Diamonds of the Night
From Sun 08 to Wed 11 SepThe debut feature from Jan Němec (director of The Party and the Guests, recently voted by New York Critics as one of the best films of the 60’s), Diamonds of the Night is one of the most thrilling and startlingly original works of cinema. Told almost without dialogue, it chronicles the tense and desperate journey of two teenage boys who are trying to stay alive after escaping from a German train bound for a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. With its virtuoso cinematography, inspired editing, and brilliantly utilised soundtrack, the film is a landmark of the Czech New Wave. Its themes of man’s perpetual struggle to preserve human dignity in the face of unimaginable horrors are just as relevant today.
Introduction
The Screening on 8 September will be introduced by Peter Hames, author of Czech and Slovak Cinema: Theme and Tradition (Edinburgh University Press, 2010)
About Peter Hames
Peter Hames is author of The Czechoslovak New Wave and editor of The Cinema of Central Europe and The Cinema of Jan Švankmajer. He has collaborated on many Blu -ray releases with Second Run and has curated and co-organised film seasons at BFI Southbank and Riverside Studios. He has also served on film juries in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Russia.
