Directed by:
Vojtěch MašekCinematography:
Dušan HusárCast:
Michal Kern, Emanuel Fellmer, Saša Rašilov nejml., Vojtěch Vodochodský, Martin Pechlát, Vojtěch Vondráček, Tomáš Kobr, Václav Rašilov, Róbert Jakab (more)Plots(1)
Arved depicts the real life of controversial personality Jiří Arvéd Smíchovský, an occultist, incredibly intelligent man, Nazi collaborator and communist henchman. The film is a breath of fresh air in Czech period films, presenting a stylized, magical realism portrait of the main character as well as the 1940s and 1950s era. (Summer Film School)
(more)Reviews (3)
"To sell your soul for power is the saddest thing a person can do." The Faustian theme of the relentlessness of intelligence, distorted perceptions of good and evil, and closets from which no one ever emerges again. Times may change, but the people who create recurring plots within them remain the same. The multi-layered meanings and symbolism (particularly Arvède's conversations with the priest in his cell) invite perfecting rewatches, but you may not be in the mood for "mental horrors" of this type every day. Either way, it’s advisable to prepare for the two main characters in advance because fortune favors the prepared, and life turns into a dream the day you meet luck. Michal Kern’s take on the role is very intriguing; it almost seemed like he adhered to Kevin Bacon’s adage that mesmerizing horror cannot be achieved through blinking. When he subtly pressured Vlastík after the recitation from "Satan's Splendour Amongst Us," he was a blend of Montgomery Burns’s physicality and the cursed passion of Count Dracula.
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Arved could be described as "Kafkaesque" for Arvedo, as the film radiated a pervasive absurdity and I was not at all sure what was reality and what was illusion. It was as if the ambiguous, contradictory and layered nature of Jiří Arvéd Smíchovský was projected on the screen. Vojtěch Mašek's film can certainly not escape comparison with the two years older Charlatan, which also tells the story of a controversial gay man from the (post-)war period. You could sense the film's ambition and attempt at innovative storytelling, but also a certain pomposity. Arved is no doubt a watchable film, and I was very impressed by the production design and lighting work, among other things, but it is somewhat unrewarding to the viewer and at times distant to the point of being cold – and too (pseudo)intellectual?.
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Arvéd is clearly an artistic-philosophical film. I know that because I was bored heavily for at least ninety minutes. The only things worth praising are some of the performances. Everything else was utterly beyond me (similarly to the repeatedly mentioned Kafka). I don't need things to be spelled out; I'm happy to reflect upon a film's message. On the other hand, I don't like movies that the filmmakers make just for themselves and a narrow audience. By a narrow audience, I mean only the viewers who actually liked the film and got something out of it. I don't include all those who rate it highly just because they try to appear as intellectuals and art lovers. I am on the exact opposite side of the barricade; the screenplay and direction failed to hypnotize me despite the relentless repetition of the same. I don't express enthusiasm when I don't feel it, and if I look ignorant in front of others because of it, I'm happy to take on that role because I'm completely indifferent to it. The film evoked emotions in me only when I realized that I had lost two hours of my life. / Lesson learned: You can tell a perfect informant by their ability to be useful under any regime.
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