Children Without Love (1963)

In 1963 a documentary film, Children Without Love [Dětí bez lásky], was smuggled out of Communist Czechoslovakia to the Venice Biennale film festival – and was screened in cinemas at home, surreptitiously tagged onto the end of a Miloš Forman film. It showed emotionally distressed young children looked after for long hours in state crèches, many from the first weeks of infancy. A collaboration between filmmaker Kurt Goldberger, child psychiatrists, a crèche headmistress and a reformist journalist, the film eventually led to a change in the law, with the Communist Party committing to extend paid maternity leave for women, reversing the state’s ideological prioritising of collective child-rearing and full female employment.

Director: Kurt Goldberger
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 43 min
Release Date:

Screenplay

Production: Krátký film Praha
Country: Czechoslovakia
Language: Český
Original Language: cs
More Films by Director: Kurt Goldberger
More Films in Genre: Documentary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Children Without Love about?
In 1963 a documentary film, Children Without Love [Dětí bez lásky], was smuggled out of Communist Czechoslovakia to the Venice Biennale film festival – and was screened in cinemas at home, surreptitiously tagged onto the end of a Miloš Forman film. It showed emotionally distressed young children looked after for long hours in state crèches, many from the first weeks of infancy. A collaboration between filmmaker Kurt Goldberger, child psychiatrists, a crèche headmistress and a reformist journalist, the film eventually led to a change in the law, with the Communist Party committing to extend paid maternity leave for women, reversing the state’s ideological prioritising of collective child-rearing and full female employment.
Who directed Children Without Love?
Children Without Love was directed by Kurt Goldberger.
How long is Children Without Love?
Children Without Love has a runtime of 43m (43 minutes).
What genre is Children Without Love?
Children Without Love is a Documentary film.
Where was Children Without Love produced?
Children Without Love was produced in Czechoslovakia.