by Jaromil Jireš

POSTED ON OCTOBER 18 2022

A man who has served six years in the army as the result of a bad joke thinks he can get revenge years later. 

‘The Joke’ by Czech director Jaromil Jireš is an adaptation of the remarkable novel of the same name by Milan Kundera. Directed in 1968, the film is both an absurdist farce and an ironic poem. The softness of the voice-over, disillusioned just enough, interplays wonderfully with the wandering of the hero who apparently expects nothing, but is nevertheless not depressed. On the contrary, he overplays the Soviet hero, washing himself with a bravado that he knows is ridiculous and listens to the official speeches about optimism sitting obediently among the others.

The Joke, 1968 © DR

But his gaze obviously reflects the filmmaker and Kundera’s perspective on the society of the country, a mix between the communist processions of babies, presented by young mothers as the future lifeblood of the nation, and the pieces of traditional music recalling a tenacious ancient folklore. A masculine melancholy tinged with cruelty then envelops the characters as an intimate result of life in a system where everyone is watched. And all of a sudden, the humour and its sarcastic tone take a temporary pause to let the viewer reflect on these enlisted men, whose heads are shaved like a sad ceremony without music. Fluid, profound and entertaining thanks to its unpredictability, ‘The Joke’ is a must-see movie.

 
Virginie Apiou

Screeing:

La Plaisanterie by Jaromil Jireš (Žert, 1968, 1h21)(1955, 2h06)

UGC Confluence Tue. 18 2:30pm