Lvo Dvorak's first and only feature, METAMOR PHOSIS (Swedish: FORVANDUNGEN), brings Franz Kafka's dark morality to the screen in a dedicated use of horror and pathos that complements Kafka's short story written in 1915. The filmmakers tackled the symbolism without a single annoying pretension. The atmosphere of the film is Kafka. The feeling one gets is that Kafka somehow had a hand in the production. The story follows a young traveling salesman who, in a startling transformation, wakes up one morning with the body of a black beetle in the place
of the human physique he went to bed with the night before. The man finds the new body to be somewhat of a problem. His family and employer are disgusted by this human-sized beetle. At the end of the film, even the man's artistically-minded, compassionate sister turns him away. As a result, the unfortunate beetle man decides that be'd rather be dead than continue life in this new way.
The films works in purely cinematic ways and the result truly inspired. And while the movie falls short of being really memorable. There is enough talent involved in the direction, acting, photography. And special effects to keep both the casual filmgoer and genre enthusiasts interested and enchanted by director Dvorak's artfulness. The huge beetle is only a stiffly mechanical prop (albeit nicely constructed), but Dvorak manages to use it successfully with quick cuts. And wildly subjective point~of-view shots as it scurries across floors, walls and ceilings.
During its run in global film festivals, this film was criticized for not dealing clearly with the emotional problems of the salesman Samsa, once he is changed into the beetle. Dvorak relies completely upon the resources of the cinema (visual distortions and strange lenses, movement and the owing momentum of his editing) to tell the story. Ln all fairness, METAMORPHOSIS relies almost completely on cinematic storytelling. Lt is Kalka's style that Dvorak has transferred to the screen and the cinematics of are stunning. Dvorak, with this film and several shorts behind him, established himself as a master of the camera in relation to theme and subject matter. Sadly, it appears he made only this one feature film.
The films works in purely cinematic ways and the result truly inspired. And while the movie falls short of being really memorable. There is enough talent involved in the direction, acting, photography. And special effects to keep both the casual filmgoer and genre enthusiasts interested and enchanted by director Dvorak's artfulness. The huge beetle is only a stiffly mechanical prop (albeit nicely constructed), but Dvorak manages to use it successfully with quick cuts. And wildly subjective point~of-view shots as it scurries across floors, walls and ceilings.
During its run in global film festivals, this film was criticized for not dealing clearly with the emotional problems of the salesman Samsa, once he is changed into the beetle. Dvorak relies completely upon the resources of the cinema (visual distortions and strange lenses, movement and the owing momentum of his editing) to tell the story. Ln all fairness, METAMORPHOSIS relies almost completely on cinematic storytelling. Lt is Kalka's style that Dvorak has transferred to the screen and the cinematics of are stunning. Dvorak, with this film and several shorts behind him, established himself as a master of the camera in relation to theme and subject matter. Sadly, it appears he made only this one feature film.
