Loves of a Blonde by Stuart Doty

By Stuart Doty

Loves of a Blonde / 1965

Milos Foreman Cáslav, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic] 1932

Budget: Unknown

Gross: 1,000,000 (Balio 273)

Synopsis:  In a small Czechoslovakian town where women out number men 16-1 due to war; a factory owner attempts to boost the spirits of his predominantly women work force by arranging an evening soiree with the army reservists. Andula, a beautiful young woman in the parlance of her time, finds the service men to be a bunch of old fashioned fuddy-duddies. She quickly makes a play at the piano player, and they share a night of passion. Andula, desperate to leave her rural town, journeys out to Prague to find the piano player. The reception she receives from the young piano player’s parents was not what Andula expected.

Narrative and Visual Keywords: War, adventure, longing, youth, old-fashioned vs. New Wave, Naïve, Desperate.

Characterization/ Dialogue: The Characters in this film, namely the factory girls, are bored to tears with their lives. They work, simply because there is nothing else to do. They work, and secretly wait for a man to come rescue them from their situation. For many, it is a long shot. The men that happen to be around exploit this matter of circumstance, and the women never seem to wise up. The film was subtitled, though the dialogue was translated very simply. The characters are a far step from intellectuals, and the women are so naïve and desperate that they willingly throw common sense out the window, ready to believe any man who tells a story of Happily ever after.

Camera/lighting/editing technique: The camera doesn’t move a lot. Though there are many still shots, the subject within the frame is very deliberate and powerful. The filming of the factory soiree jumps from one still shot to another, though subjects are shot with a shallow depth of field allowing the viewer to focus on emotional subtleties. 

Political/ Social Commentary: This movie was made during the Czech New Wave period. This artistic movement consisted of Filmmakers and other artists who protested the communist regime through their work. Though if they ever wanted their work to see the light of day, they had to object discretely, often through symbolism. Loves of a Blonde showed just how misguided the Czechoslovakian youth was becoming due to war and other political ideals.  Additionally it showcases a very drab life for what seems to be every character in the film.  In summation, not the best advocate for communism.

Historical Relevance/ Recognition: Loves of a Blonde was nominated for an academy award in the category of best foreign film (MK).  

Notable Collaboration: Interesting enough, Hana Brejchová who plays Andula, was Milos Foeman’s sister in-law at the time. 

Random fact, Etc. The woman, who plays the piano players Mother, was a woman that Milos Foreman talked to on the bus. She showed great energy, so he asked her if she wanted to be in a movie. (Foreman).

1.The Characters work in a factory without a whole lot of pep. The man in charge genuinely tries to keep them happy and inspired, though many of them are simply waiting for a man to take them away.

2. This movie didn’t use a whole lot of surrealism. Though the version of 1965 that the Czechs lived in was a whole lot different than many other parts of the world. The music they listened to was old fashioned while the dancing was stiff and unimagined. This movie showed a society cut off from influence from the outside world, as a result everything they did seemed twenty years behind current trends.

3. Our main character seems rather not in control of her life. She has dreams and aspirations like everyone else, though doesn’t know how to achieve them. She wants to be loved by a man, though it seems the majority of the men are already taken or having too much fun playing the fields. She has no real guidance on how to conduct herself during the dating process. She wants excitement, though she waits for it to come to her, rather than going and finding it. She is lost. 

Citations:

1.Balio, Tino. The Foreign Film Renaissance on American Screens, 1946-1973. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2010. 273. eBook.

2. MK "Loves of a Blonde  ", Internet Movie Database. IMDB, n.d. Web. 29 Jan 2012. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106226/

3. Foreman, Milos. Personal Interview. 2001. “Loves of a Blonde,” Special Features.