Czech ex-president, Vaclav Havel, directed his first feature film, Leaving, centered on his 2008 play of the same name.
Based on his celebrated 2008 play, Leaving, the movie is a seriocomically look at imagined Vilem Rieger, a foremost politician in exile, and stars a virtual elite of the Czech first credited actors including Josef Abrham, Jiri Machacek, Pavel Landovsky, Marian Labuda and Havel’s wife, actress Dagmar Havlova has a starring role in the film, playing the retiring chancellor’s companion.
The Bonton Films release opens this week in the Czech Republic and the film’s producer Jaroslav Boucek told journalists Havel hoped to attend the official premiere on March 22 before Leaving hits theaters across the Czech Republic two days later.
The synopsis is based on a play written by Havel after he ended his 14 years as president in 2003. It follows the story of Vilem Rieger, a chancellor who, as he prepares to leave power, sees his world collapse along with betrayal and a fatal confrontation with his dishonest successor, Vlastik Klein.
Ex-president Havel spoke exclusively to Variety about the close-to-home subject matter of the project and his experience as a first-time filmmaker. He discloses to having been inspired by Shakespeare’s King Lear and Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard for the play, which was first staged in 2008.
Previously at the theatrical premiere of Leaving, Havel said he had also been inspired by the fate of certain communist “apparatchiks” who had been deprived of their posts.
Early reviews however, suggest the film will not meet with undisputed critical acclaim. The eminent Czech critic Tereza Spacilova with the iDnes daily wrote of the film:
President Havel is a personality, citizen Havel is a personality, playwright Havel is a personality but film director Havel is just a beginner. But a promising one.”
Take a first look at Leaving, newcomer Václav Havel film trailer. [Source: Variety]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvkYfXQU41o[/youtube]
