{"id":5670,"date":"2015-08-23T06:49:18","date_gmt":"2015-08-23T05:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=5670"},"modified":"2015-08-25T06:05:28","modified_gmt":"2015-08-25T05:05:28","slug":"dragons-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2015\/08\/23\/dragons-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragon’s Return"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Dragons<\/a>\n
\n

\nFormat:<\/B> DVD

\nRelease date:<\/B> 24 August 2015

\nDistributor:<\/B> Second Run

\nDirector:<\/B> Eduard Grečner

\nWriter:<\/B> Eduard Grečner

\nCast:<\/B> Radovan Lukavský, Gustáv Valach, Emília Vášáryová

\nOriginal title:<\/B> Drak sa vracia<\/I>

\nCzechoslovakia 1967

\n81 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When Martin Lepiš (Radovan Lukavský) comes home after a prolonged absence, his fellow villagers aren\u2019t exactly pleased to see him. ‘Dragon’s back.’, ‘Dark days are coming.’, they mutter in terror. Martin\u2019s only apparent connection with dragons is the kiln he uses to fire his whimsical pottery. It\u2019s unclear why the villagers should fear this aging, quiet and artistic man with an eye-patch.<\/p>\n

When their cattle are stranded by a forest fire, the villagers blame ‘Dragon’ for bringing them bad luck. He offers to lead the cattle to safety in exchange for being allowed to live once more in his potter\u2019s cottage in the village. But someone must go with him, and the villagers appoint Šimon (Gustáv Valach), the man who married Dragon\u2019s former lover, Eva (Emília Vášáryová), and the one who has most to lose from Dragon\u2019s return.<\/p>\n

Eduard Grečner was part of the first cohort of Czechoslovak New Wave directors who studied at the Prague Film School, FAMU. He assisted fellow Slovak director Štefan Uher on his 1962 film The Sun in a Net<\/I>, generally considered the first film of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Like Uher, Grečner incorporated avant-garde visual and storytelling techniques into his films, ushering Czechoslovakian cinema into the modernist era. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, a combination of events meant that international audiences were deprived of the chance to see 1967\u2019s Dragon\u2019s Return<\/I>: the Pesaro Film Festival, where it was meant to be screened, was disrupted by the \u2018May 68 protests, and that same year Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Warsaw Pact armies. Grečner\u2019s opposition to the Soviet occupation meant that he was subsequently blacklisted.<\/p>\n

Now, Second Run have released a miraculously clear transfer of a 50-year-old classic that looks as though it were filmed yesterday. In his engaging and erudite liner notes (which include an interview with the director), Jonathan Owen points out that Grečner was strongly influenced by Bergman and Renais. This film reminded me in particular of The Seventh Seal<\/I>, with its fateful atmosphere, striking visual composition, and timeless bond with the cycles of nature and local superstition.<\/p>\n

Grečner establishes an artistic signature all his own with his 360-degree pans across the mountains, and around Dragon and Eva. The couple is shown in frequent, powerful flashbacks inspired, as the director himself explains, by Surrealism\u2019s insistence on the supremacy of desire. The film\u2019s particular style is also indebted to composer Ilja Zeljenka\u2019s score, which establishes an atmosphere of threat and hysteria early on through its orchestration of human voices, and later develops a sophisticated aural motif from the cows\u2019 bells and their terrified lowing.<\/p>\n

In a 20-minute introduction, Peter Hames makes the persuasive suggestion that, in this highly symbolic film, the director is<\/I> Dragon: an artistic outsider who is hated and attacked for being different. In the films of the later Czechoslovak New Wave, it is hard not to perceive premonitions that the nation\u2019s brief period of grace from the iron fist of political and creative oppression was about to end.<\/p>\n

Alison Frank<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eduard Grečner’s film is reminiscent of The Seventh Seal<\/I>, with its timeless bond with the cycles of nature and local superstition.
\nReview by Alison Frank<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11,3],"tags":[61,151,940,1222],"class_list":["post-5670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-check-it-out","category-dvds-and-blu-rays","tag-czech-cinema","tag-czech-new-wave","tag-czechoslovak-new-wave","tag-ingmar-bergman"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/purUP-1ts","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4882,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/09\/15\/a-jesters-tale\/","url_meta":{"origin":5670,"position":0},"title":"A Jester’s Tale","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"September 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Karel Zeman's delightful and entertaining period piece combines live action and animation in an original and ingenious way. Review by Alison Frank","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Jesters Tale","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/A-Jesters-Tale-594x487.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/A-Jesters-Tale-594x487.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/A-Jesters-Tale-594x487.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1504,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2011\/02\/02\/a-blonde-in-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":5670,"position":1},"title":"A Blonde in Love","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"February 2, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Milo\u0161 Forman's is a gem of the Czech New Wave. Review by Alison Frank","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Blonde in Love","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/A-Blonde-in-Love-594x440.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/A-Blonde-in-Love-594x440.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/A-Blonde-in-Love-594x440.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5466,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2015\/04\/29\/fruit-of-paradise\/","url_meta":{"origin":5670,"position":2},"title":"Fruit of Paradise","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"April 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Released after the crushing of the Prague Spring, Chytilov\u00e1\u2019s 1970 follow-up to Daisies is as visually inventive but much darker in tone. Review by Alison Frank","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fruit of Paradise 1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Fruit-of-Paradise-1-594x386.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Fruit-of-Paradise-1-594x386.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Fruit-of-Paradise-1-594x386.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5418,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2015\/03\/22\/traps\/","url_meta":{"origin":5670,"position":3},"title":"Traps","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"March 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Czech New Wave director V\u011bra Chytilov\u00e1 offers a complex view of the consequences of rape in this dark satire. Review by Alison Frank","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Traps 1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Traps-1-594x432.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Traps-1-594x432.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Traps-1-594x432.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6188,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2016\/02\/17\/something-differenta-bagful-of-fleas\/","url_meta":{"origin":5670,"position":4},"title":"Something Different\/A Bagful of Fleas","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"February 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This new release explores V\u011bra Chytilov\u00e1's early 1960s documentary-inflected pre-Daisies work. Review by Alison Frank","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"something-different","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/something-different-594x401.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/something-different-594x401.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/something-different-594x401.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1187,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2010\/06\/01\/diamonds-of-the-night\/","url_meta":{"origin":5670,"position":5},"title":"Diamonds of the Night","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"June 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Diamonds of the Night is a very closely focused film, and its focus is the moment-to-moment bodily experience of two young Czechs on the run from the Nazis. Review by Peter Momtchiloff","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/review_Diamonds-of-the-Night-594x391.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/review_Diamonds-of-the-Night-594x391.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/review_Diamonds-of-the-Night-594x391.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5670"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5688,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5670\/revisions\/5688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}