museumofdave There are dozens of redeeming qualities in this excellent Czech film, not the least is a feeling for a living village populated with actual people, certainly a result of dedicated ensemble acting; the film also imparts a sense of the natural beauty too often defiled by man's obsession with power and war (much in the manner of Terence Malick, but less oblique), and the cameos by both old and young and old actors create wonderful funny and touching moments.A woman is forced by circumstances to abandon city sophistication--a lover, smart clothes, new American music--and without much choice must marry a weathered old woodsman she earlier helped save from death...one can surely predict much of the outcome, but not the vivid scenes in the local school, or mill, or the hiding place in the swamp; this is a rich film with very good things to say about adaptation and learning--the ending is certainly problematic, and did not have to be all sweetness and light--but certainly it would have been surprising to delve into alternate solutions other than the director's final choice; otherwise, highly recommended!

alhaapan I liked the Zelary, at first, because of the story wasn't at all foreseeable. I have never seen this kind of love story, for example. The actors played with a great panache, nothing was emphasized too much. The topics were hard, but the film was beautiful, not to being too sweet for that – as many of films of this kind unfortunately happened to be, and which is very irritating. And at last, wasn't that little girl admirable! As a big fan of Czech culture (literature, music, the theatre, films etc.) I was keen to see even this film. Czech (or Czechoslovakian, or Slovakian) films have never caused me disappointments, and neither did Zelary. Unfortunately I had to see the film on TV, but no worry, the story, photographing, directing, colors, landscapes, staging – well everything –, were on the highest level which made the watching of film the most enjoyable, even if just on TV. Zelary is piece of art.Still in my opinion the music composed for Zelary was very poor, except for (folk?) songs the village's women were singing couple of times during the film. These songs was great music and made me huge affections.

hupfons5 Anna Geislerova and Gyorgy Cserhalmi give strong performances as the lead male and female actors in this Slovakian love story set in World War II. Their love for each other evolves as the drama of Hana's escape from the Nazis unfolds in a remote farming village.The beauty and simplicity of Hana's surroundings and the gentle strength and caring of Josa gradually seduce her and transform her into a woman who can girlishly enjoy the simple pleasures of life without sacrificing her talents and ambitions as a member of the resistance.Excellent performances by this predominantly Slovakian cast, especially Jaroslav Dusek who shines in a minor supporting role as the teacher.

Red-125 Zelary (2003), directed by Ondrej Trojan, is an variation on the theme of a person thrown into an environment for which he or she is not prepared. In this case, the protagonist Eliska (Anna Geislerová) is a beautiful, sophisticated nurse in Prague during the German occupation. Forced to escape from Prague, Eliska finds herself in a remote Czech farming village.In this setting, her urban knowledge and social skills are inadequate for survival. Predictably, her basic intelligence and her nursing experience do, indeed prove useful. However, without help from the people in the community, she can't possibly survive. Whether her abilities--and the assistance of the villagers--will prove adequate to ensure survival is the question around which the plot revolves.The weakness of the film is that Eliska's transition into her role as the wife of a farmer is far from adequate. Anna Geislerová is so refined and elegant that it would have taken more than two long braids to fool the Germans (or anyone else). Still, the concept is interesting, and the film does well in conveying the complexities and difficulties that confront a stranger in an apparently tranquil rural community.