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Daisies Criterion Blu-ray Review

“Daisies” is a strange experimental film. 

In 1966’s “Daisies,” 2 young women both named Marie decide to act bad as the world itself has become a bad and broken place. With their new life philosophy, the 2 women eat massive amounts of food, drink wine, toy with old men, burn streamers, play with scissors, trash a banquet and generally become a public nuisance. 

Directed and co-written by Vera Chytilova (alongside writer Ester Krumbachova), “Daisies” is a pioneering film of Czech New Wave cinema and one of the most celebrated international films directed by a woman. It’s a trippy, surreal, and very experimental film that goes against the grain. If you’re the type of moviegoer who needs plot and a coherent structured story, “Daisies” might not be for you. It’s less concerned with traditional storytelling and more of a free flowing absurdist story about rebelling against conformity. Is it pretentious and tedious? Is the filmmaker too obsessed with apples? Is it a maddening look at understanding existence? Is there 60’s political context that may be lost on modern audiences? Perhaps, but there’s no denying it’s an original work that film fans have been analyzing for decades now.

Vera Chytilova’s direction is easily the most striking element here. The way the scenes change color or transition is wholly unique. Despite how one may feel about the film itself, it’s decidedly unlike anything else cinematically. 

The two lead stars Jitka Cerhova and Ivana Karbanova certainly commit to their respective parts. They’re all in on making Chytilova’s vision a reality as the depraved Maries.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.37:1 1080p. How does it look? An expectedly quality print with rich colors that shine in hi-def.

Audio Track: Czech Uncompressed Mono. How does it sound? A nice clean audio track that perfectly captures all the overly loud sound effects.

Extras:
* Commentary by film scholars Daniel Bird and Peter Hames.
* A restoration trailer.
* A newly recorded interview with film programmer Irena Kovarova about “Daisies” and the Czech New Wave.
* “Journey: Portrait Of Vera Chytilova”- A near hour-long 2004 documentary that sheds light into the life and times of the director.
* “Naughty Young People: Chytilova, Kucera and Krumbachova”- A 2012 documentary about the collaboration between director Vera Chytilova, cinematographer Jaroslav Kucera and writer Ester Krumbachova.
* 2 1962 short films by Vera Chytilova titled “A Bagful Of Fleas” and “Ceiling.”
* A booklet with credits, photos and an essay by critic and journalist Carmen Gray.

November 13, 2022 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | 60s Movie, Criterion Collection, Daisies Criterion Blu-ray Review, Vera Chytilova