The Joke (Czech: Žert) is a 1969 Czechoslovakian film by director Jaromil Jireš. It is considered one of the last films of the Czech New Wave movement.
Based on Milan Kundera's novel of the same name, The Joke tells the story of Ludvík Jahn, a man expelled from the Czechoslovakian Communist Party for an idle joke to his girlfriend, and the revenge he later seeks through adultery. The film was produced during the political liberalization of the 1968 Prague Spring and contains many scenes which satirize and criticize the country's communist leadership. Amos Vogel wrote that the film was "possibly the most shattering indictment of totalitarianism to come out of a Communist country".
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^ Michael Koresky. "Eclipse Series 32: Pearls of the Czech New Wave". The Criterion Collection. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.Synopsis
The scientist Ludvík Jahn returns to his hometown after two decades away. He is interviewed by Helena, an attractive older woman whom he begins to seduce. Jahn then discovers Helena is married to Pavel, an old rival.
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