Shades of Fern (1986)
Based on the only extensive prose work by the surrealist painter Josef Capek, Shades of Fern most resembles the philosophical fairy tales and fables of Josef’s older brother, the legendary Czech novelist and playwright Karel Capek. Two young poachers, more boys than men, kill a gamekeeper when they are caught illegally hunting. Panicked, they retreat into a forest that grows steadily more forbidding and deadly as their fear for the future—and guilt over their action—mounts. Loosely based on hundreds of oral folk tales and legends that haunt the woods of Czechoslovakia, Vlácil’s contemporary updating artistically underscores the relationship between man and nature, crime and punishment, isolation and society, and guilt and memory.
Cast
- Marek Probosz - Ruda Aksamit
- Zbigniew Suszyński - Vašek Kala
- Miroslav Macháček - Keeper / Vagabond / Beggar
- František Peterka - Father Aksamit
- Vladimír Hlavatý - Čepelka
- Milada Ježková - Čepelková
- Josef Patočka - Elsner
- Oldřich Velen - Police Officer
- Jaroslav Tomsa - Policeman
- Marta Vančurová - Rousová
Screenplay
- Jiří Blažek (Creative Producer)
- František Vláčil (Screenplay)
- Josef Čapek (Novel)
- Vladimír Körner (Screenplay)
Keywords
based on novel or book, poem, period drama
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Shades of Fern about?
- Based on the only extensive prose work by the surrealist painter Josef Capek, Shades of Fern most resembles the philosophical fairy tales and fables of Josef’s older brother, the legendary Czech novelist and playwright Karel Capek. Two young poachers, more boys than men, kill a gamekeeper when they are caught illegally hunting. Panicked, they retreat into a forest that grows steadily more forbidding and deadly as their fear for the future—and guilt over their action—mounts. Loosely based on hundreds of oral folk tales and legends that haunt the woods of Czechoslovakia, Vlácil’s contemporary updating artistically underscores the relationship between man and nature, crime and punishment, isolation and society, and guilt and memory.
- Who directed Shades of Fern?
- Shades of Fern was directed by František Vláčil.
- Who stars in Shades of Fern?
- Shades of Fern stars Marek Probosz, Zbigniew Suszyński, Miroslav Macháček, František Peterka, Vladimír Hlavatý, Milada Ježková.
- How long is Shades of Fern?
- Shades of Fern has a runtime of 1h 30m (90 minutes).
- What genre is Shades of Fern?
- Shades of Fern is a Drama, Crime film.
- Where was Shades of Fern produced?
- Shades of Fern was produced in Czechoslovakia.