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ACTOR
Jirí HálekLudek KoprivaMíla MyslíkováVáclav Borovicka
DIRECTOR
Jan Svankmajer
SYNOPSICS
Zahrada (1968) is a Czech movie. Jan Svankmajer has directed this movie. Jirí Hálek,Ludek Kopriva,Míla Myslíková,Václav Borovicka are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1968. Zahrada (1968) is considered one of the best Short,Drama movie in India and around the world.
Frank visits his friend Josef, who introduces him to his pedigree rabbits and his wife Mary. Frank is more interested in the slightly unsettling fact that Josef and Mary's garden fence is entirely made up of living people holding hands. Finally, Frank asks Josef how he manages to keep the fence together...
Same Director
Zahrada (1968) Reviews
"There's something real about a living fence, but you have to prune it now and then, it must be cultivated".
I think that the Czech title of this black/white short film matches it better than the English one. "Zahrada" means Fence and the fence in the movie catches our as well as Frank's, the guy who visits with his friend Joseph, attention immediately and makes us feel unsettling and uncomfortable. Josef's garden fence, you see, is made up of the standing and holding hands people, men and women. They just stand there silently, never complaining and seem to be eager to do a good job for their employer. Josef seems to own a very important secret that allows him to keep his "fence" in good shape and strict order and he whispers it to Frank's ear. We will never find out the secret but it must be life-changing because the next we see - Frank joins the fence and is ready to serve to the bearer of the secret. This short film alone makes Svankmajer a lawful heir to the one and only master of surrealism in the history of Cinema, Don Luis Bunuel. Svankmajer calls himself a "militant Surrealist" - very appropriate. 9.5/10
Interesting short film about communism
When I watched this film I was really struck by the way it caught your attention immediately in the opening scenes of the film. The way the two friends were riding along together in the car just like any other friends would but yet you still felt uneasy and you weren't quite sure why. i remember watching it and almost double guessing myself in wondering if I should be feeling uncomfortable or if it was just me. By the time they actually did get to "the garden" I definitely then felt justified in my perceptions but then a whole bunch of questions came up. I really enjoyed how the filmmaker gave you enough information to feel like you were in on the story but yet not fully in on the secret. I think this film made a bold statement about communism and to its denial of human freedom. I think this is a film you could watch over and over again and catch something that you did not catch before and make you think of something you didn't think of before. i think that truly is film making at its best.
Short film - lots of meaning
This short film catches you off guard. The film starts with what you are to believe are a couple of friends going for a ride in a car on the country side. They are laughing joking with each other. You don't really get what is going on, but you make assumptions that they are good friends. Josef is the driver of the car and Frank is the passenger. After the drive they pull up into a long, one way, dirt driveway but are stopped right away by a hurse leaving the home. After they arrive at the home, there is a fence around there home made entirely of people. Alive and well, they are all holding hands. Frank is a little confused by this, but keeps his mouth shut. Josef goes on and on about how great his rabbits are and acting like there is nothing wrong with his "fence." THroughout the film Frank sees an opening in the fence and sees what is going on. He gets mad at Josef and joins the fence and fills the hole. I like how Jan Svankmajer is making a large poke at the government. He is making a quite point that this is how they work. They pull you in with "come see my rabbits" and then you see what is really going on and by the time you want to leave you are already joined in. This is a great short film and has a powerful message. I think it is a must see!
Uncanny
This is probably one of the best examples (other than Un Chien Andalou) of what the world "surreal" means. This short contains an extreme amount of unease and yet uncanny personality to it. Two men drive up to an estate together, one man dominates all the talking. Seems the talkative guy owns a house with a human shrubbery--people linked together and standing at attention for hours on end, not allowed to move, to speak, or to sleep, and taken care of by the chattery fella himself. The guest has his own problems with the shrub, wondering about his affinity with it. Jan Svankmajer uses some of his best composition to show just how uncomfortable this situation is. The people are not hidden, nor are they particularly different--in fact, they are about as various as a city street, all normal but with their own singular choices in clothing. This distinction of personality with the quiet submissiveness of authority is somewhat terrifying, helped along by the matter-of-factness of the camera. Human nature is not denied as examples of rather unvigilant pieces of the "shrubbery" are related as well. The movie is appealingly menacing and mysterious, helping it to stick in the mind of the viewer for days to come. Fans of Svankmajer should note the shared image of the comb in this movie and Svankmajer's latest, Lunacy. The characters in the two movies are somewhat alike, too, struggling against a seeming insanity and eventually needing to succumb to it. --PolarisDiB
Well, this certainly IS unusual!
"The Garden" is a very strange film....and it's one that is unlike Jan Svankmajer's other shorts. Instead of his usual stop-motion, this is a live action film...but it's strange, surreal quality do make it a film I could believe was made by the man! The film begins with Josef and Frank stopping to pee. Next, Josef takes his friend in the car to see his prized rabbits on his farm. However, Frank is struck by the setting....there is a wall of people surrounding the farm. Each person is holding hands and they stand there silently bordering the place. Frank is confused and eventually gets around to asking Josef about this...and where it then goes, you'll have to see for yourself. If you are the type person who likes things very literal and normal, well this film is NOT for you. Strange and with a sly sense of humor...it's something Svankmajer fans should enjoy. Others...who knows?!