For Vera Chytilova, documentary and fiction were two equally adventurous processes. 'Something Different (1963)' follows two women - one strand as a documentary of a real-life Olympic gymnast in training, whilst the second is the fiction of a discontented housewife. In 'A Bagful of Fleas (1962)', young factory girls defying imposed rules are played by non-professionals and the film shot in a free-wheeling cinema verite style. These two terrific early works introduce themes evident across Chytilova's career: a female viewpoint in a world dominated by men, and a strong critique of her society. Combining formalism with anarchy and spiked with rebellious humour, her films broke strictures of genre and ideology to chart a new path for Czech cinema.
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