Give the gift of Criterion!
Live stream preview

Watch this video and more on The Criterion Channel

Watch this video and more on The Criterion Channel

Start your free trial

Already subscribed? Sign in

Czechoslovak New Wave

Pearls of the Deep

1h 47m

Directed by Jiří Menzel, Věra Chytilová, Jaromil Jireš, Jan Němec, and Evald Schorm • 1966 • Czechoslovakia

A manifesto of sorts for the Czech New Wave, this five-part anthology shows off the breadth of expression offered by the movement's versatile directors.

Up Next in Czechoslovak New Wave

  • A Report on the Party and Guests
    1:11:16
    A Report on the Party and Guests

    A Report on the Party and Guests

    Directed by Jan Němec • 1966 • Czechoslovakia

    In Jan Němec's surreal fable, a picnic is rudely transformed into a lesson in political hierarchy when a handful of mysterious authority figures show up. This allegory about oppression and conformity was banned in its home country but became an inter...

  • Return of the Prodigal Son
    1:38:59
    Return of the Prodigal Son

    Return of the Prodigal Son

    Directed by Evald Schorm • 1967 • Czechoslovakia

    Evald Schorm was one of the most politically outspoken of the Czech New Wave filmmakers. This raw psychological drama about an engineer unable to adjust to the world around him following his suicide attempt is at heart a scathing portrait of socia...

  • The Firemen’s Ball
    1:13:36
    The Firemen’s Ball

    The Firemen’s Ball

    Directed by Miloš Forman • 1967 • Czechoslovakia
    Starring Jan Vostrcil, Josef Šebánek, František Reinstein

    A milestone of the Czech New Wave, Miloš Forman’s first color film THE FIREMEN’S BALL is both a dazzling comedy and a provocative political satire. A hilarious saga of good intentions confo...

×