Sedmikrásky

Daisies | Tausendschönchen

Retrospective 2023

Sunbathing at an outdoor pool, Marie I (brunette) and Marie II (blonde) come to the conclusion that the world is spoiled. It’s a short leap to deciding they are spoiled too, but “so what?”. From that moment on, they run riot. When Marie I lets older gentlemen take her out to high-end restaurants, Marie II shows up “coincidentally” to enjoy the fine dining. Once the ladies are sated, the frustrated squires are eighty-sixed. After the women have given the men the brush off, their comity turns ever more heartfelt, and in a gesture of solidarity expands to include various female bathroom attendants … With its bright plumage, Daisies was the bird of paradise of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Director Věra Chytilová’s film is an anarchic feminist extravaganza, a dazzling collage of buffoonery with dance and slapstick interludes, whereby the cinematic reality is repeatedly distorted by black-and-white images, time-lapse sequences, and tinted footage. After the Prague Spring, the film was banned and the director was prohibited from working, charged with “hedonism” and “food wastage”.

by Věra Chytilová
with Ivana Karbanová, Jitka Cerhová, Marie Češková, Jiřina Myšková, Marcela Březinová, Julius Albert, Oldřich Hora, Jan Klusák, Josef Klusák, Jaromir Vomácka Czechoslovakia 1966 Czech 76’ Colour Rating R16

For the 2023 Retrospective, internationally renowned directors, actors, and screenwriters were asked to select their personal coming-of-age favourites.
Jasmila Žbanić on her selection

With

Ivana Karbanová
Jitka Cerhová
Marie Češková
Jiřina Myšková
Marcela Březinová
Julius Albert
Oldřich Hora
Jan Klusák
Josef Klusák
Jaromir Vomácka

Crew

Director	Věra Chytilová
Screenplay	Věra Chytilová, Ester Krumbachová based on a story by Věra Chytilová, Pavel Jurácek
Cinematography	Jaroslav Kučera
Editing	Miroslav Hájek
Music	Jiří Šust, Jiří Šlitr
Sound	Ladislav Hausdorf
Art Director	Karel Lier
Production Design	Frantisek Straka
Costumes	Anna Berankova, Ester Krumbachová
Make-Up	Ladislav Bacílek
Producers	Ladislav Fikar, Bohumil Smída

Produced by

Filmové Studio Barrandov

Additional information

DCP: trigon-film, Ennetbaden, Switzerland