Milos Forman Movies
Czechoslovakian director Milos Forman lost his Jewish father and Protestant mother to Hitler's concentration camps. Raised by family members, Forman studied at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in Prague, serving his professional apprenticeship as a writer of the pioneering Laterna Magika mixed-media presentations of the 1950s. Already an award-winning filmmaker thanks to a brace of short subjects, Forman directed his first feature, Black Peter, in 1963.Loves of a Blonde (1965) and Firemen's Ball (1967), two sweet-tempered films with a distinctively Czech sense of humor, brought Forman to the attention of American critics. With the increasing artistic freedom prevalent in his country, Forman intended to spend the rest of his career in Prague, but when Russian troops marched into Czechoslovakia in 1968, the director shifted his base of operations to France. From there, he went to Hollywood for his first English-language film, Taking Off (1971), a modest comedy about changing family values of the 1970s that featured such stars-to-be as Georgia Engel and Carly Simon. The film proved to be a success, winning a number of awards, including a Special Jury Prize at Cannes.
Following this triumph, Forman directed the decathlon sequences of the multi-national Olympic documentary Visions of Eight (1973), then moved on to what many consider his masterpiece, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). A celebration of the individual spirit staged in the depressing confines of a mental institution, Cuckoo's Nest became the first American film since It Happened One Night (1934) to win Oscars in all five major categories, including Best Director for Forman. Following that was Hair (1979), the overdue film version of the 1967 Broadway rock musical; it could have been anachronistic in lesser hands, but, under Forman's guidance, became a delectable time capsule of what the '60s seemed to represent to those who lived through it. Forman then directed Ragtime, a generally well-received 1981 adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's novel that provided a compelling look at the various cultural and social forces at work in early 20th century America.
Three years later, Forman returned to Prague for the first time since his 1968 exile, filming location shots for Amadeus, a liberal retelling of the life of Mozart (as seen through the eyes of Antonio Salieri). Amadeus won another Oscar for Forman, not to mention Best Picture. Following the film's great success, Forman served as director of Columbia University's film division; he also acted in other directors' films and directed Valmont (1989), the least-famous variation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. In 1996, Forman returned to directing with his acclaimed biography of Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt, scoring both a Best Director Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win in the same category. Three years later, he tackled the life of another controversial American figure in Man on the Moon, his biopic of legendary comic Andy Kaufman, starred Jim Carrey as the mercurial Kaufman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
Czech filmmaker Milos Forman's first American production stars Linnea Heacock as Jeannie Tyne, a runaway teenager. While she wanders aimlessly around New York, her suburban parents, Lynn (Lynn Carlin) and Larry (Buck Henry), desperately search for their "missing" daughter. Larry and his best friend, Tony (Tony Harvey), inaugurate a search, but their expedition is sidetracked by a drinking binge at a local bar. Meanwhile, Lynn and Tony's wife, Margot (Georgia Engel), begin discussing their sex lives. Jeannie does finally return home, to constant questioning by her parents about which drugs she has taken; later, after Lynn and Larry join a support group for the parents of runaway children, they turn around and get stoned on marijuana themselves during one of the group meetings, then lapse into a randy game of strip poker -- little realizing that their daughter is close at hand and within earshot. As a critically revered lampoon of late-'60s sensibilities, Taking Off is full of "unknown" Manhattan-based performers who became famous during the '70s and '80s, including Paul Benedict, Vincent Schiavelli, Allen Garfield, Audra Lindley, and, in fleeting roles as auditioning singers, Carly Simon, who performs "Long Time Physical Effects," and Kathy Bates (billed as Bobo Bates), who performs "Even the Horses Had Wings." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Carlin, Buck Henry, (more)
Firemen's Ball was Czechoslovakian director Milos Forman's final film in his home country; he was scouting locations in Paris when the Russians moved their tanks into Prague in 1968 causing Forman to decide to remain an expatriate. Because of the supercharged political climate of the era, critics read all sorts of allegory and hidden meanings into the Firemen's Ball. Other critics simply accepted the film as the slapsticky tale of a disastrous small-town celebration in honor of a retiring fire chief, and laughed accordingly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vaclav Stockel, Josef Svet, (more)
Out in the Czech countryside, a shoe factory owner petitions the People's Army to station a division of soldiers in his town, where the women outnumber the men sixteen to one. The arrival of the troops is greeted with great excitement, but the girls in the town are disappointed to see that the men are older reservists, and not the strapping young men they'd envisioned. Still, when a band plays at the local pub, the girls show up to be ogled by the older men, many of whom are married. A trio of reservists sends a bottle of wine to Andula (Hana Brejchova), Marie (Marie Salacova), and Jana (Jana Novakova), and the girls argue over whether or not to acknowledge the gesture. But Andula catches the eye of the comparatively dashing young pianist, Milda (Vladimir Pucholt). Milda convinces Andula to go to his room, where he seduces the mildly reluctant girl. The next morning, the traveling musician assures her repeatedly, "I do not have a girlfriend in Prague." Milda leaves town, as expected, but Andula has fallen in love with him, and decides to journey to Prague to track him down. A low-key black-and-white ensemble comedy, Loves of a Blonde was cast predominantly with non-professional actors. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, drew a lot of attention to the "Czech New Wave," and jumpstarted the international filmmaking career of director Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hana Brejchova, Vladimir Pucholt, (more)
Czech director Milos Forman won first prize at the Locarno film festival for his first feature film, Black Peter. This coming-of-age story about a shy teenager who falls in love, bears the heavy influence of Francois Truffaut, as do most other "new wave" productions of the era. Even at this early stage, however, Forman's film-making prowess enabled him to transcend any and all imitations. In some areas, the film bore the title Peter and Pavla, reflecting the fact that pretty young Pavla Martinkova played the girl. Black Peter was originally released in Czechoslovakia in 1963 under the title Cerny Petr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ladislav Jakim, Pavla Martinkova, (more)
- 1963
This two-part comedy consists of "Why Do We Have All These Brass Bands?" and "The Audition." In the former, two brass bands practice to compete in an honorary ceremony. The two units are made up of primarily elderly musicians, but each has a youthful member as well. When the two young musicians forego practice to attend a motorcycle race, they are kicked out of their respective bands. The two musicians simply join up with the rival units to compete in the upcoming competition at the ceremony. In "The Audition," two young teenage girls vie for a spot in a musical play. When the winner is stricken with stage fright, the second girl is slated to perform, amidst concerns over her supreme overconfidence. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan Vostrcil, Vladimir Pucholt, (more)
