Visual Diary: The Feather Fairy/ Perinbaba (1985) Juraj Jakubisko

By Olivia Maria Hărşan

Giulietta Masina (Federico Fellini's wife) is the protagonist of Juraj Jakubisko's adaptation of the Brother's Grimm short story Mother Hulda, published in 1812. Giulietta is mesmerising as expected and the costumes, true to Czech perfection, are flawless.

Fashion in Film: Radoslav Brzobohatý

By Olivia Maria Hărşan

Radoslav was a Czech actor who appeared mostly in television roles and on stage. However, he delivered some important film roles contributing to the prominence of New Czech Cinema, particularly through his performance in Karel Kachyňa's The Ear/ Ucho (1970).

A balanced combination between the coarseness of tweed vest with the softness of a salmon silk shirt.

The texture and cut of Radoslav's jacket here calls for a perfect screen shot.

Fashion in photography is also about the setting and surroundings. In this still (taken from the film 'The Ear', Radoslav is framed perfectly in the corner of the tiled room. The white and black square tiles emphasises the angular nature of his 60's suit.

Another still from 'The Ear'. The layers in this still work interestingly, beginning with the drawers in the foreground and moving to Radoslav in the middle and the female briefs behind him.

Visual Diary: Time of the Gypsies/ Dom za vešanje (1988) Emir Kusturica

By Olivia Maria Hărşan


If you are not familiar with Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica's work then think again. Johnny Depp fans will have seen the film Arizona Dream (1993) - well this is a Kusturica film. I remember watching Arizona Dream years and years ago and thinking... what the hell? It is a quirky film that deals with this narrative technique of concocting a perfect dose of magic with realism. Kusturica has a knack for the whimsical at the same extent as say... Michel Gondry does kitsch so well. But it did not begin with Arizona Dream per se. This fine line between the imaginary and the real is noticed in Kusturica's earlier films such as Do You Remember Dolly Bell?/Sjećaš li se Dolly Bell (1982). And might I add it is a very 'in vogue' topic of discussion within cinematic critical inquiry today, whereupon the question of where we separate the unexplained and the supernatural from reality, is often posed. Time of the Gypsies uses such critical elements to explore the life of a teenage Romani boy and the hardships he encounters on his journey to adulthood via the otherworldly powers he possesses. 

Film Still of the Month: My Way Home/ Így jöttem (1965) Miklós Jancsó

By Olivia Maria Hărşan