Capricious Summer

Capricious Summer (1968), directed by Jiří Menzel, is a charming and whimsical exploration of life, desire, and human idiosyncrasy. The film follows three middle-aged men - an officious major, a canon, and a bathing superintendent - whose languid summer routines are disrupted by the arrival of a circus performer and his captivating assistant. Set in the sunlit, verdant landscapes of rural Czechoslovakia, the story unfolds as a series of interwoven vignettes, each highlighting the characters’ quirks, unspoken longings, and the subtle humor of everyday interactions.

Menzel’s adaptation of Vladislav Vančura’s novella carefully preserves the text’s poetic fragmentation, translating it into a cinematic rhythm that balances leisurely observation with delicate narrative tension. The film immerses viewers in a world of gentle absurdity, where time drifts lazily and even mundane activities become subtly expressive gestures.

Following the international success of Closely Watched Trains, Menzel’s Capricious Summer arrived at the 21st Cannes Film Festival to compete for the Grand Prix. Its premiere was set against the politically charged backdrop of 1968 France, a moment of civil unrest and festival upheaval, yet the film maintained its light, meditative tone. Menzel’s work exemplifies the Czech New Wave’s signature blend of realism, playfulness, and human insight.

The film’s structure - over fifty short, interconnected scenes - demonstrates a meticulous compositional approach, using framing, pacing, and character positioning to guide the viewer through the physical and emotional spaces of the story. From Karlovy Vary to New York, Locarno, and later Australian festivals, the film’s reception showcased its international appeal and the resonance of Menzel’s idiosyncratic, character-driven vision.

Menzel collaborated closely with cinematographer Jaromír Šofr to craft the film’s visual language, emphasizing warm, dappled sunlight, unmanicured willows, and carefully staged interiors that mirror the natural rhythms of life. Every frame is infused with a sense of touch, color, and texture - the roughness of tree bark, the shimmer of river water, the intimacy of domestic spaces - creating a tactile, immersive experience. The characters move through these spaces with subtle grace, their gestures, glances, and interactions forming a choreography of human behavior that is both humorous and poignant.

Menzel’s filmmaking is unapologetically practical - he likened it to the craft of a joiner - but the result is a poetic realism that captures fleeting moods, the passing of summer days, and the quiet eccentricities of provincial life. In Capricious Summer, humor, beauty, and the everyday converge to create a timeless cinematic meditation on leisure, desire, and the delicate art of observation.