Christmas with Elizabeth (Vánoce s Alžbětou)
| Program section: | Czechoslovak Noir |
|---|---|
| Directed by: | Karel Kachyňa |
| Year: | 1961 |
| Country: | Czechoslovakia |
| Length: | 91 min. |
| Cast: | Vlado Müller, Pavla Kárníková, Zdena Hadrbolcová, Mnislav Hoffman, Svatopluk Skládal and others. |
Screening:
- 21. 8. 2026 | 20:30 - Kašpar Sternberg's Courtyard / EN subs /
Producer: Filmové studio Barrandov
Screenplay: Jan Procházka, Karel Kachyňa
Director of Photography: Josef Pávek
Sound: Jiří Lenoch
Christmas with Elizabeth is one of those Kachyňa-Procházka films that center around a vulnerable young person. Pavla Kárníková is, same as Robert Lischke in Shadows of a Hot Summer, an example of an actor delivering an impressive debut performance and then disappearing from the film industry. Here she is cast next to the already experienced Vlado Müller, who would go on to act for another quarter of a century. Together they portrayed an unlikely pair of souls searching for a connection with each other and themselves. The groundedness and emotional intimity of the story is emphasized by reserved acting performances, unembellished spaces and limited time frame in which the meeting of Elizabeth and Hubert takes place. The film is being released on DVD here at the festival, with audio commentary for visually impaired viewers, which is also includes during the screening itself. Its screening will be preceded by the showing of Black Days, a short documentary presenting a raw image of the August ‘68 invasion. (bk)
