collected writings

AUTUMN Spring ( Babí léto)

Death.

A scary word. It conjures feelings of sadness and cold darkness. Funeral arrangements, obituaries, death notices. Flowers left at graves of newly departed friends. Many an individual's last year, if still sentient, are spent making "arrangements," easing the transition for themselves and for loved ones.

But Frantisek (Fanda) Hána will have none of it. Despite the pleadings of his penny-pinching wife of fifty years, Fanda would rather engage in harmless cons with his best friend, bilking free lunches out of estate realtors and free kisses from unsuspecting young girls, than plan what attire he is to wear the moment he dies.

Fanda, a character written for aged Czech star Vlastimil Brodsky, knows he is only as young as he acts, and to be told to act his age when pushing 80 years old is like hearing his own death sentence.

Old age does make its presence known, despite youthful precautions. Fanda gives the wrong business card to one "victim" and a burly man comes knocking the next day, looking to have his expenses reimbursed, plus some. Everywhere Fanda goes he looses money hand over fist, giving it to strangers and friends, loosing it to thieves and other cons. Wherever he looks for money, he only looses more; not a problem for Fanda, only for his wife and son, who reduce life to death and taxes.

As life progresses so too do the constant reminders that one day, we all will die. Perhaps the constant reminders of death are worse than death itself. Fanda is dismayed to learn that his birthday gift is a family plot, purchased at a discounted price because he will be sharing his grave with its two current (deceased) residents.

Health and marital problems take their toll, and through the second half of the film there is no more life in Fanda's eyes than in those of the downstairs tenant, staring vacantly out the window every day. In the end, although it is clear that Fanda will never fully escape death, his humor and hope ensure that he will maintain his dignity to the very last. Perhaps, the harder we play, the longer we live.

This hope shines throughout "Babí léto" translated for English markets as "Autumn Spring," but perhaps more correctly as "Indian Summer," a modest struggle to extend meaningful life in the face of overwhelming odds. With thematic elements such as these, "Autumn Spring" could easily degenerate into sticky-sweet sentimentality; however, the incredible patience and subtle comic mannerisms of Brodsky give the film some dark humor and moments of sincere emotion.

Vlastimil Brodsky, best known to American audiences for his starring role in "Jacob the Liar," and well known to Eastern Europeans in dozens of roles, lends certain poignancy to this film's lead character. Brodsky was well on his way to being diagnosed with terminal sickness during the shooting of this film, (there is much debate whether he knew he was dying when filming this role) and thereafter fell ill and committed suicide several months after the film opened.

A dying actor (Brodsky) playing an actor (Fanda) trying not to die makes a seemingly light movie become infinitely more complex. "Autumn Spring" is to be seen by all those who fear death, those who wait for death, and those content to simply live life.