Ondej Novk as cop
*Barbora Polkov as cop
Reception
Critic Roger Ebert rated the film three stars out of four, describing the film as "This is the kind of film that achieves one simple but difficult thing: It pleases you."
Box office
The film was released on 7 October 2006 in the Czech Republic and , has grossed 1,428,703 US$. It was released in the United States on 13 June 2008 and grossed $19,300 in revenue while it acquired $1,471,868 from foreign markets for worldwide total of $1,491,168.
Accolades
* Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature Film at Denver International Film Festival
* Special Jury Price at the 41st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2006
* Best Foreign Film Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album was released on 7 September 2006 in the Czech Republic.[https://www.supraphonline.cz/album/214400-kraska-v-nesnazich Krska v nesnzch OST]
It is notable for including the song 'Falling Slowly' which later received Academy Award for Best Original Song for its reuse in the movie 'Once'.
References
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