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Gala Opening: Ecstasy (12A*)

Made in Prague Festival

Two characters sit in a field and look at a flower together in a still from Ecstasy

Join us for a special screening of the digital restoration in 4K of Gustav Machatý’s 1933 defiant masterpiece: the UK premiere of this cult classic film, introduced by the Silk Street Soloists. 

Ecstasy follows the newlywed Eva experiences her first infatuation: not with her elderly husband Emil, but with Adam, a young engineer. Against this simple story, Machatý, together with cinematographer Jan Stallich, unfolds an extravagant visual feast of passion and human labour, rich in symbolism that is accompanied by music of one of the most sought-after film composers of the time, Giuseppe Becce.

Thanks to her involvement, Hedy Kiesler, an emerging actress cast in the role of Eva, would go on to become the Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr. Fascinatingly, Ecstasy was made in Czech, German and French versions, each with a slightly different cast; we show the Czech version. 

Finan Jones conducts the Silk Street Soloists, who introduce the film with a newly commissioned overture by Anna Vöröšová, based on the original score by Giuseppe Becce.

Tagged with: Cinema

Czechoslovakia 1933 Dir Gustav Machatý 90 min

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