Lukas Gregor In mid-August, I visited the iTunes store after a while. I fished in some new titles, some less, and three films were added to my collection that I can't help but share. Each one has its roots in a different genre, each one is exceedingly mastered as a filmmaker, and last but not least, each one of them has a not quite traditional way of telling and rhythm. Let's start with the first of them, Czech Tobruk.
A war film without pathos
I avoided domestic contemporary cinema for quite some time. De facto, the given film usually has to meet me, I am rarely interested in something to "go into it". (I'm not claiming that this lack of interest of mine is correct, on the contrary, I would rather gradually focus more on Czech cinematography.) And actually, I don't even know why I let Marhoul's second directorial effort "run away" for so long Tobruk of 2008.
On his debut, To cunning Philip, I was at the cinema twelve years ago, he had quite a good time, although I admit that maybe he would have liked the stage more than the screen. The exact opposite is the case with Tobruk. He has it visual, which, on the other hand, deserves a cinema. Unfortunately, I only saw it on a TV screen, albeit quite large and in Full HD resolution. But even with these conditions me Tobruk very pleasantly surprised. Although... maybe he shouldn't, after all, Vladimír Smutný was behind the camera, whose work, for example, in the drama Lea or v To Koljo I consider it extraordinary.
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V Tobruk confirmed his world class. The composition is able to handle the details of the sweaty, annoyed/angry or scared and bored faces of the Czech soldiers just as well, as well as large units. These are the ones that best characterize the film, as the vastness of the African desert can be depicted as a whole, as well as the (in a certain sense of the word paradoxical) claustrophobia. Even with its size, the space encloses the hero (and the viewer). It consumes him. Already because there is no edge anywhere to be seen and no point of reference indicating hope or rescue.
Darkness goes hand in hand with emptiness (not only deserts), but de facto events as well. Not that the film doesn't have something to tell about, but Marhoul decided to capture the authentic mood in the camp and during the battles. His war film certainly has no comparison with traditional action films, where we as viewers can enjoy and tense up and go all the way to the grand finale with a built-in dramaturgical gradation.
Tobruk, which may disappoint many as a result, consists of several episodic scenes, the vast majority without any action. It weaves a web of hours and days dominated by waiting, confusion, pettiness. But the uproar that comes as soon as the enemy starts firing at the soldiers is all the more striking. And by the way, the absolutely key (and perhaps the most interesting thing in the film) is the dramaturgical and directorial decision to advance this "alienation" to an extreme where we don't actually see the enemy at all. Our heroes don't really know the meaning of fighting (they don't have it) and they won't even notice the one who is firing hard against them.
Tobruk it would be good if there were no slow-motion shots in it, which go against the above-mentioned concept, nevertheless it is nice that Marhoul has actually created a non-audience film - its rhythm and the fact that it does not bet on pathos and some clarified dramaturgical structure of the story, only taste small parts of us, however, this cannot be taken as an ailment. (On the contrary.)
You can watch the movie buy in iTunes (6,99 EUR in HD or 4,49 EUR in SD quality), or rent (3,99 EUR in HD or 2,29 EUR in SD quality).
That rental price is really funny.
When will all the agglomerations finally come to an agreement and find out that with a lower price there is actually a higher profit. It wouldn't matter so much to borrow a cow for 30-50 Kc, because I would otherwise borrow something else for the extra money.
corporation…
The pricing policy is de facto set by Apple, not by film distributors. I talked to the management of the domestic distributors, and they themselves claim that the price in iTunes for Czech customers is inflated. Especially with the borrowing.
That is a pity. At the same time, they must have understood it with the price of iRadia ;-).
I believe that with the price reduction, a lot of people will stop downloading and hanging around with crap, and in the end it will be beneficial for everyone.
And if it's free, that's the best.
sure: D
Even a chicken doesn't need free ;-). You have to think about the fact that if the films are not profitable, then there won't be any.
agglomeration - meant as a bunch of companies that solve it among themselves
Few people know that Luděk edited daily shots in Africa for Václav on a MacBook and after his return he finished the entire film on it.