Wild Bára

SUN May 16 4:00 pm Konvikt / film hall / free admission

WILD BÁRA
Divá Bára
Czechoslovakia 1949

director Vladimír Čech
screenplay Vladimír Čech, Dalibor C. Faltis, Miloslava Přikrylová
based on the story by Božena Němcová
director of photography Václav Hanuš
editor Antonín Zelenka
music Dalibor C. Vačkář
cast Vlasta Fialová, Robert Vrchota, Jana Dítětová, Jaroslav Vojta,
Marie Brožová, Antonín Rýdl, Jan Pivec, Josef Kemr


The film tells a romantic story of a daring, quirky girl, a frowned-upon daughter of a village shepherd. There is nothing she would be afraid of: the night, swimming, or even “the supernatural”. The superstitious villagers spread curious stories about her, even going as far as linking her with infernal powers. When Bára tries to help her friend Eliška in chasing off a vexatious suitor, the patience of backward village people reaches an end, and the bold Bára almost pays a terrible price for the stupid prejudices held by her close ones. Fortunately, in the last moment, a mysterious man comes to her rescue...


At the time when Czechoslovak cinema focused mostly on the fates of Anna the Proletarian or heroics of the Hussite wars, Wild Bára came as a breath of fresh air. Take for instance the opening scene with the actress Vlasta Fialová swimming in the lake completely nude (since she was under her legal age, she had to get a consent of her mother), something simply unthinkable in other movies of the era. (...) The most positive aspect of the film lies in its visual treatment (photography by Václav Hanuš) and in the discovery of Vlasta Fialová as an acting newcomer. The film was later distributed outside Czechoslovakia to much acclaim, mainly thanks to Vlasta Fialová who found admirers especially in South America, while in Japan she even won an annual award as Best Actress.