Raw Atmosphere/Characters ,Solid Work, Much Appreciated.
5 Reviews
Eloquent DocuDrama
rogbmc11 May 2021
Unnoticed World
XxEthanHuntxX16 August 2021
Pictures of the old world" is a non-fictional movie consisting of dialogues with old people who haven't been "deformed by civilisation." The film tries to find answers to questions of human existence. People featured in the film tell their life stories that are linked to their ancestors' customs. The film is a poetic visual essay with entire lifetimes of experience on human existence. Hanak documents the textures of their faces, hands, and landscape's predominate alongside an obstinate vitality and desire for life. The director crafts a distinctive polyphony of human stories in a world unsullied by ideology. The will to live and overcome life's hardships is moulded in Hanak's vision into a celebration of authentic humanity.
At odds with the Communist propaganda of the time, its depiction of poverty punctuated with alcoholism, religion, and the hardships of the subjects lives, resulted in the film being withdrawn from release. Condemned for its aesthetics of 'ugliness', the film remained banned for many years. However, Hanak's film is not a polemical film. It attempts to address fundamental levels of human experience - its power and beauty lies in its tender studying of a people who seem to have been forgotten by their society.
The film combines images taken with a camera by a photographer called Martin Martincek, and Hanak's own footage, and alternates between the two in a very professional way. The result of this contradictorial filmmaking approaches with the use of collage effect ultimately establishes and defines the film's unique poetic style. The director also uses music, song, synchronised and non-synchronised sound and background noise, significant details and local scenery taken both from photographs and exteriors. Hanák observes the individual characters in relation to their surroundings, but he seeks, and finds, the core and depth of their security in the people themselves. What has value in life?, he asks them.
At odds with the Communist propaganda of the time, its depiction of poverty punctuated with alcoholism, religion, and the hardships of the subjects lives, resulted in the film being withdrawn from release. Condemned for its aesthetics of 'ugliness', the film remained banned for many years. However, Hanak's film is not a polemical film. It attempts to address fundamental levels of human experience - its power and beauty lies in its tender studying of a people who seem to have been forgotten by their society.
The film combines images taken with a camera by a photographer called Martin Martincek, and Hanak's own footage, and alternates between the two in a very professional way. The result of this contradictorial filmmaking approaches with the use of collage effect ultimately establishes and defines the film's unique poetic style. The director also uses music, song, synchronised and non-synchronised sound and background noise, significant details and local scenery taken both from photographs and exteriors. Hanák observes the individual characters in relation to their surroundings, but he seeks, and finds, the core and depth of their security in the people themselves. What has value in life?, he asks them.
good and simple
cwei-114 February 2006
After seeing this documentary "Pictures of the Old World", I found that this film is simply marvelous and is a great tribute to old people. This documentary "Pictures of the Old World" by Dusan Hanák in 1988 now becomes the evidence of both the sensitivity and strength of Czechoslovakia documentary. This documentary is about older people talking about their life-stories. The documentary explores the values of generation of an old countryman, and his confrontation for the harshness and difficulty of rural patterns of existence, but also celebrating ingenuity, honor and courage of a person. Hanák's image structure is scarce and precise, luminous and touching, taking us audiences from the everyday muddy works and struggles to the internal world of the imagination.
Just beautiful...
wuf21 March 2007
Like it was said, it is a very touching movie. I started to cry and i couldn't stop for a while. It is a movie about the simple life of old people, who are living their lives on their own. Everyone has his own angle of view of the world. Everyone has his own life story and also his own burden to carry. But they agree, that the life is beautiful, it is worth to live it in any way possible... These are just simple minded man and women, but the words spoken from their lips show, that time is the real teacher to them. I would be honored to meet them in real life and just listen to them... If you have the opportunity, just watch it...
For all youngsters definitely a must-see!!!
STOPORENEC16 January 2002
This movie is simply marvellous. It is a great tribute to old people. One might think that it is boring to watch a documentary about olders talking about their life-stories, but it´s not. This one is deeply realistic, moving and artistic in a good sense. One can´t believe what these people went through. I am not going to explain details of the movie, but ..... you should see it. I saw it 5 times and I´d give it 10 out of 10.
Dusan Hanak is the best Slovak director.
Dusan Hanak is the best Slovak director.
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