Audition + Black Peter - Blu-ray

Audition (1963)
This short story, together with another one titled “If It Weren’t for the Music,” forms the standalone film Audition (Konkurs). A substantial part of the film, composed of two cinematic feuilletons, is the Audition itself — a work made from authentic documentary footage of the singing audition and the backstage of the Semafor Theatre in Prague. The simple storyline follows two young women who took part in the audition. This segment was filmed in the authentic premises of the Semafor Theatre on 16 mm film...

Black Peter (1963)
The story of Miloš Forman’s film Black Peter takes place in a peculiarly beautiful town in the Polabí region. One of the main roles was played by a non-actor, Jan Vostrčil, the bandleader of Kmoch’s music ensemble. The film was made in 1963 based on an unpublished short story by Jaroslav Papoušek about a trainee’s first days working in a self-service shop. The unusual authenticity of the story also comes from casting mostly non-actors (besides Jan Vostrčil, chiefly Ladislav Jakim in the title role, singer Pavel Sedláček, and Pavla Martínková). Also unforgettable is Vladimír Pucholt as a bricklaying apprentice, whose inimitable “ahój” almost became a catchphrase among young people at the time. The then-unusual level of truthfulness rightly attracted attention from both domestic and international audiences and brought its creator many recognitions and honors...