The last years of Soviet cinema saw a surprising return to the stylistic extravagances of prerevolutionary symbolism. The gallows humor and logorrheic tendencies of the early twentieth-century avant-garde influenced a singularly disorienting style among filmmakers in the Soviet bloc, who translated the linguistic excess of their forebears into a deliriously overcooked aesthetic that gambled coherence for the sake of immersing audiences in the lush psychoses of the late nineteenth-century aristocracy. This December, Spectacle is proud to present two seldom-screened works that best embody this decadent strain of cinema in the waning days of the Union.
DAMNED HOUSE OF HAJN
(Prokletí domu Hajnů)
Dir. Jiří Svoboda, 1989.
Czechoslovakia. 107 min.
In Czech with English subtitles.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 – 10 PM
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7 – 10 PM
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 – 5 PM
A callow social climber marries into the family of a Czech soap magnate, only to find himself navigating the florid psychosexual manifestations of his new relations. Leering over the proceedings is Uncle Cyril, a feral painter who labors in the attic of the family estate, scheming to fulfill his incestual desires while under the impression that he enjoys the cover of invisibility. Characterized by vertiginous camerawork and jaundiced color grading, Damned House of Hajn presents a uniquely claustrophobic variation on the Czech gothic horror tradition.
MISTER DESIGNER
(Господин оформитель)
Dir. Oleg Teptsov, 1987.
Soviet Union. 103 min.
In Russian with English subtitles.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 – 10 PM
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 – 7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20 – 10 PM
Set in the last days of tsarist Russia, Mister Designer traces the meticulously choreographed decline of a St. Petersburg aesthete determined to realize his defining masterwork while navigating an unhealthy fixation on mannequins. The execution of the film mirrors the baroque inclinations of the protagonist, lingering on meticulously composed tableaux vivant staged in lavish aristocratic interiors, frequently stalling the languid action to present confounding allegories in the form of expressionist dance interludes.