Daisies (1966)

The refreshingly radical Daisies does not follow any rule and is exuberantly anarchist. Czechoslovakia, 1966, two years before the Russian invasion.

Marie I and Marie II, fun-loving young women, are bored. The communist culture is gray and unimaginative, so the two decide to put things on stilts. They put on swimsuits and brightly colored dresses, hold a big food fight, steal what they need and completely disrupt the daily routine. For the ‘daisies’ in the title, nothing is sacred, everything and everyone is the object of their surreal-distrupting mockery – humor and fun are a form of protest in a society that has declared collective and political compliance the highest good.

Vera Chytilová was a pioneer of the nouvelle vague. As early as 1962, she made personal, controversial films. The Communist Party initially wanted to ban the performance of Daisies because of its ‘nihilistic’ tenor, but, under pressure from the younger generation, went around. However, the authorities imposed a work ban on Chytilová until 1975, there was nothing to see from ‘socialism with a human face’ under party leader Alexander Dubček after 1968. 4K restored classic.

The people at de Uitkijk have kindly offered a limited amount of free tickets for Subbacultcha members. Please make a reservation by sending an email to mailinglist@subbacultcha.nl with ‘Daisies (1966)’ in the subject line + your name in the email.