One of the most celebrated films of the 1960s Czechoslovak New Wave, Sedmikrásky (Daisies, 1966) is director Věra Chytilová’s second feature film. Made when Chytilová was 37-years-old, this timeless, vibrant classic continues to inspire new generations of viewers. A provocative film, it tells the story of two young women who decide to mirror the decadent, hedonistic world in which they live. Removed from the political reality of the time in which it was made, Daisies are nonetheless a quintessential representation of the mid-sixties aesthetic. Marie I and Marie II have no qualms with traditional morality and social norms, carelessly bamboozling the men attracted to their carefree exuberance – mostly older men. The avariciousness of these models sees them exploiting the wallets of their spellbound male suitors, and just trying to enjoy any kind of fun that comes their way. One gauge of their escapades is the game “matters/ doesn’t matter”, which both swaggering Maries play as they blindly proceed from one adventure to the next. But their “spoilt” nature – as highlighted at the end through a moral underscored by Chytilová – is just innocent rebellion set against the backdrop of a troubled modern world. Yet the protagonists of Daisies – playfully embodied by non-professional actresses Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová – primarily serve as a demonstration of female liberation in accordance with the feminist trends of the times. At the same time, the two Maries stand for – albeit in extreme form – Chytilová’s representation of female characters battling to make it in a man’s world. As such, they join the ranks of similar female trailblazers seen in Chytilová’s O něčem jiném (Another Way of Life, 1963); Hra o jablko (Apple Game, 1976); and Pastí, pastí pastičky (Traps, 1998). What makes Daisies so unique in terms of both form and meaning is its showcasing of the close collaboration between Chytilová, costume designer, set designer and co-writer Ester Krumbachová, and cinematographer Jaroslav Kučera. The film’s “dangerous” nature only emerged once it was edited together. This meant that though lauded by critics across the globe, and hailed at a multitude of film festivals, the film found itself subject at home to official criticism and censorship (it became one of the few Czechoslovak films to be taken up by the Czechoslovak parliament, and later ended up “shelved” in a “normalisation” era vault).
Two young girls - Marie I and Marie II - are convinced that "everything in this world is spoilt for them" and so they decide that as well will be depraved. They adopt the principle that "nothing matters, just so long as it's a joke". They look for jokes at home, in a swimming-pool and in night-clubs. Marie I starts a relationship with an older man and at dinner pretends that she is modest and chaste. But then Marie II appears, takes a seat at the table and shamelessly orders various delicacies at the man's expense. Finally the girls escort the surprised man to the station, put him on a train and wave him goodbye. They repeat this trick several times, they steal from a cloakroom attendant and play a game with a young man who claims to be passionately in love with one of the Maries. None of this is enough for them, however. They want to be even more depraved, but they are also aware that people don't notice them. One day they ride up to an upper floor of a hotel where a lavish feast has been set out in a beautiful hall. After a while the girls start in on the food, and then set about throwing cakes at each other and destroying the whole table. They swing on the crystal chandeliers, fly through the windows and fall into a river, where they start to drown. No one tries to save them, and both Maries lose their taste for being depraved. They return to the destroyed salon, try to repair the damage and comfort themselves with the promise that if they are good and work hard they will also be happy.
Marie I /tmavovlasá s culíky/
Marie II /blondýnka/
starší muž s plnovousem
zamilovaný světák
žena na toaletě
toaletářka
toaletářka
světák
muž v černém
veselý muž
tanečník ve vinárně
muž v uličce
hudebník
houslista
plavec
bubeník
kytarista
harmonikář
hudebník
hudebník
svalovec
žena v okně vlaku
hlas Jana za dveřmi
Bedřich Čermák, František Straka, Roman Svoboda
František Jaderník, Jaroslav Vlk
Jana Štroblová (klapka), Pavel Dias (fotograf)
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Pražský dixieland
Sedmikrásky
Sedmikrásky
Daisies
Chudobky
film
featuretheatrical distribution
slapstick, allegory, morality
Czechoslovakia
1966
1965
literary Screenplay approved 15 June 1965
technical Screenplay approved 5 August 1965
start of filming 6 September 1965
end of filming 18 December 1965
the first film copy approved 21 July 1966
projection approval 30 August 1966
withdrawal from distribution 1 July 1993
the end of the distribution monopoly 31 December 2013
premiere 30 December 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 15 September 1967 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Klub /3 týdny/ a Hvězda /9 týdnů od 6. 10./, Praha)
renewed premiere 21 July 2012 /recommended for 12 and over/
renewed premiere 2 June 2022 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Explosive anarchistic ride by Věra Chytilová. (2012)
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1966), Asociace českých filmových klubů (obnovená 2012 /Projekt 100 – 2012/), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2022)
Tvůrčí skupina Šmída – Fikar, Ladislav Fikar (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
76 min
2 079 meters
35mm, DCP 2-D, DVD, BRD
1:1,37
colour, black & white
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Event: Anketa britského časopisu Sight and Sound o nejlepší film všech dob
2022
Londýn / Great Britain
Event: Anketa Českého rozhlasu – Kánon100 (nejoblíbenější umělecká díla posledních 100 let)
2018
Praha / Czech Republic
Event: Anketa filmových kritiků o nejlepší česko-slovenský hraný film století
1998
Praha / Czech Republic
Event: Cena Svazu finských filmových kritiků
1969
Helsinky / Finland
Event: Cena Svazu belgických filmových kritiků 1968
1969
Brusel / Belgium
Event: 6. mezinárodní soutěž o technickou cenu Mezinárodní unie filmových technických sdružení Brusel
1968
Brusel / Belgium
Československý film
Event: 6. mezinárodní soutěž o technickou cenu Mezinárodní unie filmových technických sdružení Brusel
1968
Brusel / Belgium
Festival: 10. Grand Premio – mezinárodní festival uměleckých filmů a filmů o umění Bergamo
1967
Bergamo / Italy
Event: Odměna vedení Československého filmu za nejúspěšnější film roku 1966
1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jaroslav Kučera
Event: Ceny Trilobit 1966
1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jaroslav Kučera
Event: Ceny Trilobit 1966
1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Věra Chytilová