Desire / All My Good Countrymen

Second Run present two films by Vojtech Jasny, one of Czechoslovak cinema‘s most renowned and influential film artists. “Jasný is the spiritual father of the Czech New Wave” Milos Forman DESIRE Jasny’s acclaimed and influential debut feature, Desire (Touha, 1958), poetically intertwines four stories of Czech rural life. A key film in the evolution of Czechoslovak cinema, Second Run present Desire for the first time anywhere on Blu-ray. 1959 Cannes Film Festival / Winner: Special prize, Prix de la meilleure sélection “After long years of deliberate stifling of form, Desire resurrected in Czech cinema the film poetry once upon a time introduced to it by Rovenský, Fric, Vancura, and Vávra” ALL MY GOOD COUNTRYMEN Jasný’s autobiographical All My Good Countrymen (Vsichni dobrí rodáci, 1968) is one of the wonders of the Czech New Wave. Its deceptively simple narrative weaves a complex tapestry around the interwoven lives of a group of villagers immediately following the ‘socialization’ of Czechoslovakia in 1948. The film remains a potent reminder of lives, friendships and idealism lost under totalitarian rule. Presented from a glorious new 4K restoration, All My Good Countrymen makes its world premiere on Blu-ray. 1969 Cannes Film Festival / Winner: Best Director; Winner: Jury Prize An historic film for both its extraordinary poetic and social qualities and its position as the masterpiece of Vojtech Jasny” New York Times/p> Special Edition Contents: Two-Disc Blu-ray Special Edition. Desire presented from a new HD transfer by the Czech National Film Archive. All My Good Countrymen presented from an HD transfer of the new 4K restoration by the Czech National Film Archive. Vojtech Jasny introduces All My Good Countrymen (2015). It‘s Not Always Cloudy (Není stále zamraceno, 1949): Jasny’s rediscovered feature-length semi-documentary graduation film, co-directed by Karel Kachyna. Bohemian Rhapsody (Ceská rapsodie, 1969): Jasny’s acclaimed short film. Interview with Vojtech Jasny (1988): an archival interview with the celebrated filmmaker made for the Channel 4 television series The Other Europe. An interview with actress Drahomíra Hofmanová (2015). Peter Hames on Vojtech Jasny (2015). A Projection Booth audio commentary on All My Good Countrymen with Mike White, Spencer Parsons and Chris Stachiw. Booklet featuring an expansive essay on Jasny by author Peter Hames. New and improved English subtitle translations. Reversible sleeve. World premieres on Blu-ray. Region Free (A/B/C) Blu-rays.