On the Tightrope (Na laně)
![On the Tightrope](https://www.noirfilmfestival.cz/tml/files/2024/07/Na-lane-768x565.jpg)
Program section: | Czechoslovak Noir |
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Directed by: | Ivo Novák |
Year: | 1963 |
Country: | Czechoslovakia |
Length: | 110 min. |
Cast: | Ladislav Janský, Evelyna Steimarová, Jiří Bednář, Marie Krejčová, Jitka Zelenohorská |
Screening:
- 22. 8. 2024 | 10:15 - VOYO Hall
- 24. 8. 2024 | 10:15 - U.S. Embassy Hall – SOLD OUT
The film, directed by Ivo Novák and shot in the Cinemascope widescreen format, is the first solo feature-length cinematographic work by Stanislav Milota. He managed to elevate episodes from the life of the outsider Kája Micka, called Cat, into a visually unforgettable experience. Milota shot a large part of the film with a handheld camera, in order to capture Cat’s wild nature, and overexposed the retrospective scenes. On the Tightrope can be thematically categorized as a film reflecting on youth life, but unlike earlier films such as The Way Back (1958) and Crossroads (1959), it not only stands out visually, but also has a stronger script. Even if the nearly two-hour running time doesn’t sustain the exuberance until the end, Cat’s partying, trips with friends, climbing to dizzying heights, returns to the depressing reality of a poor household and hard labor in the Kladno steelworks are still a fascinating spectacle.
Veronika Zýková
Both screenings with English subtitles.