Cinema
Ecstasy
Extase
Gustav Machatý · 1933
Synopsis
Eva, a young bride, has married Emil, a rich man much older than she is, who neglects her. She returns to her father's house, and it is with Adam, a young engineer, that she discovers desire for the first time. The film unfolds this simple thread through images rather than words: nature, the labour of men, faces, in a celebration of passion laden with symbols.
Context
Released in Prague on 20 January 1933, the film was shot in three versions, Czech, German and French, with slightly different casts; the dialogue is reduced to a minimum, over music by Giuseppe Becce, and the photography is by Jan Stallich. It caused a scandal, and Pope Pius XI condemned it as immoral. The young actress Hedy Kiesler found her way to Hollywood through it, where she became Hedy Lamarr. The National Film Archive restored it, and the print was shown in Venice in 2019.
Who it is for
About ninety minutes, with sparse dialogue: a film of images and music rather than words.
Prizes and reception
Cup of the City of Venice for best direction at the 1934 festival; one of the most important Czech films of the thirties.