Bethlehem Light

Je n’avais lu aucune critique et avais juste remarqué que les évaluations n’étaient aucunement élogieuses. Compte tenu de ma vision plutôt mitigée de l'œuvre de Jan Svěrák, que je n’adore pas, je suis retourné au cinéma après une longue période sans me faire aucune illusion. Je comprends la perplexité, les sentiments contradictoires et la confusion. J'ai aimé le thème de base, un thème qui devrait plaire aux amateurs et amatrices de livres. Malheureusement, seuls le segment narratif de base et celui avec Kotek et Voříšková m'ont intéressé et diverti ; je n'ai pas du tout compris celui avec Vetchý et n'ai aimé le segment narratif de Javorský que dans le final, lequel parachève tout le reste et fait honneur au titre du film. Les rôles féminins se démarquent grâce au jeu brillant de Kolářová et de Voříšková, bien que Javorský ait sa place dans tous les films dans lesquels il joue. Dans l'ensemble, je le note entre trois et quatre étoiles et pour aujourd'hui, je pense que trois est la bonne tapée. Et le meilleur, c'est bien sûr l'affiche avec Voříšková et le fer à repasser, qui est magnifique et inventive. Aujourd'hui, ma copine et moi avons acheté un nouveau fer à repasser, donc on va pouvoir prendre ce genre de photos nous aussi ! :-) (20/03/2022)

Une « comédie » non maîtrisée sur le plan dramaturgique, où l’on attend vainement les moments drôles et qui nous désespère tant elle est pathétique. Jusqu’à récemment (avec Tři bratři), ce sont des mots que je n’aurais pas imaginé associer au duo Svěrák & Svěrák. Et au moment où, à la LFŠ d’Uherské Hradiště (Letní filmová škola – École de cinéma d’été) de cette année, quelqu'un s'est levé dix minutes avant la fin et a crié les mots « Quelle merde ! » sur une place entièrement remplie de gens, la chose à faire n’était pas de hocher gentiment la tête en signe d'approbation, mais bien d'applaudir ! [LFŠ 2022] (27/08/2022)

Bethlehem Night is a truly remarkable and to some extent original piece of Czech comedy, but it left me with mixed feelings after the screening. On the one hand, I appreciate the theme and the script full of funny lines, but on the other, something didn't feel right at times while watching it. I was surprised by how many familiar faces appear (sometimes only for a while), but the whole film stands above all on the Zdeněk Svěrák-Daniela Kolářová duo, who once again succeeded in portraying a married couple, this time at a more advanced age. The rest of the cast was about as fleshed out and underdeveloped as their characters. I was also a bit bothered by the loud religious tones – I know what the film is called, but less is sometimes more. Bethlehem Night doesn't outright offend, nor does it bore, but it doesn't impress either – a subtle flame that had the potential to shine more. (11/03/2022)

Although I don't completely agree with Zdeněk Svěrák in many aspects, I understand his humor perfectly and enjoy it very much. In movies based on his scripts, you get humor which makes you both laugh and contemplate, and which is always accompanied by a huge dose of humanity. As a lifelong cynic, this should put me off, but the opposite is true. Honestly, Betlémské světlo did not rank among the best that I have seen from the Svěrák & Svěrák company, so I limited myself to just three stars. The idea itself was not bad at all, but I wasn't happy about the execution. The alternating groups of characters from individual stories kept fragmenting the plot for me, so I could never fully immerse myself in it. Throughout the whole time, I was all too aware that I was just watching moving pictures instead of being drawn into it. You get what I mean, right? Despite these remarks, I think the film is above-average as far as Czech films go (and average in terms of Svěrák's films). It not only provided me with a portion of quality humor but also with a pleasant atmosphere (typical for Zdeněk Svěrák). Zdeněk Svěrák is probably the only screenwriter who can make me laugh even with product placement. / Lesson learned: If you are a scout and are sent for the Bethlehem light, make sure to pack matches or a lighter. (28/06/2023)

Bethlehem Night reflects the contemporary short story work of Zdeněk Svěrák. For those familiar with his most recent work, the film is not as big a surprise as it is for others who wish the Svěrák & Svěrák brand would keep delivering the same pleasing (even cuddly) experiences. This time we follow something similar to the structure of Three Brothers, but in the adult genre. The Svěráks decided to explore the quirky world of the author and his literary characters. The spice is the deepening relationship with his wife in the late stages of retirement and the point is the defense against the fear of death. The general public has made it clear to the Svěráks that they find this kind of thing explicitly unpleasant and would prefer the traditional caress. For me, Bethlehem Night in particular is one of the last films to be hurt by the Covid measures. And since no miracle happened even in summer movie theaters, the situation was saved only by DVD and VOD. (28/09/2022)