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The Ear

Play trailer Poster for The Ear Released Mar 23, 1991 1h 35m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Government bureaucrat Ludvik (Radoslav Brzobohatý) becomes suspicious after several colleagues disappear and he overhears something strange at a cocktail party. Returning home with his wife, Anna (Jirina Bohdalova), he finds their house under surveillance and spends a fraught night worrying about his possible arrest in the morning. Marital difficulties come to light as Ludvik and his wife attempt to act normal in front of the cameras while dredging up their problems out of sight.

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia A darkly comedic meditation of the nature of fear. Aug 26, 2019 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Haunting Orwellian film about life in Czechoslovakia under the Russians. Rated: B+ Jan 5, 2017 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...Stephen Sachs - working from his eponymous play - slowly but surely manages to infuse the proceedings with a surprisingly even-handed sensibility. Rated: 2.5/4 Jun 18, 2008 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 4/5 May 21, 2005 Full Review Sean Axmaker Seattle Post-Intelligencer There's not a more acerbic, scathing or compelling critique of the Communist regime. Rated: A May 20, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (16) audience reviews
s r 1001 movies to see before you die. An excellent movie showing a plausible big brother communist monitoring plot based around a family's night out and how events unfold over the next twelve hours or so. The build up of even high ranking officials being put under surveillance and how coups within the system affect things is brilliant. Then to juxtapose the formalities of government with home life bringing focus back on his wife's actions and the listening devices is powerful. This could be remade into another excellent film. It was on a Polish website CRN. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member good cold war thriller Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member 7.7/10, my review: http://wp.me/p1eXom-2Er Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member In a world where communism is really a threat to people's privacy, suspicion can drive you mad. Not only are you endlessly going over all your interactions with everyone you know, but you'll start to suspect those closest to you as well. This can build to a crescendo, until you actually find that you are being listened to. The lighting early on in this film is a great technique to build the suspense, which just adds to the insanity of communism. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member After spending the evening at a government function, Ludvik, a communist official, and his wife arrive home to learn that a few of Ludvik's comrades have been "relieved" of their position. Ludvik and his wife fear that he could be next and begin to believe that their home is bugged and the government is out to get him next. "The Ear' is a admirable look into fear and paranoia as this couple spends almost the entiere film entrenched in their home waiting for what they fear is the inevitable. Even at the end of the film when things appear to be resolved, the characters are still left with this sense of unease and fear of their government and leadership. The film succeeds at giving the viewer a glimpse into these characters emotions as it structually goes back and forth between the two of them at their house, and their recollection of what happened during the government function, as they try to piece things together. As this fear and paranoia escalates the couple's relationship begins to deteriorate more and more as they fight among themselves. This is a great time capsule which does a wonderful job at capturing the fear and paranoia associated with the communist regime. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member A hullaà (C)getÅ' után ebben a fà (C)là (C)vben már ez a 2. csehszlovák film, amitÅ'l totál transzba estem. Paranoia, egy házasság válságban à (C)s a mindent halló fà 1/4l. KötelezÅ'. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Ear

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Government bureaucrat Ludvik (Radoslav Brzobohatý) becomes suspicious after several colleagues disappear and he overhears something strange at a cocktail party. Returning home with his wife, Anna (Jirina Bohdalova), he finds their house under surveillance and spends a fraught night worrying about his possible arrest in the morning. Marital difficulties come to light as Ludvik and his wife attempt to act normal in front of the cameras while dredging up their problems out of sight.
Director
Karel Kachyna
Producer
Karel Vejrík
Screenwriter
Jan Procházka, Ladislav Winkelhöfer, Karel Kachyna
Distributor
International Film Exchange Ltd.
Production Co
Filmové studio Barrandov
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Czech
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 23, 1991, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 16, 2016
Runtime
1h 35m