My knowledge of Czechoslovakian film is rather slim since for the most part the local arthouses weren’t running Soviet Bloc movies on their big screens in the ’80s. Even the foreign film sections of video stores only represented the country with the early movies of Milos Foreman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest & Amadeus). Milos had fled to America after the dramatic end to Prague Spring. Turns out he Czechoslovakian film community was vibrant beyond Forman. The Golden Fern is a film that probably would have gone over well at the art house. Jiri Weiss created a colorful fairytale in lush black and white imagery.
Jura (Vit Olmer) lives deep in the woods by himself with his sheep. One day he goes deep into the wilderness and finds the Golden Fern. He swipes a magical frond and flees. The forest wants their frond back. They send the fairy Lesanka (Karla Chadimová) to track him down. Instead of retrieving the frond, the fairy falls in love with the man. Their relationship doesn’t last long when Jura finds himself being conscripted to join the army and fight the Turkish military. On his way out of town, Lesanka catches his wagon. She hands him a shirt and warns him to never talk it off. What he doesn’t know is that the shirt is made from a seed from the magic frond. He finally learns of the supernatural power in the fabric. After a battle, he notices a bullet hold in his outer coat and not a mark on his magical shirt. While he does have the fairy back home, Jura falls hard for the daughter of a commanding general (Daniela Smutná). She gives him a list of daredevil things to do to prove that he really loves him. But will her desires get in the way of him being a soldier? And what about the fairy back at his cabin. Will this screw up his magical shirt?
The Golden Fern is a beautiful fairytale film made for adults. Jiri Weiss is masterful in telling a story that sounds outlandish, but plays just right on the screen. You’ll want to see the Blu-ray on the biggest TV in the house. Bedrich Batka brings out the supernatural best in the woods, battlefields and bedrooms. Batka got out of Czechoslovakia and eventually shot Little Darlings with Kristy McNichol and Tatum O’Neal. He’s got two darlings to light and frame in the fairy and general’s daughter. Director and co-writer Jiri Weiss keeps The Golden Fern a rather quiet film, so a viewer can reflect on the visuals. It keeps the film in the atmosphere of a fairytale especially in the film when Jura sneaks into the Turkish camp. The Golden Fern is a joy of Czechoslovakian cinema that’s taken over 60 years to properly arrive in North America.
The Golden Fern is part of a quartet of Czechoslovakian films being released by Deaf Crocodile. The others are The Mysterious Castle In the Carpathians, Adela Has Not Had Supper and Prague Nights. While each is a separate release, together, the four films make an entertaining home film festival of what was being shot on the other side of the border.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The black and white looks as great as the story. The Audio is Czechoslovakian LPCM 1.0. You will cleanly hear a nightingale sing. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary by Irena Kovarova & Peter Hames has the two discuss the impact of the film. They also get into what was happening in the film industry the time The Golden Fern was in production.
Visual Essay (15:53) by Evan Chester digs into the long-neglected masterpiece. He gives the background on Jiri Weiss and his other films.
Interview with Jiri Weiss Jr (58:12) is a video call with Dennis Bartok. The son remembers his father. His grandparents were wealthy from owning a liquor company. He shares quite a few family stores including how dad dated Franz Kafka’s niece.
The Shines Over Luznici River (9:58) is a visual poem about the water way. This was directed by Jiri Weiss in 1936.
Song of Ruthenia (11:36) is another visual poem of the countryside. There’s a lot of nature shots to go with the narrator’s poem. This was directed by Jiri Weiss in 1937.
Ulipeni Ceskoslovenska (16:52) is from 1939 about what happened to the country when the Germans invaded. This was made for American audiences during the time that the USA hadn’t joined World War II. The footage in the film was brought to London when he escaped the Germans.
Deaf Crocodile presents The Golden Fern. Directed by Jirí Weiss. Screenplay by Jan Drda & Jirí Weiss. Starring Vít Olmer, Daniela Smutná, Karla Chadimová, Frantisek Smolík, Radoslav Brzobohatý, Zdenek Braunschläger, Cestmír Randa, Josef Bek, Otomar Krejca, Bohumil Svarc, Jorga Kotrbová & Jaroslav Vojta. Running Time: 111 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: March 11, 2025.
