Confusion

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1969

Production year

1968—1969, 1990

Runtime

35 min

Director

Evald Schorm

Category

film

Genre

reportage

Typology

documentarynon-theatrical distributionmedium

Original title

Zmatek

Czech title

Zmatek

English title

Confusion

Summary

During the invasion of Soviet and Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia in August 1968, several professional cameramen documented events across Prague. From their material, Evald Schorm edited a film with the working title Confusion at the turn of 1968 and 1969. Under the same title, it was screened publicly in 1990. Authentic footage of streets occupied by tanks, hospitals and commemorative rallies in rapid succession shows the defiance and hope, but also the sacrifices that the events of August demanded. Some of the footage comes from an extraordinary congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, which was convened in a factory in Vysočany in response to the occupation. The entire film is accompanied by the soundtrack of that congress, and music by Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Synopsis

The events of August 1968. The wounded are lying in the hospital. Tanks and transporters of the occupation troops are passing through the streets. People in the streets post several anti-occupation signs in Czech and Russian and slogans in support of Czechoslovak politicians led by Ludvík Svoboda and Alexander Dubček. They gather at the monuments, trying to communicate with the occupiers. In front of the building of the Czechoslovak Radio on Vinohradská třída in Prague are people trying to protect this institution. On the statue of St. Wenceslas on Wenceslas Square are several banners with slogans. Jerusalem Street, Old Town Square with the statue of Master Jan Hus and Jungmann Square with the statue of Josef Jungmann, as well as Senovážné Square and Republic Square are also occupied by Soviet tanks. Hradčanské Square is also barricaded. Another gathering of citizens occurred in front of the Austrian Embassy in Smíchov. The Vinohrady Theatre is festooned with banners and flags. In a chaotic atmosphere, an extraordinary 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia is taking place in the Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk (ČKD) hall in Vysočany. The participants of the congress fill the hall, negotiating until late night hours. The occupation has claimed several lives in Prague – citizens in the streets pay their respects to the dead. The crowd in front of the office of the National Assembly loudly welcomes politician Josef Smrkovsky.

Note

The film was in development at the turn of 1968 and 1969. After twenty years of hiding, it was completed in 1990. The National Film Archive also holds other unedited film material.

Film online

Crew and creators

Director

Evald Schorm

Assistant Film Editor

Jaroslava Hrubá, Jaroslava Dlouhá

Production Manager

Jaromír Kallista

Cooperation

Vlastimil Harnach (podíl na vzniku filmu – zajištění kamery, materiálu a laboratoří), Vlasta Chramostová, Alena Šulová

Music

Music Composed by

archivní

Production info

Original Title

Zmatek

Czech Title

Zmatek

English Title

Confusion

Category

film

Typology

documentarynon-theatrical distribution

Genre

reportage

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1969

Production Year

1968—1969, 1990

Premiere

non-distribution premiere 27 August 1990 (televizní uvedení ČST 1)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Technical info

Duration typology

medium length film

Duration in minutes

35 min

Original length in metres

999 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech