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Capricious Summer

Play trailer Poster for Capricious Summer 1968 1h 15m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Antonin (Rudolf Hrusínský) and his aging buddies, one a former military man and the other a priest, are trying to unwind during their summer vacation at a resort. Those plans are jettisoned, however, when a circus performer arrives at the retreat, along with his young and attractive assistant, and sets up shop by entertaining the guests with magic and big-top events. What first seems a bother to Antonin and his friends soon starts awakening memories of their own youth.

Critics Reviews

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Renata Adler New York Times 01/09/2018
It's a big improvement over the thinly disguised industrial films that so often are used as short subjects in local movie houses. Go to Full Review Nathanael Hood Unseen Films 05/24/2020
7/10
The kind of cinematic world you'd love to crawl into. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 12/03/2019
C+
It's boring, has little to say of value and its main characters are dullards. Go to Full Review Daniel Barnes Dare Daniel 07/18/2019
3.5/5
Menzel shows a knack for creating magical sequences and changing tones on a dime. Capricious Summer alternates from the lyrical to the ridiculous and back again. It's as moody and unpredictable as bad weather or the human heart. Go to Full Review Penelope Houston The Spectator 06/18/2019
A slight film, often funny, faithful to its oblique and muted insights. Go to Full Review Manny Farber Artforum 06/18/2019
This rerun of dozed-off acting, Renoir color, and Bergman soupy philosophy winds up with the notion that a circus invariably leaves whistle-stop town sadder and wiser than it was in the first reel. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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s r @ScottR 03/02/2020 Some timeless cultural gems here. It wasn't quite complete though with some plot distractions. Overall I enjoyed it. See more 05/20/2017 Charming, hilarious film directed by Jiri Menzel. See more 07/03/2014 Being the first <b>light</b> disappointment I have with this cinema trend, <i>Capricious Summer</i> is an extremely simple story consisting more in anecdotes than in a real plot by Jirí Menzel which, if it wasn't for its use of Eastmancolor, could be easily confused with one of his earliest films instead of being "post-<i>Closely-Watched-Trains</i>". Is it completely devoid of all characteristic trademarks? Fortunately, it isn't. Random banal philosophizing and some irreverent playfulness make this film worth watching for avid followers of the Czech New Wave, which is not significantly representative of its revolutionary implications, but yet has Menzel's exploratory sexual component as its ingredient with some ironic remarks made during the final scenes of the ending. 73/100 See more 12/03/2013 based on a novel by Ladislav Van?ura See more 07/20/2012 Classical novel Rozmarne leto by Vladislav Vancura transformed into this charming film that became classical too. See more 07/20/2012 stupid european wine and cheese movie. nonetheless, menzel's breezy characters and near late 19th century romanticism lends a certain old world charm. solid movie watching experience. do not recommend to anyone hoping to get an erection. See more Read all reviews
Capricious Summer

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Cast & Crew

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Jirí Menzel

Director

Rudolf Hrusínský

Antonín Dura

Mila Myslikova

Katerina Durová

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Capricious Summer

Capricious Summer (1968) Capricious Summer (1968) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Antonin (Rudolf Hrusínský) and his aging buddies, one a former military man and the other a priest, are trying to unwind during their summer vacation at a resort. Those plans are jettisoned, however, when a circus performer arrives at the retreat, along with his young and attractive assistant, and sets up shop by entertaining the guests with magic and big-top events. What first seems a bother to Antonin and his friends soon starts awakening memories of their own youth.
Director
Jirí Menzel
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
Czech
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 24, 1968, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 28, 2006
Runtime
1h 15m