Catalogue of Czech Television Programmes
The story of the band that unwillingly - made history. The artistic documentary looks back at the bands over three decades of activities. However, more that its history, the main subject of the film is the conflict between an artistic spirit creating under conditions of freedom, and under the totalitarian regime. Although the Plastic People never did define themselves as a protest or political ensemble, in the 1970s and 1980s they were one of the symbols of resistance against communist state power in Czechoslovakia. The arrest and imprisonment of the Plastics horrified the world cultural public and contributed to the origin of Charter 77 in the Czech Lands. The so-called third culture thus started to form round this band, a culture on which the regime could not exercise its influence. Musicians as great as Lou Reed have expressed their admiration for the music of The Plastic People. There are excerpts shown in the film.
35mm | 74' | © 2001
director(s): Jana Chytilová
producer(s): Czech Television, Video 57
scriptwriter(s): Jana Chytilová
director of photography: Miroslav Vránek
cast: underground music group The Plastic People of the Universe
rights available: TV, Video, Internet
original language: Czech
subtitles available: English