The new film Talks with TGM: an interesting topic, but you may get bored after an hour
Martin Huba and Jan Budař in the main roles of the film Talks with TGM Talks dominate an 80-minute conversation between President Masaryk and the writer Čapek. The film is dedicated to the anniversary of the independence of Czechoslovakia and was created on the basis of a book of the same name which Čapek wrote based on interviews with Masaryk.
The conversation of two intelligent men is pleasant to listen to, but it is very hard to keep the viewer's attention.
An overwhelming script composed of political memories, views on democracy, experiences with love and lovers. The characters of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Karel Čapek are presented here as dignified, educated, clever, but also as sensitive people with human qualities.
Great acting performances
Well-prepared actors such as Jan Budař as Čapek and Martin Huba in the role of Masaryk add quality to the film. Huba can do magic with just his voice, and thanks to his acting skills, he elevates the film a few degrees higher. Unfortunately, the debuting director Jakub Červenka and experienced screenwriter Pavel Kosatík should have opted for short films for television, rather than for the cinema.
The plot in a nutshell
In Topoľčianky, the President is writing notes, Karel Čapek comes to him to say goodbye because he has to go and see his friend Olga Scheinpflugová, who had a minor accident. Shortly before the departure, Čapek and Masaryk spend a short while talking in the arbour before taking a walk in the surrounding hills. This is the entire plot of the film, based on the real book Talks with TGM. Unfortunately, despite the excellent camera by Jan Malíř, this film does not work as a full-length feature film.
The problem is that the film lacks any dramatic conflict, it's all about talking, so the vast majority of viewers will have a problem with Talks with TGM in the cinema.
Luxury Prague Life rating: 50 %
Talks with TGM (drama, CZ 2018, 80 min.)
Directed by: Jakub Červenka
Screenplay: Pavel Kosatík
Camera: Jan Malíř
Starring: Martin Huba, Jan Budař
