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14 - 23 February 2019: Fruit of Paradise

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Fruit of Paradise
Vera Chytilová, 1970, 95 min
Czech with English subtitles

"Chytilová's little-seen masterwork is the companion piece to Daisies, a dazzlingly complex, formally rigorous allegory of Adam and Eve that poses the eternal question, “Can one live with the truth?” – then refuses to answer it. In the Garden of Eden of an East European spa, Eva hands an apple to her husband Joseph, but he prefers ogling the other female guests. Cue a handsome new arrival, who offers Eva a few new Satanic pleasures along with that apple, plus enough murderous intentions to cause the death of them all. Chytilová's color schemes and juxtapositions brought the art of montage to new heights, while Fruit's mad expressionism and vibrant symbolism earned it comparisons to Fellini's Satyricon and to the films of Paradjanov. A rare, inventive union of allegory, feminism, and the avant-garde, Fruit of Paradise defies all interpretations, yet suggests new ones in every frame." – Jason Sanders


Part of our season on Vera Chytilová