A Quiet Week in the House
Encyclopedia
A Quiet week in the House is a 1969 Czechoslovak live-action/animated short film by Jan Švankmajer
.
or terrorist of some sort) embarks on an unspecified mission to infiltrate an old, decaying, abandoned house that rests in a lonely Czech countryside. Making sure not to be spotted by others, the protagonist spends six days inside the house, where he quietly and voyeuristically witnesses a series of bizarre events enacted by various living, antiquated objects (e.g. furniture, meat, and clay) that dwell within the rooms of the house. On Monday, a box full of candies reveal themselves to be rusty nails and screws before placing themselves on the keys of a typewriter
; On Tuesday, a cow tongue licks a drawer full of dishes clean before climbing into a meat grinder
and being made into tiny scrolls; On Wednesday, a clockwork
toy
chicken
breaks free of its tether and reaches a plate full of corn kernels only to be buried under a pile brown clay
; On Thursday, a desk releases the pigeons that were trapped in its drawer only for them to be plucked by an unseen force, after which a chair tries to use the pigeons' feathers to fly only to crash and shatter on the floor. On Friday, a hose
emerges from the buttonhole of a suit jacket and drinks all the water from a flower vase, causing the flowers in the vase to combust
, and then urinates the water onto the floor; On Friday, a pair of dentures
bind a cabinet full of pig
s' feet with tough wire.
On the seventh day, the man (having observed all of the rooms) is ready to complete the last part of his mission. He inserts sticks of dynamite
into the very holes he drilled to peer into the rooms. He connects the explosives via a very long fuse to his alarm clock, modifying it into a time bomb
. Just as the man is about to depart, he realizes he forgot to check off "Sunday" on his calendar, so he rushes back into the house to do so. With his mission accomplished, the man runs off into the distance, away from the doomed house.
Jan Švankmajer
Jan Švankmajer is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealist known for his surreal animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, the Brothers Quay, and many others.- Life and career :Jan...
.
Plot
A man (apparently a secret agentSecret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
or terrorist of some sort) embarks on an unspecified mission to infiltrate an old, decaying, abandoned house that rests in a lonely Czech countryside. Making sure not to be spotted by others, the protagonist spends six days inside the house, where he quietly and voyeuristically witnesses a series of bizarre events enacted by various living, antiquated objects (e.g. furniture, meat, and clay) that dwell within the rooms of the house. On Monday, a box full of candies reveal themselves to be rusty nails and screws before placing themselves on the keys of a typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
; On Tuesday, a cow tongue licks a drawer full of dishes clean before climbing into a meat grinder
Meat grinder
A meat grinder or meat mincer is a kitchen appliance for grinding, fine mincing or mixing raw or cooked meat, fish, vegetables or similar food. It replaces tools like the mincing knife, for example, which has been used to produce minced meat, filling etc. The producer puts the minced food into a...
and being made into tiny scrolls; On Wednesday, a clockwork
Clockwork
A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
breaks free of its tether and reaches a plate full of corn kernels only to be buried under a pile brown clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
; On Thursday, a desk releases the pigeons that were trapped in its drawer only for them to be plucked by an unseen force, after which a chair tries to use the pigeons' feathers to fly only to crash and shatter on the floor. On Friday, a hose
Hose
A hose is a hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called pipes , or more generally tubing...
emerges from the buttonhole of a suit jacket and drinks all the water from a flower vase, causing the flowers in the vase to combust
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
, and then urinates the water onto the floor; On Friday, a pair of dentures
Dentures
Dentures are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and which are supported by surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable, however there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clasping onto teeth or dental...
bind a cabinet full of pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s' feet with tough wire.
On the seventh day, the man (having observed all of the rooms) is ready to complete the last part of his mission. He inserts sticks of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
into the very holes he drilled to peer into the rooms. He connects the explosives via a very long fuse to his alarm clock, modifying it into a time bomb
Time bomb
A time bomb is a bomb whose detonation is triggered by a timer. The use time bombs has been for various purposes ranging from insurance fraud to warfare to assassination; however, the most common use has been for politically-motivated terrorism.-Construction:The explosive charge is the main...
. Just as the man is about to depart, he realizes he forgot to check off "Sunday" on his calendar, so he rushes back into the house to do so. With his mission accomplished, the man runs off into the distance, away from the doomed house.