According to The Prague Monitor, the Czech Film and Television Academy (ČFTA) has selected Karamazovi as its official Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. Written and directed by Petr Zelenka, the film tells the tale of a Prague-based theatre group who arrive in Poland to put on a production of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. Then, as MTV describes:
"The central catch behind this unusual production is the locale: the play will be conducted at the local steelworks. Zelenka's central narrative crisscrosses two spheres of reality - the documentary-like sphere of the actors playing the characters, and the more traditional cinematic narrative involving the characters in the play itself. Soon, distinct, haunting parallels between the two begin to emerge. Then, an unexpected tragedy arrives from out of left field that brutally impacts one of the spectators of the play, and further echoes the structure and preoccupations of the tale in the original novel. Throughout, Zelenka explores one central theme: that of intellectuals and their moral accountability to a world that has lost both spiritual faith and a bedrock of ethos."
On another note, the film is scored by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, one of my favorite composers and a 2004 Oscar winner for his work on Finding Neverland.
You can see a full list of the other foreign language submissions here.
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2 comments:
This one has me rather excited as Czech cinema in general is always a most throughtful and accomplished proposition. But Karamazov? Most intriguing upcoming release!!!
I'm really looking forward to it as well, Sam. It definitely seems really creative and interesting, definitely a breath of fresh air.
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