Oil Lamps (film)
Oil Lamps (Czech: Petrolejové lampy) is a 1971 Czechoslovak drama film directed by Juraj Herz. It competed in the 1972 Cannes Film Festival.[1] It is based on a novel by Jaroslav Havlíček.
| Oil Lamps | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Juraj Herz |
| Written by | Meir Dohnal Jaroslav Havlíček Juraj Herz Václav Šašek |
| Starring | Iva Janžurová, Petr Čepek |
| Cinematography | Dodo Simoncic |
| Edited by | Jaromír Janáček |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | Czechoslovakia |
| Language | Czech |
Plot
In a small Czech town named Jilemnice lives an unfortunate but brave and jovial woman Štěpa Kiliánová, whose only desire was to fill the void in her virgin life. Out of despair and excessive trust, she marries her cousin, a sardonic, reclusive man, former lieutenant and gambler Pavel Malina, whose only wish is to find peace and forget the past. Meanwhile the groom's father and older brother are interested in Štěpa's inheritance to save their farm from ruin. The couple live through unrequited love, dislike and disappointment on Štěpa's side, since her husband does not consummate the marriage because of his impotence, due to the syphilis he caught in the army. No one knows about the groom's disease and his increasing signs of cerebral disease, which engulfs his sanity.
Cast
- Iva Janžurová as Štěpa Kiliánová
- Petr Čepek as Pavel Malina
- Marie Rosůlková as Mother
- Ota Sklenčka as Father
- Vladimír Jedenáctík as Uncle
- Karel Černoch as Synáček
- Jaroslav Blažek as Trakl
- Václav Vondráček as Tabetic Machoň
References
- "Festival de Cannes: Oil Lamps". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 14 April 2009.