Written by Jan Prochazka and directed by Karel Kachyna, probably the most talented tandem from the so called Czekoslovak new wave (far above the overrated Forman, Menzel and the useless Chytilova) If you are familiar with it, then you should know about this duo of screenwriter/director who created exceptional films such as Long live the republic-1965, Coach to Vienna-1966 or Night of of the Bride-1967.
Ucho/The ear, however, is their crowning achievment and in my view the greatest Czech film of the 60's (Dematy noci-1963, Holubice-1960, Spalovac mrtvol-1968 and Postava k podpirani-1963 would be close followers).
I concur with ''george-59-98991'' who sums up quite well the exeptionally high level of this film. It is of the highest order in every department: Direction and camera work/lighting, the disturbing original score, editing, acting (even down to 2d roles and extras). Pearless and astonishingly great in every department.
Forget about the obvious western paralels such as Nichols' ''Virginia Woolf'' Hollywood portrayal of a decaying /blasé couple portrayed by the no less blasé and overpayed Burton/Taylor. What we have here is an astonishing masterful description of the inner workings of a dictatorship and its effects (fear and paranoia coming up first) on the people within this system, and in this case a couple at the VERY heart of that system, hence the film being immediately shelved in the fall of 1969 in its country (then Czekoslovakia) and then released for the first time for the world to see at the 1990 Cannes film festival, which is now the reason for IMDB's misleading year of production of the film.
One of the 100 greatest films ever made. In all, this the ''Citizen Kane film'' of central Europe during comunism. Not to be missed.
Ucho/The ear, however, is their crowning achievment and in my view the greatest Czech film of the 60's (Dematy noci-1963, Holubice-1960, Spalovac mrtvol-1968 and Postava k podpirani-1963 would be close followers).
I concur with ''george-59-98991'' who sums up quite well the exeptionally high level of this film. It is of the highest order in every department: Direction and camera work/lighting, the disturbing original score, editing, acting (even down to 2d roles and extras). Pearless and astonishingly great in every department.
Forget about the obvious western paralels such as Nichols' ''Virginia Woolf'' Hollywood portrayal of a decaying /blasé couple portrayed by the no less blasé and overpayed Burton/Taylor. What we have here is an astonishing masterful description of the inner workings of a dictatorship and its effects (fear and paranoia coming up first) on the people within this system, and in this case a couple at the VERY heart of that system, hence the film being immediately shelved in the fall of 1969 in its country (then Czekoslovakia) and then released for the first time for the world to see at the 1990 Cannes film festival, which is now the reason for IMDB's misleading year of production of the film.
One of the 100 greatest films ever made. In all, this the ''Citizen Kane film'' of central Europe during comunism. Not to be missed.