Distant Journey (film)
Encyclopedia
Distant Journey is a Czech
Holocaust film directed by Alfréd Radok
and released in March 1949, immediately after World War II
. Radok uses experimental cinematography
, blending historic footage of the Nazis with a fictional love story between a Jewish woman and her Gentile
husband.
Soon after the film's release, Stalinist censorship
was implemented in Czechoslovakia
. Radok fled to Sweden
and Czech filmmakers began their long struggle against strict communist censors. Film production declined, and Distant Journey was banned from audiences only to reemerge over forty years later.
Radok never shows blood or lets a gun fire in his story, but the historic footage he integrates into the film achieves a sense of terror. Newsreel footage and clips from Leni Riefenstahl's
Triumph of the Will
show Adolf Hitler
, Joseph Goebbels
, and other Nazi leaders reading speeches while a pile of dead nude bodies on the lawn of a concentration camp enforce the atmosphere of the Holocaust. While the historic war-time footage is shown, the previous scene of the feature film is shrunk to the lower right hand corner of the screen, a picture-in-picture
effect comparing the wider global conflict to the more immediate effects on the story's central characters.
The slow spread of anti-Semitism
that led to the deportation and murder of the Jews is played out in the film. In 1941 Jews were no longer allowed to go to the theater in Prague. Dressed in stunning attire, the happy couple, Hana and Toník, are just about to leave for the theater when they receive this foreboding news from Hana's dejected father. In this way, Radok feeds his audience the history of the war through a personal and easily digested narrative.
The film is full of symbol
ic cinematography. For example, when a minor character, Professor Reiter, commits suicide, strange camera angles show the old man sitting in his apartment, his open window, the cobblestone street far below and the stopped hands on a clock. When shrill screams echo from the street and the apartment is empty, the audience is to assume the awful truth.
for a 1991 television premiere, and was hailed by critics. The Village Voice called it a "masterpiece," comparing it stylistically to Citizen Kane
. The film is applauded for both its expressionist cinematography and historical relevance, being one of the first films to confront the Holocaust, only three years after it occurred.
's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange
. Kubrick incorporated the shots of children playing amidst rubble into his film.
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
Holocaust film directed by Alfréd Radok
Alfréd Radok
Alfréd Radok was a distinguished Czech stage director.He worked as the stage director of the National Theatre in Prague in the years 1948 to 1949 and 1966 to 1968. Radok's work belongs to the top of the Czech stage direction of the 20th century...
and released in March 1949, immediately after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Radok uses experimental cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
, blending historic footage of the Nazis with a fictional love story between a Jewish woman and her Gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
husband.
Soon after the film's release, Stalinist censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
was implemented in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. Radok fled to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Czech filmmakers began their long struggle against strict communist censors. Film production declined, and Distant Journey was banned from audiences only to reemerge over forty years later.
Summary
Distant Journey follows Hana, a Jewish eye doctor who falls in love and marries a Gentile named Toník. Their simple love story becomes a nightmare when the government begins the systematized extermination of the Jews. Hana's family is transported to Theresienstadt, and the romance becomes a struggle for survival.Radok never shows blood or lets a gun fire in his story, but the historic footage he integrates into the film achieves a sense of terror. Newsreel footage and clips from Leni Riefenstahl's
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
Triumph of the Will
Triumph of the Will
Triumph of the Will is a propaganda film made by Leni Riefenstahl. It chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, which was attended by more than 700,000 Nazi supporters. The film contains excerpts from speeches given by various Nazi leaders at the Congress, including portions of...
show Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
, and other Nazi leaders reading speeches while a pile of dead nude bodies on the lawn of a concentration camp enforce the atmosphere of the Holocaust. While the historic war-time footage is shown, the previous scene of the feature film is shrunk to the lower right hand corner of the screen, a picture-in-picture
Picture-in-picture
Picture in Picture is a feature of some television receivers and similar devices. One program is displayed on the full TV screen at the same time as one or more other programs are displayed in inset windows. Sound is usually from the main program only.Picture in Picture requires two independent...
effect comparing the wider global conflict to the more immediate effects on the story's central characters.
The slow spread of anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
that led to the deportation and murder of the Jews is played out in the film. In 1941 Jews were no longer allowed to go to the theater in Prague. Dressed in stunning attire, the happy couple, Hana and Toník, are just about to leave for the theater when they receive this foreboding news from Hana's dejected father. In this way, Radok feeds his audience the history of the war through a personal and easily digested narrative.
The film is full of symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ic cinematography. For example, when a minor character, Professor Reiter, commits suicide, strange camera angles show the old man sitting in his apartment, his open window, the cobblestone street far below and the stopped hands on a clock. When shrill screams echo from the street and the apartment is empty, the audience is to assume the awful truth.
Cast
- Blanka Waleská ... Dr. Hana Kaufmann
- Otomar Krejča ... Dr. Antonín Bureš
- Viktor Očásek ... Engineer Kaufmann
- Zdeňka BaldováZdeňka BaldováZdeňka Baldová was a Czechoslovak film actress. She appeared in over 60 films between 1921 and 1958.-Selected filmography:* Poslední muž * Morality Above All Else * Lidé na kře...
... Mrs. Kaufmann - Jiří Spirit ... John [Honzik] Kaufmann
- Eduard Kohout ... Prof. Reiter
Reception
After sitting neglected for over forty years, Distant Journey reemerged in the Czech Republic after the Velvet RevolutionVelvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
for a 1991 television premiere, and was hailed by critics. The Village Voice called it a "masterpiece," comparing it stylistically to Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
. The film is applauded for both its expressionist cinematography and historical relevance, being one of the first films to confront the Holocaust, only three years after it occurred.
Trivia
Footage from Distant Journey appears in Stanley KubrickStanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
. Kubrick incorporated the shots of children playing amidst rubble into his film.