** boys clothing depictions in movies: Private Century








Private Century (Czechoslovakia, 2009)


Figure 1.-- One of the eight episodes, entitled “Small Russian Clouds of Smoke” follows the fortunes of the Popov family, who were Czarist Russian emigres to Czechoslovakia, having fled from the Bolshivek revolution. They never fully assimilated into Czech culture, failed to learn the language, and tried to maintain their Russian culture in a strange land. The family and their friends spent much of their time in a Bohemian summer resort, Kologeje, where some of of the most interesting footage was shot. Figure 1 shows a carousel where children in that town are having fun. Notice the boy in the foreground, about 12 years old, who is wearing a short-trousers suit with a Schiller collar and white long stockings. This episode dates from the early 1920s.

"Private Century" directed by Jan Sikl was released on DVD in 2009. It is a documentary seies of eight episodes, consisting of home-movie footage from 1920s through the 1960s. This gives us a "living history" of a very troubled period during which Czechoslovakia endured the two world wars and then occupation by the Nazis and finally the long Communist nightmare under Soviet domination. Under the Communists there were periods of relative easiness and hardship.  Each of the eight episodes follows the private events of one extended family through the years, and in doing so, chronicles the country history in personal terms during a large swatch of the 20th century. The film offers a rare chance to experience history through the stresses, tragedies, and comic elements of individual families and the varied but intimate lives of individuals. The result is moving and compelling. The very flexible chronology of the eight distinct episodes moves generally from the interim between the two World Wars through the Nazi and Communist take-overs afterwards. Ther families are relatively well off as most families during the period covered did not take home movies.

Filmology

"Private Century" directed by Jan Sikl was released on DVD in 2009.

Documentary

It is a documentary seies of eight episodes, consisting of home-movie footage from 1920s through the 1960s. This gives us a "living history" of a very troubled period during which Czechoslovakia endured the two world wars and then occupation by the Nazis and finally the long Communist nightmare under Soviet domination. Under the Communists there were periods of relative easiness and hardship. 

The Families

The families are not a cross respresentation of Czech families. The producers needed families with home movies. The families are relatively well off as most families during the period covered did not take home movies.

Home Movies

The photograhy of home movies, especially from earlier periods, is of course often amateurish and the quality of the images grainy, fuzzy, or indistinct. This actually adds to the authenticity.

Clothing

There is considerable inclusion of children and therefore valuable evidence of boys’ and girls’ dress in Czechoslovakia at different periods. As these are actual children and not costumed actors, we have a very accurate depiction of contemporary children's clothes.

Episodes

Each of the eight episodes follows the private events of one extended family through the years, and in doing so, chronicles the country history in personal terms during a large swatch of the 20th century. The film offers a rare chance to experience history through the stresses, tragedies, and comic elements of individual families and the varied but intimate lives of individuals. The result is moving and compelling. The very flexible chronology of the eight distinct episodes moves generally from the interim between the two World Wars through the Nazi and Communist take-overs afterwards







HBC






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Created: 6:31 AM 10/1/2009
Last updated: 6:32 AM 10/1/2009