Synopsis:
A cellist (Zdenek Bezusek) and his girlfriend (Vera Kresadlova) visit Bezusek’s friend Bambas (Karel Blazek) in his country house, where life follows a leisurely and family-driven pace.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Eastern European Films
• Musicians

Review:
Czech New Wave filmmaker Ivan Passer’s directorial debut was this hour+-long glimpse into an overnight stay at a country house, filled with music:

… laughter:

… eating and drinking:

… animals:

… children:

… wandering the grounds:

and sexual longing.

There truly doesn’t seem to be much point to any of it, which may be exactly the point; however, I’ll admit to feeling restless and waiting for a narrative hook of some kind (which never came). Given that I’m not a fan of at least two of Passer’s later American-made films — Born to Win (1971) and Law and Disorder (1974) — I’m not all that surprised I found this earlier work to be a disappointment, though it’s lauded by many.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine cinematography
  

Must See?
No, though of course fans of Eastern European cinema will definitely want to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Village Voice Review (Andrew Sarris)