All My Compatriots

It is not so much the uncontrolled recklessness of nationalization, but rather the concentrated nature of the little Czech man in the form of a Beskydy village that becomes the subject of criticism (but also celebration) in this epic fresco by Jasný. A third of the way through it takes away your words, then your breath, and finally, your superlatives. I have never experienced such huge applause from such a small number of people in the movie theater. (06/07/2007)

All My Compatriots is a pretty demanding and hard-to-stomach movie not only for Czechs, but for everybody in general. That being said, it will definitely have a stronger impact on a Czech. The most important thing about the movie is the sad story, which the authors kept working on for twenty years, so I can be sure that there is no nonsense in the movie, only hard reality, which is something I rarely want to see in movies, but which comes in handy if you want to form an opinion of the times. And not only about the times, I would go as far as to say that the way the compatriots were treating one another isn’t that much different from how people treat each other in Czech villages these days. It’s enough for an essential problem to appear and it splits the nation in twain and we’re at it again, just like we saw during the last presidential election. What I appreciate about All MyCompatriots is the raw reality, the way it shines a light on the Czech nature, which is something you get to see quite often in Czech cinema, but nowhere as raw as here. All the actors put in the best performances of their careers, but despite that, what I had the greatest problem with was how cumbersome the movie is. It was really hard to watch for me, so scenes would simply go on and on forever. And that’s why I cannot give this demanding self-reflection on the Czech people a five-star review. (02/24/2013)

The following text translates from Czech to English: A classic that I have been afraid of for a very long time (and completely unnecessarily). There is no celebration of the rural spirit of life. It is only the honesty of how sometimes stubbornness that is completely different from before benefits people, and it surprisingly evokes a sad expression on the viewer's face. Thanks to the archetypal characters of the imposing František or the bohemian Zášinek, Vojtěch Jasný goes strongly to the heart of the matter and is not hindered by a few unnecessarily falling parables. (07/20/2012)

Unquestionably the best film by Vojtěch Jasný and probably the best film dedicated to the subject of collectivization of the Czech countryside. Jasný filmed it after several years because the script could not pass the contemporary censorship for understandable reasons. It was only during the period of reforms in the late 60s and Dubček's intervention that it finally succeeded. The film shows the creative affinity between Vojtěch Jasný and another significant Czech director, Karel Kachyňa. It is similarly poetic, with a focus on visual composition, and a careful selection of actors and their direction. It is interesting that even though the film does not delve deep into the bleak conditions of the 50s, because the political persecution and societal atmosphere were actually worse, there has not been a film made in today's free creative conditions that could surpass or even come close to this one... Overall impression: 95%. (07/21/2009)

Sure, the basic elements of the film are good to excellent, but the purely contemporary faces, hairstyles, make-up, and costumes of a good half of the cast unfortunately, reduce this project to a period average. If we want to deal with the past, it is necessary to convince the viewer of the time in which the story takes place, and not to make the excuse that a few non-actors as decor is enough. (02/23/2009)

A poetic, dramatic and comedic look back at how we not only were, but unfortunately how we still are and probably will continue to be. Vojtěch Jasný seems to have decided to juxtapose the simple beauty of nature and the complex relationships between people who live and die in this splendor. With the help of actors, non-actors, a script that really feels like an adapted municipal chronicle, the camera and the versatile music of one of our geniuses Svatopluk Havelka, he managed to create a film that still has a great testimonial value after more than fifty years and which I always enjoy watching. (01/29/2012)

Great film, which - considering the time it was made - surprisingly and critically shows how life was in the countryside and what relationships existed there. In the movie, you can see a lot that there was a long preparation before the actual filming, which paid off. The fates of individual characters interest you, and although Radek Brzobohatý's name is mentioned the most in connection with the film, Vladimír Menšík completely won me over. (02/10/2015)