Three older men who spend the lazy summer days lounging at a lake find their lives changed when a magician shows up with a beautiful young assistant in 1968's Capricious Summer (Rozmarné léto). With its lightly ironic humour and contemplative cinematography, this is a movie perfectly suited to a drowsy summer day.
Antonin (Rudolf Hrušínský) presents himself as the owner of the "bathhouse" which really seems to be just a lake with a dilapidated shack. His two friends are the "Major" (Vlastimil Brodsky) and the "Canon" (František Řehák). They drink wine, they swim, they squabble over minor matters. Then a young man appears called Arnostek, played by the film's director, Jiří Menzel, who, with apparently real skill, walks across a pole bridging a length of water between the shore and the shack. He invites the men to a show where the real main attraction turns out to be the magician's assistant, Anna (Jana Preissova).
Antonin immediately sets to work seducing her, heedless of the watchful eyes of his wife. Hrušínský's deadpan performance is delightful. When he brings the young woman back to the shack in secret, he massages her feet, steps back, and flexes his hands. There's a jump cut, dawn breaks, and we find he is still massaging her feet and flexing his hands thoughtfully. He may not know what he plans to do next but his face retains an air of utmost authority.
Capricious Summer is available on The Criterion Channel.
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