Cennet Meyvesi

The Fruit of Paradise, 1969
Director: Vera Chytilová; 99 min, Czech, Color
Actors: Jitka Novákova, Karel Novak, Jan Schmid

The Holy Trinity of Czech cinema (Vera Chytilová / Esther Krumbachova / Jaroslav Kucera) that gave us Daisies (1966) joined forces again a few years later in The Fruit of Paradise. In her fourth foray into filmmaking, Chytilová’s cinematography becomes positively addictive as she works with an avant-garde theatrical group. The film, which is a sort of Adam & Eve allegory cum murder mystery, follows a couple that has eaten some “forbidden fruit”. Eva, who falls in love with what may be a serial killer, embarks upon a biblical reference-laden search for desire, truth, and the like. This once-it-was-lost-and-now-it-is-found masterpiece by Chytilová is easily on a par with Goddard in terms of its use of sound and with Bunuel or Švankmajer in terms of its use of color and photography – and it is also a genuine feminist statement to boot. The astonishingly intricate collage of images, textures, patterns, and live actors in the first ten minutes of The Fruit of Paradise in particular have given the movie the status of a cult classic.