The Bohemian
by Christie Robb
A sumptuous candlelit romp through 17th century Europe, The Bohemian will reward those already familiar with the classical opera and life story of Czech composer Josef Mysliveček, but may leave the uninitiated a little lost.
Writer/director Petr Václav (Skokan) begins near the end. Mysliveček (Vojtěch Dyk) is at a pawn shop, trying to scrape together funds. He’s turning his sword in, so you know things are bad. He’s wearing a mask to disguise a face disfigured by syphilis, the wages earned by a life of hedonism in an age before antibiotics.
From there it’s a series of flashbacks following a young unknown Josef as he nurtures his talents, meets the right people, has love affairs, contracts a devastating STI and is generally completely upstaged by a child prodigy (Mozart, duh).
The movie contrasts the ethereal beauty of the music with the ugliness of the society that gave rise to it. Art patrons are presented as morally degenerate, uneducated, often violent monsters. The artists (and pretty much every female character) are at their mercy.
The story flashes back and forth, not spending much time on any particular character. The outfits are ornate, the hair and makeup so spectacular that it makes it a bit difficult to follow who is who throughout the film, especially if you aren’t particularly familiar with the era.
Visually and aurally, it’s an outstanding film. Many actors do their own vocal work, Simona Saturova dubs in for the film’s prima donna La Gabrielli. But, it lacks a strong narrative through line and the necessary historical exposition that would make this operatic biopic really sing.
