Scenes from Narkoblues (1997)

Things have been going slowly on this blog. Unfortunately, I don't have that much time to devote to it at the moment, so posts will appear less frequently. Some things are on the way, but I don't know when I will get them out. I'd like to say that I'm feeling fine and hope you are too in these unpredictable circumstances.

Recently, thanks to a friend, I got to see Narco Blues (or Narkoblues, the title in Czech) for the first time. This film was made in aiF Studio in 1997 as, I believe, aiF's only completed one-shot puppet short film, not tied to character series. Directed by famed director Břetislav Pojar together with cameraman Ivan Vít, it was part of Rights from the Heart series, which highlighted different problems children face when their rights are violated. This film dealt with drugs - here is a synopsis from the NFB of Canada, which co-produced the film with aiF and Czech Television:

On summer vacation a young teenager finds himself hanging out alone on the streets of his neighbourhood, all his friends having gone to the country with their parents. Near his home he meets a disturbing character, a drug pusher looking for clients, who introduces him to an artificial paradise. The teenager discovers a seductive and terrifying world that frequently draws him back to his neighbour. To buy the drug, he empties his piggybank, pawns his favourite possessions and finally goes into his mother's purse where he finds her wallet empty. The pusher is unscrupulous. Unable to pay, the young teenager lets himself be persuaded into committing a theft. The duo is surprised by the police, but the boy manages to escape. The incident leads to a bad trip, which ultimately has a salutary effect on him. An animated film without words for twelve to seventeen year olds.

title card

Unfortunately, I cannot show you the film due to copyright constraints. You can, however, buy this copy from the NFB here. I thought that it would be fun to show some screenshots, though, as this film does have several things in common with Pat and Mat, namely many elements of the set decorations. It is always fun to see props from the series in entirely different contexts and they almost make the surroundings feel like some alternate universe.

The first shot shows a staircase, not unlike some seen in the Pat & Mat series.

We then get to see the apartment's kitchen, where the main character's mother is cooking food, in a scene animated by František Váša. Surprisingly, it's the modular kitchen set from 1979! Basically, it is the same set with a different wall and some additions, like the plug socket seen in such episodes as Parkety. As elements of the set ended up in different hands (some remained in the studio, others were taken by Marek Beneš), we will probably never see so many familiar elements lined up in one frame. 

The main character's room doesn't have much to do with Pat & Mat and finding props related to the series is not easy. A couple of them are books, which appeared in episodes like Trezor.

We get to see his friends waving goodbye... Wait, I recognize their luggage!

Boy is left all alone. He roams the street, which is, among other things, constructed from refurbished buildings seen in the series and features some familiar props lurking in the distance. This scene was animated by Alfons Mensdorff-Pouilly, who does most of the work in the film.

Here's the antagonist. He is definitely a shady guy, so I must wonder whether he mugged two handymen and stole this wooden box. It serves the bad guy for drug use instead of some better purpose, let's say, roof repairs or birdhouse construction.

Of course, this film also features imagery which would be complete out of place in Pat & Mat, like this shot of Boy on drug trip. I presume extensive work on these kinds of shots is what earned Ivan Vít a directorial credit on this film. It would be fun to see something as experimental in Pat & Mat as well and even something thematically related. Let's say the two try to make brownies but mess up the recipe and end up with hash brownies, then stumble around the house and break everything down... I'd pay to see it!

 

Some shots of the building in rain. No roof trouble this time.

I love the framing of this shot. It is not just pleasing to the eye, but solidifies our view of the drug pusher as a conniving, pitiful person.

Boy has good taste in music, which contrasts with the many posters on his walls. He has to sell the tapes to be able to buy more drugs.

His mother has no idea.

more out-of-the-Pat-and-Mat-world experiences

Here's a direct nod to our beloved series. Among his possessions, Boy also has a tape labelled PAT A MAT. Gotta be that 1994 aiF edition!

Boy sells most of his stuff to get high more and more. Among them are some unfamiliar items. Pat and Mat would probably find a much better use for them. Or not really...

Where's the old transistor radio? It worked well enough for decades.

I spot with my little eye...

... another prop from the series! The chair.

Antagonist brandishes familiar beer bottle in unfamiliar setting. These night scenes are most intriguing as regards the sets. Obviously, a lot of thought and care was put into them, which is quite surprising given the fact that some parts appear very briefly. Part of the set with the yellow backdrop ('restaurant') appears for a total of two seconds in the film. Maybe some kind of continuation was hoped for at the time.

Here is some more surreal imagery which eventually drives Boy to hospital.

At the end, things return to normal. It seems the drug pusher has sold off a certain cement mixer to get some more money. Abandoned by Boy, he is left agitated and alone, as he should be.

Instead of me enumerating them, here are snapshots of the credits. We can see that it is Vaclav Pokorný who we get to thank for the interesting sets and their arrangements. The rest of the Czech crew, bar Pojar and musician Jiří Chlumecký, all had something to do with the Pat & Mat series from the same studio. I hope you enjoyed this brief look into a film they made before Playing Cards and the subsequent mess.