Not every Czech Christmas story is a fairy tale. And yes, we know it is August. But when a film like this arrives on DVD for the very first time, it simply cannot wait until December.
Christmas with Elizabeth (Vánoce s Alžbětou, 1968) was directed by Karel Kachyňa and written together with his lifelong creative partner Jan Procházka. It is an intimate black and white drama set far away from castles and princesses: in the cab of a delivery truck, on snowy roads between small village shops.
Elizabeth, twenty-one years old, has just been released from a correctional facility on parole and starts working as a driver's assistant. Hubert, a reserved driver in his fifties, lives alone, sticks to his routines and keeps the world at a safe distance. She respects no authority and shatters his carefully built order from day one. At first they cannot stand each other. He sees her as nothing but trouble, she sees him as a bitter old man. But long hours on the road do their quiet work, and two outsiders who never learned to show their feelings slowly find a common language. All of this happens during Advent, with an undecorated tree and a lonely Christmas Eve dinner that give the story its tender, wintry melancholy.
Vlado Müller is magnificent as Hubert. One of the most distinctive faces of Czechoslovak cinema, he delivers dry, precise dialogue that viewers on ČSFD still praise today. And Pavla Kárníková as Elizabeth is a small miracle: this was the only film role of her entire life, and it is exactly that raw, unpolished freshness that makes her Elizabeth so unforgettable. One moment she amuses you, the next you cannot stand her, and by the end you care about both of them more than you expected.
The duo of Kachyňa and Procházka belongs to the very best of Czech cinema. The same creative partnership gave us the famous drama The Ear and the film The Hope, which tells the story of other social outcasts with the same warm humanity. Christmas with Elizabeth fits beautifully into this line: no judgement, just attentive, compassionate storytelling about people on the margins.
A few behind-the-scenes details: the film was shot in the Příbram region of Central Bohemia, the wedding scene was filmed at a farmstead in Přední Poříčí, and the correctional facility scenes were shot at Hořovice Castle. Czech viewers on ČSFD rate the film 77% today.
This DVD edition is special for two reasons. The film has never been released on disc before, and it comes with English subtitles alongside the original Czech audio, so you can finally share this quiet Christmas gem with friends and family who do not speak Czech. (PAL format, region 2, US customers will need a multi-region player.)
And why are we writing about Christmas in August? Collectors know the answer: the best titles disappear first, and overseas shipping takes time. If you want a true treasure under the tree this year, now is the moment.
🎬 Get Christmas with Elizabeth on DVD here
👉 Fan of Karel Kachyňa? Discover his legendary drama The Ear, the moving The Hope or the thriller King of the Sumava.
