Issue 23
Notebook

Erotism and Form as Subversion in <em>Daisies</em>

Orisel Castro López
Universidad de las Américas UDLA, Quito
Bio
York Neudel
Universidad de las Américas, Ecuador UDLA
Bio
Luis Iván Gómez
Universidad de las Américas, Ecuador UDLA
Bio

Published 2017-01-01

Keywords

  • Daisies,
  • Subversion,
  • Censorship,
  • Czechoslovakia,
  • Věra Chytilová,
  • Czech New Wave.
  • ...More
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Abstract

Erotism, ambiguity and experimentation convert the movie Daisies in such a subversive work that even after fifty years it is worth to talk about. The existentialism and the disillusionment of this avant-garde–piece are expressed through the performance of its main characters: two dolls, two images or two contemporary artists that mock and destroy everything that is considered as normal and correct. Věra Chytilová’s critic on Czechoslovakian society of the sixties is oblique, but latent in every gesture, every composition and every mean of montage. In this article we track down the strategies of this director from the Czech New Wave to create a revolutionary artwork that turns away from the representation of the socialist realism. It is a critical film towards all conventions that makes it impossible for censors, spectators or critics to straitjacket it. Our analysis reveals its mechanism, which creates fascination and rejection through seduction and estrangement in an ambiguous manner.

References

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