Pearls of the Deep (Blu-ray)

A manifesto for a new generation of young filmmakers, Pearls of the Deep (Perlicky na Dne) is one of the delights of the Czechoslovak New Wave.

Based on stories by Bohumil Hrabal, the film is a compendium of five films each showcasing the talents of individual directors Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, Věra Chytilová, Evald Schorm and Jaromil Jireš.

Each vignette demonstrates the differing styles of the five emerging filmmakers, each with unique approaches to Hrabal's multi-faceted tales of ordinary people and odd obsessions. Ranging from the surreal to the satirical and the romantic, the films capture the essence and spirit of Hrabal's work, and emerges as a joyous rallying cry for subversion and artistic expression.

"Generally anarchist and scaldingly farcical, the films look totalitarian life square in the eye, but they’re also living testaments to the era’s lovable, grungy Euro-slacker esprit... all five films are compelling time capsules of defiance and love"

The Village Voice

• Pearls of the Deep (Perlicky na dne, 1965) presented from an HD transfer from the new 4K restoration created by the Czech National Film Archive.
• The two additional films based on stories by Bohomil Hrabal that were originally intended to be included in Pearls of the Deep: Ivan Passer's A Boring Afternoon and Juraj Herz's The Junk Shop - all seven films presented together for the very first time.
• About Cats, Beatniks and All Sorts of Other Things (1967): a short film on writer Bohumil Hrabal.
• Restoration trailer
• Booklet featuring a substantial new essay by Peter Hames.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• World premiere on Blu-ray.
• Region Free (A/B/C) Blu-ray.