Popular reviews

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  Review by St. Sebastian ★★★★★ 33

  Jiří Arvéd Smíchovský, or just simply Arvéd. One of the most intriguing, ambivalent personalities of the 20th century I may obsessively think about. Is it possible to be a Catholic priest, a Hermeticist, a Freemason, and a warlock at the same time? Or a non-political PhD, a collaborator with the Nazis, and a communist informant? To be torn between a passionate love for the human body and for the sacred knowledge of being, for which it's definitely not a shame to betray and kill? Or not to be?.. Yes, everything is possible, because Arvéd actually existed.

  Whoever had the brilliant idea to create a Kafkaesque-style "trial" about Dr. Smíchovský's near-death experiences, he's without a doubt a genius. To create such…

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  Review by St. Sebastian ★★★★★ 13

  "The past is a lesson, not a prison," as Marlowe's Edward II would aptly assert. To truly grasp the enigmatic nature of Arvéd, one must delve into his past, wherein he has gleaned invaluable wisdom. The foremost lesson learned: amidst all uncertainties, one must never waver in pursuit of their ultimate goal. Jiří Arvéd Smíchovský exists in a perpetual state of duality, a concept emphasized by both director Vojtěch Mašek and author Jan Poláček in his book "Malostranský ďábel". This artistic interpretation freely explores a literary text, while simultaneously delving into the astonishing depths of Smíchovský's historical existence. However, let us return to the notion of duality and doubles. Arvéd, being an occult philosopher, resides between the realms of empirical…

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  Review by Honza ★★★★

  Naprosto šílená fuksovsko-kafkovská zápletka s absurdně zacyklenou a nepředvídatelnou strukturou společně s ďábelsky teatrálním herectvím a mrazivým zpracováním (hlavně hudba a sound design) z Arvéda dělá jednoznačně jeden z nejvýraznějších českých filmů poslední doby

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  Review by Honza04 ★★★★½

  This made me wanna read every book that is written and start a cult

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  Review by czechjulie ★★★½

  Zajímavý film na české poměry, mnoho mysteriózních filmů zde nevzniká a tento bych tímto slovem rozhodně nezvala. Asi bych ocenila, že se toho z filmu přece jen trochu víc dozvíme - ať už o samotné spolupráci nebo tom okultismu, o čemkoliv. Každopádně se mi velmi líbily různé způsoby, kterými se přecházelo mezi scénami a celkově způsob, jakým byl film natočen. Jen ten obsah... nejsem si jistá, co si o něm myslet, ale tohle je zrovna film, který by mi nevadilo vidět víckrát.

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  Review by adèle 🐭

  je mi jasne, ze i pres vsechnu kritickou chvalu, tenhle film je znacne nedoceneny. naprosto uprimne rikam, ze se mi dlouho takhle netajil dech pri kazdem zaberu. tenhle level kinematografie neni pro ceskou scenu typicky a je to obdivuhodne ho tady konecne videt. uznavam, ze napoprve je dejova linka pro laika totalni chaos, ale i presto si myslim, ze to je takova nadhera pro usi i oci, ze to za to stoji

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  Review by h. ★★★★

  big ladislav fuks energy! má to své mouchy (cough stopáž cough), ale i přes ně je to jedna z nejzajímavějších věcí, co jsem z české produkce za posledních pár let viděla. škoda, že se to asi u mainstreamového domácího publika moc nechytne a zahraničnímu diváku chybí asi moc historického kontextu.
  hodně mě bavilo využití divadelního stylu michala kerna na stylizaci 1930s filmového herectví; trochu mě vytrhával čtvrtníčkův dozorce. velmi povedený zvuk/noise, ale ymmv, možná ze mne jen mluví vlastnictví seriálu hannibal na blurayi.

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  Review by smth21 ★★★★★

  What a delicious piece of art!
  There's really not much negative to say, as this is truly one of the best entries in czech cinematography in the last three decades, maybe ever.
  Perfectly crafted script working with great actors, mesmerizing lighting and hauting sound mixing. Oh, the sounds were an absolute pleasure. I am now also very interested to learn more about the person in play and if this is not the reaction you strive for when making a piece of media about a real person, I don't know what is.

  This film alone proves, that there still is hope for czech movies and it's just a matter of who stands behind the project. I am in love with the movies again, please keep stuff like this coming.

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  Review by smth21 ★★★★★ 1

  This has already happened before. You know what déjà vu is?

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  Review by Cinematografia Queer ★★★½

  Jiří Arvéd Smíchovský foi uma das personalidades checas mais originais e controversas da primeira metade do século XX. Ele colaborou com todos os regimes, mas não serviu a nenhum. Como ocultista e autoproclamada personalidade renascentista, ele ansiava por conhecimento e estava disposto a vender sua alma para ter acesso a informações na forma de manuscritos antigos.

  
  A adaptação da última fase de sua vida, dirigida por Vojtěch Mašek, é também uma reflexão contemporânea. Da mesma forma, é mais do que um perfil psicológico. Cada vez que tentamos descobrir quem é Arvéd (Michal Kern), nos deparamos com a dúvida.

  O protagonista conhece apenas dois modos de vida. Ele gosta de luxo e conforto como colaborador ou aguarda a execução em uma…

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  Review by Leonard Kennedy ½

  What the hell was that!
  Couldn't make heads nor tails of that whole movie. The viewing experience was downright irritating, where they would have one scene going on & then out of nowhere there's a jump cut to a completely unrelated scene, going from one inane conversation onto the next. Did not enjoy it one bit.

  Maybe the concept just flew completely flew over my head & maybe it might make more sense for a Czech viewer, but it did nothing for me anyway.

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  Review by itsanoldsong ★★★★½

  omg finally a mainstream-ish Czech film that isn’t a biopic or fairytale and actually comes with something new to the table. Instead of using the same hackneyed template it actually managed to show the vileness of a historical era through a very contentious character. The various timelines were maybe overcomplicated, but the hell do I care when my senses are overwhelmed with the exquisite sound design and mixing, unnerving and imaginative cinematography and wonderfully disgusting creepiness of it all. Loved it