To the modern eye, the 1966 film Daisies appears to be feminine foody nonsense devoid of any plot or nuance. However, from the perspective of Soviet officials, it was a direct attack against their society and communist regime. Largely considered one of the first Czech explorations into New Wave cinema, the film features its under-clothed dual protagonists, Marie I and Marie II, annoying and tricking men so they can eat more food. The way in which these women simply look and act is what led to the film’s censorship, as it went against Soviet ideals of what a woman should be. They were not subservient to a man, nor were they dainty and delicate. They were glutinous and bold, cunning and independent.
The political defiance shown in this film is executed through the sheer silliness of the events in the film. An especially controversial scene comes towards the end, where the Maries are razing an elaborately laid out feast, devouring each item and engaging in a food fight. Soviet officials were enraged by the depiction of wasting food, which led to the film’s banning in 1968. Once the ban on the film was uplifted, the phrase “This film is dedicated to all those whose sole source of indignation is a trampled-on trifle” was pasted on the screen at the end scene, showing the resentment the director, Vera Chytilova, felt at how the regime was more inclined to censor than it was to help it’s own people. Though the film seems to celebrate the Maries gluttony, their sudden death from a falling chandelier shows how their rebellious outlook on life is not sustainable. By suffering from the consequences of their own absurdity, since they were shown swinging on the chandelier before, the Maries demonstrate how an unproductive and destructive life is not the solution to the stagnant, laborious life under communist rule.
Chytilova continued her work as a film maker, even after the ban was placed on Daisies. Her later works, such as Fruit of Paradise (1970) and The Very Late Afternoon of a Faun (1983), continue her signature social rebellion. Many other New Wave directors of this time period who got their works banned would leave their country, however she chose to stay in Czechoslovakia and carry on with her work as a film maker, though in the form of commercials rather than feature-length films. Today, she goes down in film history as a remarkable dissenting and feminist director, though she would refuse to label herself as the latter.
Sources:
“Daisies.” [FILMGRAB].
Gauci, Ella. “Vera Chytilova’s Daisies: The Rebellion of Food Fights and Fashion.” Norman Rea Gallery.
Gray, Carmen. “Daisies: Giggling Generals; One and Two.” The Criterion Collection.
