Beauty in Trouble
Encyclopedia
Beauty in Trouble is a 2006 Czech tragicomedy
directed by Jan Hřebejk
. Eddie Cockrell, writing in Variety
, said the "[t]itle comes from the Robert Graves
poem, itself adapted into a Czech popular song in the 1980s, and performed in the film by homegrown thrush Radůza. Germ of the pic's idea was the first line, 'Beauty in trouble flees to the good angel/On whom she can rely...'"
Roger Ebert
rated the film three stars out of four, describing the film as "This is the kind of film that achieves one simple but difficult thing: It pleases you."
1,428,703 US$. It was released in the United States
on 13 June 2008 and grossed $19,300 in revenue while it acquired $1,471,868 from foreign markets for worldwide total of $1,491,168.
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood.-Classical...
directed by Jan Hřebejk
Jan Hrebejk
Jan Hřebejk is a Czech film director.-Early life and education:Born in Prague, Hřebejk studied together with his classmate Petr Jarchovský at high school. Now Jarchovsky is a frequent collaborator as a screenwriter...
. Eddie Cockrell, writing in Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, said the "[t]itle comes from the Robert Graves
Robert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
poem, itself adapted into a Czech popular song in the 1980s, and performed in the film by homegrown thrush Radůza. Germ of the pic's idea was the first line, 'Beauty in trouble flees to the good angel/On whom she can rely...'"
Plot
The film is a hard but gentle love story about a beautiful woman called Marcela and her troubles with three men in the roles of lover, abuser, and provider: Jarda (her sexy, unreliable and shady husband), Richard (her mother's trouble-making and unloving boyfriend) and Evžen Beneš (a wealthy, suggestible and well-meaning benefactor). Marcela and Jarda live in modern Prague in small, smelly and ugly house with their two children Kuba and Lucie. Jarda runs a chop-shop, and comes into possession of Evžen’s stolen car, and he must go to prison. Marcela takes her children to her mother's apartment, where tensions grow unpleasant. Marcela despises her mother’s lecherous boyfriend Richard, who she implied had fathered her first child, during which pregnancy she had run off to marry her husband at the age of seventeen. Evžen generously offers Marcela much needed help and relief - she and her children can live in his empty house, and he tries to give her money. Marcela pragmatically takes up with Evžen and his money and they move to Italy. Marcela’s mother dies and Marcela comes to her funeral. Evžen deals firmly with another beneficiary who has tried to extort him. Marcela sees her husband again before divorcing, but chooses again not to live with him any more despite his best efforts. She returns to Italy, her deceased mother’s boyfriend Richard invited along by her well-meaning benefactor. Marcela and her children live in Italy with her provident benefactor, and daydreams about her sexy husband.Cast
- Anna GeislerováAnna GeislerováAnna Geislerová aka Aňa Geislerová is a Czech actress.Anna became well known for her role as Eliška/Hana in the 2003 movie Želary and as Anna in the 1999 movie Return of the Idiot...
as Marcela - Roman Luknár as Jarda
- Emília VášáryováEmília VášáryováEmília Vášáryová is a Slovak stage and screen actress, referred to as the First Lady of Slovak Theater. During her over five decades long career, she has received numerous awards including the Meritorious Artist , Alfréd Radok Award , Czech Lion Award Golden Globet Award , and most recently the...
as Líba - Jana BrejchováJana BrejchováJana Brejchová is a Czech film actress. She has appeared in over 70 films since 1953. She was married to actor Vlastimil Brodský.-Selected filmography:* Desire * Suburban Romance...
as Zdena - Jiří Schmitzer as Richard
- Josef AbrhámJosef AbrhámJosef Abrhám is a Czech film and theatre actor.In 1965–1982 he was one of the leading actors of The Drama Club in Prague and has been noted as one of the Czech Republic's best performers...
as Evžen - Jan HrušínskýJan HrušínskýJan Hrušínský is a Czech actor. He has appeared in 56 films and television shows since 1970. He starred in the 1974 film Kdo hledá zlaté dno, which was entered into the 25th Berlin International Film Festival....
as Havlík - Jiří Macháček as Patočka
- Andrei Toader as Mirek
- Nikolay Penev as Pičus
- Adam Mišík as Kuba
- Michaela Mrvíková as Lucina
- Radůza as singer
- Jaromíra Mílová as Havlíková
- Ondřej Novák as cop
- Barbora Poláková as cop
Reception
CriticFilm criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
rated the film three stars out of four, describing the film as "This is the kind of film that achieves one simple but difficult thing: It pleases you."
Box office
The film was released on 7 October 2006 in the Czech Republic and , has grossedGross income
Gross income in United States tax law is receipts and gains from all sources less cost of goods sold. Gross income is the starting point for determining Federal and state income tax of individuals, corporations, estates and trusts, whether resident or nonresident."Except as otherwise provided" by...
1,428,703 US$. It was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 13 June 2008 and grossed $19,300 in revenue while it acquired $1,471,868 from foreign markets for worldwide total of $1,491,168.
Accolades
- Krzysztof KieslowskiKrzysztof KieslowskiKrzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
Award for Best Feature Film at Denver International Film Festival - Special Jury Price at the Karlovy Vary International Film FestivalKarlovy Vary International Film FestivalThe Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
in 2006 - Best Foreign Film Award at Santa Barbara International Film FestivalSanta Barbara International Film FestivalThe Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a film festival and non-profit organization, established in 1985, that showcases independent American and international films. The SBIFF line-up includes 20 world premieres and 11 U.S. premieres, with newly expanded 11-day festival...
External links
- Official site (Czech)
- Beauty in Trouble at distributor site Falcon.cz (Czech)