Fruit of Paradise (Ovoce stromů rajských jíme)

Czechia, 1970. Director Věra Chytilová. 99min.

Following Daisies, Fruit of Paradise (1970) marks another acclaimed collaboration between director Věra Chytilová, costume designer Ester Krumbachová, and cinematographer Jaroslav Kučera. As highly stylised as its predecessor, the film reimagines the biblical Fall of Man as an allegory for Czechoslovakia’s loss of freedom after the Soviet invasion. Its visual approach – characterised by painterly compositions and vivid, contrasting hues – establishes a symbolic language that guides us through a poetic, elliptical narrative. The film continually dissolves the line between costume, body and nature, creating visually arresting sequences. The opening montage, a radical fusion of the naked body with the natural world, suggests that the photographic image itself can become a means of dressing and undressing. Composer Zdeněk Liška’s thunderous, wall-to-wall symphonic score further intensifies the film’s sensory and emotional resonance. 

Past screenings:

Grounded: Fashion’s Entanglements with Nature – UK Tour
Friday 5 September 2025, 18:00 | Watershed, Bristol