Smoke: The Newly Restored Cult Musical Now on Blu-ray

A peculiar musical about peculiar times – this is how the film Smoke (Kouř), now available in a newly restored version on Blu-ray, can be succinctly described. This cult classic, subtitled "The Rhythmic of the Totalitarian Age," tells the story of a young engineer named Mirek, who arrives at his new workplace with a bizarre and incomprehensible attitude – he wants to work diligently and honestly. In a world governed by bureaucracy and senseless rules, this approach causes quite a stir and unintentionally sets off a chain of events that leads to open rebellion.  After his feature debut Pražská pětka (1988), director Tomáš Vorel once again chose a satirical subject for Smoke, based on his 1985 student film ING. Together with co-writer and lyricist Lumír Tuček from the Recitation Group Vpřed, Vorel created a film that has become a cult classic, thanks to its distinctive poetic style reminiscent of the Sklep Theatre. This style blends the serious with the absurd, irony with admiration, reality with bizarreness, and fact with fiction, giving the film an unmistakable character.  The production of Smoke began in January 1990, shortly after the fall of the communist regime, and the film premiered in February 1991. Although it didn’t initially attract much attention in theaters, over time, it found its audience and became a timeless phenomenon. Smoke is celebrated for its unique humor, unconventional approach to the musical genre, and its skeptical view of the revolution, which, while bringing change, also left many old structures intact.  This film had enormous potential to become a cult classic, and eventually, it did – albeit gradually. Smoke offers a fascinating perspective on life, work, and entertainment during communism, and its absurdity and exaggeration feel surprisingly authentic. Vorel’s visual style adds a unique atmosphere to the film, making it one of a kind. And, of course, the moment when Arnošt arrives with his disco marks a turning point in the narrative.  Now, you can enjoy this exceptional film in its newly restored quality on Blu-ray and immerse yourself once again in a world where the serious becomes unserious, and the absurd world of totalitarianism comes to life in the rhythm of an extraordinary musical.