We invite you to a unique evening with the iconic film Daisies (1966) by Věra Chytilová, one of the highlights of the Czechoslovak New Wave. This satirical grotesque follows the fate of two young women - Marie I and Marie II - who react to the "wicked world" around them with their anarchic behaviour. Thanks to the collaboration with screenwriter Ester Krumbachová and cinematographer Jaroslav Kučera, Daisies achieves extraordinary visual and semantic depth, making it a unique achievement in Czechoslovak cinema. Despite facing official condemnation and bans, the film's fame crossed borders and gained international recognition. In 2022, it was restored and screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Marie I and Marie II have no qualms with traditional morality and social norms, carelessly bamboozling the men attracted to their carefree exuberance – mostly older men. The avariciousness of these models sees them exploiting the wallets of their spellbound male suitors, and just trying to enjoy any kind of fun that comes their way. One gauge of their escapades is the game “matters/ doesn’t matter”, which both swaggering Maries play as they blindly proceed from one adventure to the next. But their “spoilt” nature – as highlighted at the end through a moral underscored by Chytilová – is just innocent rebellion set against the backdrop of a troubled modern world. Yet the protagonists of Daisies – playfully embodied by non-professional actresses Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová – primarily serve as a demonstration of female liberation in accordance with the feminist trends of the times.
Synopsis:
Two young girls - Marie I and Marie II - are convinced that "everything in this world is spoilt for them" and so they decide that as well will be depraved. They adopt the principle that "nothing matters, just so long as it's a joke". They look for jokes at home, in a swimming-pool and in night-clubs. Marie I starts a relationship with an older man and at dinner pretends that she is modest and chaste. But then Marie II appears, takes a seat at the table and shamelessly orders various delicacies at the man's expense...
*Tickets are available on the Tel Aviv Cinematheque website
The screening is in cooperation with the student movie magazine Off-Screen. The screening will be introduced by a short lecture about the film.
© Photo: NFA
