Don Juan (1969 film)
Encyclopedia
Don Juan is a 1969 Czechoslovak short film by Jan Švankmajer
, based on traditional Czech puppet plays of the Don Juan
legend.
will haunt Don Juan to exact his revenge. Philippe soon discovers Maria mourning her dead father, and swears to avenge them both. He eventually finds Don Juan and the two engage in a duel
which ends with Philippe's gory demise. The Jester then arrives to tell Juan that there is a spectral man who wants to speak with him in the cemetery
. The man turns out to be the spirit of Maria's dead father, who warns Don Juan that his soul will be dragged to Hell
at midnight
. As in the traditional Czech puppet plays, Juan urges children not to commit evil deeds like him. Juan's physical body keels over dead into an open grave, while his spirit is lowered into a trapdoor
. Instead of being dragged into Hell as the legend suggests, the lifeless puppet merely falls into a compartment beneath the stage. Upon discovering an inanimate Don Juan, The Jester asks how he is going to get paid with his master dead.
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...
, based on traditional Czech puppet plays of the Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
legend.
Plot
Within an old dilapidated and seemingly automated theater, human-sized marionettes perform a production of the Don Juan legend without the aid of puppeteers or an audience. In the play, Don Juan's fiancee Maria is secretly seeing his brother Don Phillipe. Unbeknownst to the two lovers, Don Juan is watching them from one of the balconies. Horrified by the thought of Maria leaving him for Philippe, he calls upon his Jester servant for help. So that he can pay for a wedding, Juan sends the Fool into town to ask for money from the Mayor (Juan and Phillipe's father), under the false pretense that Juan needs the money to pay off medical bills . When Juan's father learns about his son's true intentions, he gives the Jester two coins so he and Juan can buy some rope to hang themselves with. Outraged by this, Don Juan murders his own father backstage and heads over to the garden where Maria and Philippe were planning to meet. Maria arrives shortly after but is shocked to discover Don Juan there instead of her true love Philippe. Demanding that she return his feelings or face the consequences, he chases after Maria but is stopped by her father, Don Vespis, who now realizes Juan is unfit to marry his daughter and threatens to have him arrested. Don Juan dispatches of Maria's father by cutting his face off, and as he lay dying he swears his ghostGhost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
will haunt Don Juan to exact his revenge. Philippe soon discovers Maria mourning her dead father, and swears to avenge them both. He eventually finds Don Juan and the two engage in a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
which ends with Philippe's gory demise. The Jester then arrives to tell Juan that there is a spectral man who wants to speak with him in the cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
. The man turns out to be the spirit of Maria's dead father, who warns Don Juan that his soul will be dragged to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
at midnight
Midnight
Midnight is the transition time period from one day to the next: the moment when the date changes. In the Roman time system, midnight was halfway between sunset and sunrise, varying according to the seasons....
. As in the traditional Czech puppet plays, Juan urges children not to commit evil deeds like him. Juan's physical body keels over dead into an open grave, while his spirit is lowered into a trapdoor
Trapdoor
A trapdoor is a door set into a floor or ceiling .Originally, trapdoors were sack traps in mills, and allowed the sacks to pass up through the mill while naturally falling back to a closed position....
. Instead of being dragged into Hell as the legend suggests, the lifeless puppet merely falls into a compartment beneath the stage. Upon discovering an inanimate Don Juan, The Jester asks how he is going to get paid with his master dead.