Directed by:
Vojtěch JasnýScreenplay:
Vojtěch JasnýCinematography:
Jaroslav KučeraComposer:
Svatopluk HavelkaCast:
Vlastimil Brodský, Radoslav Brzobohatý, Vladimír Menšík, Waldemar Matuška, Drahomíra Hofmanová, Pavel Pavlovský, Václav Babka, Josef Hlinomaz (more)Plots(1)
Jasný’s autobiographical All My Good Countrymen is one of the wonders of the Czech New Wave. Its deceptively simple narrative weaves a complex tapestry around the interwoven lives of a group of villagers immediately following the ‘socialization’ of Czechoslovakia in 1948. The film remains a potent reminder of lives, friendships and idealism lost under totalitarian rule. (Second Run)
(more)Reviews (8)
An admirable trip into Czech history, to the times when the communist regime cast its nets into the social system and divided people into two opposing groups. All My Compatriots is the story of people who were affected by the rise of communism, both negatively and positively. The film offers wonderful cinematography and beautiful music alongside a look at the unfortunate fate of the inhabitants of one village. In short, one of the rarest gems of Czech cinema, with Radoslav Brzobohatý and Vladimir Menšík showing their best acting skills.
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A classic that I was afraid to watch for a very long time (completely unnecessarily, as it happens). There is no celebration of the rural spirit of life; there is only the honesty of how a one-of-a-kind sort of stubbornness can prove an asset for some, and evokes an almost surprisingly sad expression on the viewer's face. Thanks to the archetypal characters of the imposing František or the bohemian Zášinek, Vojtěch Jasný goes right to the heart of the matter and the few unnecessary parables that don't exactly land do not hinder him one bit.
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A poetic, dramatic and comedic look back at how we not only were, but unfortunately how we still are and probably will continue to be. Vojtěch Jasný seems to have decided to juxtapose the simple beauty of nature and the complex relationships between people who live and die in this splendor. With the help of actors, non-actors, a script that really feels like an adapted municipal chronicle, the camera and the versatile music of one of our geniuses Svatopluk Havelka, he managed to create a film that still has a great testimonial value after more than fifty years and which I always enjoy watching.
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It is not so much the uncontrolled recklessness of nationalization, but rather the concentrated nature of the little Czech man in the form of a Beskydy village that becomes the subject of criticism (but also celebration) in this epic fresco by Jasný. A third of the way through it takes away your words, then your breath, and finally, your superlatives. I have never experienced such huge applause from such a small number of people in the movie theater.
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All My Compatriots is a pretty demanding and hard-to-stomach movie not only for Czechs, but for everybody in general. That being said, it will definitely have a stronger impact on a Czech. The most important thing about the movie is the sad story, which the authors kept working on for twenty years, so I can be sure that there is no nonsense in the movie, only hard reality, which is something I rarely want to see in movies, but which comes in handy if you want to form an opinion of the times. And not only about the times, I would go as far as to say that the way the compatriots were treating one another isn’t that much different from how people treat each other in Czech villages these days. It’s enough for an essential problem to appear and it splits the nation in twain and we’re at it again, just like we saw during the last presidential election. What I appreciate about All MyCompatriots is the raw reality, the way it shines a light on the Czech nature, which is something you get to see quite often in Czech cinema, but nowhere as raw as here. All the actors put in the best performances of their careers, but despite that, what I had the greatest problem with was how cumbersome the movie is. It was really hard to watch for me, so scenes would simply go on and on forever. And that’s why I cannot give this demanding self-reflection on the Czech people a five-star review.
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