Der Wahnsinn

Schön, so ein Film wird mit der Zeit golden und muss im Kontext von Švankmajers Werken gesehen werden, der pure Liebe für E. A. Poe oder den Marquis de Sade würden in diesem Fall nicht wirklich ausreichen. Ein wunderbarer Beweis dafür, dass auch die beliebtesten Schauspieler zu Recht auf ihrem Sockel stehen können. Reizvoll ist auch, dass einige der perversen Requisiten aus diesem Film heute die Ausstellungen der Nationalgalerie schmücken. (17.10.2020)

Ich bin ein großer Edgar Allan Poe-Fan und drücke jedem tschechischen Versuch eines anständigen Horrorfilms die Daumen, aber das hier hat mir überhaupt nicht gefallen. Ich habe mich wirklich darauf gefreut und es mir für den Abend aufgehoben, aber praktisch alles, was ich erwartet hatte, fehlte. Die Länge ist einfach nur langweilig und die schauspielerischen Leistungen fand ich überhaupt nicht fesselnd oder interessant. Außerdem diese musikalischen Einsätze mit dem sich bewegenden Fleisch. Na ja, ich weiß nicht, was ich denken soll. Also von mir gibt es definitiv einen Daumen nach unten. Jetzt muss ich mir den Geschmack mit einem Poe-Corman-Film wiedergutmachen. Das hat mir wirklich überhaupt nicht gefallen. (13.05.2012)

Once again, I'm amazed. I have never liked a Czech film like this in my life. I didn't expect that I would ever encounter a phenomenon where I would give full marks to a Czech production. However, I'm afraid it was the first and last time. This movie carries its title very deservedly and is more than apt due to its plot, which I find not only refreshing, excellently humorous, but also unsettling because of the 'mass' sequences that I, I think, wasn't the only one capable of grasping. These fragments precisely made the whole appearance more original. The ensemble of actors with satisfying talents performed excellently, fortunately opting for the better portion. Tříska and Liška did an excellent job, and considering how unsympathetic Švankmajer is to me and how his speech at the beginning of the film totally irritated me, although I can't specify a particular reason, I must applaud him for this work, because I can finally say the title of a Czech film that I liked and engraved into my memory. (20.08.2013)

Švankmajer has no counterpart on the home field and even in the global context, as he is an extremely original creator with a clearly readable signature, which is undeniable even in the case of Lunacy. The live-action element in the style of his later works clearly prevails here, and the animated scenes serve only to enhance the atmosphere. The moving parts of pork, bones, and innards serve to express the decay of contemporary society. Švankmajer's message is evident, and it is actually a parable of modern politics and recent Czech history, i.e., the conflict between authoritarianism and dictatorship on one side and democracy and liberalism on the other. Too much freedom which people are unable to handle and which can slip out of their hands could lead to a return to authoritarian methods. The screenplay is excellent and utilizes both the framework of two stories by Edgar Allan Poe and, above all, motifs from the life fate of the Marquis de Sade and his stay in an asylum toward the end of his life. Švankmajer fans can once again expect plenty of creative tricks, decadent elements, and a very unique atmosphere. This time, the creator additionally spiced up the film with a number of small jokes in the style of the dialogue. In terms of acting, both in terms of type and performance, it is excellent. Overall impression: 95%. One of the best Czech films of the decade. (06.12.2009)