An Earthly Paradise for the Eyes

Marta is a beautiful and intrepid production coordinator at the Prague film studios. She has two charming teenage daughters and an ex-husband who is a self-important actor. Her experience with him and all sorts of other excitable personalities-film directors, her current jealous boyfriend-has prepared her to tackle almost anything. When Marta and her family return from a camping trip, they run smack into Soviet tanks taking over Prague. Her flexibility is admirable. Though she and her intellectual friends don't quite go about business as usual, they do find ways to cope. In AN EARTHLY PARADISE FOR THE EYES, the year 1968 marks the start of two revolutions-the Soviet-inspired and the sexual. An endearing series of men moves into and out of Marta's life. As the nation sinks into a state of repressed status quo, petty squabbles and jealousy gradually fade. Marta's partners – and Czechs in general – learn to mutually tolerate each other. When the authorities begin persecuting the signers of Charter 77, Marta and her daughters are caught up in the turmoil. An ebullient Vilma Cibulková as Marta won the Best Actress award at the Moscow Film Festival. (In Czech with subtitles) – B.B.