The Movie: Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)
What Is It?: Two years after the Soviet Invasion had
ostensibly brought an end to Czechoslovakia’s Spring of liberalized creativity,
Jaromil Jireš made one of the
country’s most liberated and creative films. Perhaps Valerie and Her Week of Wonders passed muster with the communist
regime— which preferred social realism and had no compunction about banning
art— because it is so openly critical of Catholic hypocrisy. However, the ideas
behind Jireš’s film are not nearly as interesting as its weird erotic images. Sex Land is
full of incest and nubile young women dropping live fish down their bloomers. The film is full of vampires and monsters to the point that Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
functions as both surreal fantasy and full-blooded horror film.
Why Today?: Today
is 7/7, and there are seven days in a week and Seven Wonders of the World.
