Previously unreleased, the soundtrack to two of the Czech
New Wave's greatest (and, in the case of "The Cremator", most notorious) films
have finally been made available by the splendid Finders Keepers label. Finders
Keepers have been singular in their admirable determination to ensure that the
few dedicated souls passionate about this under sung but crucial moment in
European cinema history can enjoy the accompanying music, be it the dark
Victoriana of "Valerie And Her Week of Wonders" or the jazzier, contemporary
Euro-pop of "Saxanna" (the original teenage witch).
"The Cremator" and "Morgiana" are stylistically and
narratively two very different films but they are united in their vaulting
ambition and early employ of magical realism along with some of the most
incredible cinematography you will ever see. What was in the water in
Czechoslovakia in the 1960s?
"The Cremator" is a monochrome allegory involving the
eponymous character who, obsessed with the afterlife and his own increasingly
demented moral code, carries out atrocities first against his fellow men and then
finally his own family. There are obvious references to Nazi Germany and the
Czech experience of communist oppression at the time cannot be underestimated
when considering the film's social commentary (a number of "The Cremator"s
surrealist elements were a deliberate attempt to fly under the censor's radar).
A chilling and understated film, it contrasts with the more flamboyant and
gothic styling of other Czech gems such as "Valerie" or the day glow anarchy of
"Daisies". Instead "The Cremator" is more akin to German Expressionism or Bergman's
darker, more nihilistic portrayals of what it means to be human.
Composer Zdeněk Liška's previous work on
another Czech
classic "Malá Mořská Víla" (The Little Mermaid) was a stunning mix of
electronics
and baroque orchestral work, filled with harpsichord and chimes. For
"The Cremator" he employs an almost fairy tale like sense of magic and
wonder in the
use of choir and playful strings, quite at odds with the dark undertow
of the
movie but deliberately underscoring the increasingly unsettling mismatch
of the
protagonist's deranged world view and his respectable appearance. Hints
of darker
goings on begin to emerge from more conventional passages as the music
itself
indicates that behind the publicly acceptable and polite persona "The
Cremator"
is both sociopathic and deeply insane; merry-go-rounds and oompah segue
into
off- key trumpet squalls as both the film and its accompanying
soundtrack
reveal the dark heart of our narrator.
"Morgiana" was arguably the final film of the Czech new
wave and also one of its finest. Communist occupation would eventually result
in the country's film industry being under strict government control,
effectively calling a halt to what was arguably one of the most unique,
creative, colourful and surreal movements in cinema history. Essentially a
gothic tale of two sisters (one good, one very bad) and featuring a stellar
performance in both roles by Iva Janzurova, "Morgiana" is a psychedelic gothic
masterpiece that rivals that other Czech classic "Valerie And Her Week of
Wonders" in its sumptuous photography and costumes. The hair is big, the
eyeliner thick and the out of time Victoriana of the costumes both evocative
and creepy.
Prior to "Morgiana", Luboš Fišer had already scored "Valerie",
quite simply one of the all-time great soundtracks with its use of strings,
clockwork sound effects, harpsichord and choirs. Enchanting and fairytale like
but also at times menacing and melancholy, the soundtrack has gone on to
influence a wide range of artists from Espers to Broadcast to my own pop combo The
Hare And The Moon. Fišer’s music for "Morgiana" immediately takes a darker tone,
befitting the film, but the twisted waltzes and bells evoke much the same
otherworldly and magical atmosphere as his soundtrack to "Valerie". Occasionally
a tense and ominous trumpet fanfare echoes some of the Hammer soundtracks of
the same period and in some respects "Morgiana" is in the mould of those glorious
Technicolor horrors. But within both soundtrack and the film there is something
deeper at work here, different to its British or Western European counterparts,
something timeless and with a melancholy not present in your typical
gothic flick.
The Finders Keepers CD release offers a burgeoning
booklet of articles on both films and the cinematic movement that they were a
part of. Separate vinyl releases for each soundtrack are also available and
lovely they are too. Highly recommended, treat yourself and enter a different world.
The CD featuring both soundtracks is available here (at a great price).
The vinyl soundtracks are available here.
Soundcloud samples below (please refresh page if these aren't visible).
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