Its shocking scenes had traumatised critics fighting for the exits. Yet those who stayed were moved by its portrayal of human evil – which director Václav Marhoul says is all too real
It is not often a three-hour, black-and-white Czech film makes headlines in the
British tabloids, but The Painted Bird earned that dubious honour last year. “Sickened film-goers brawl to escape premiere of
Holocaust epic Painted Bird featuring brutal scenes of incest, rape and mutilation,” screamed the Sun. It forgot to mention the bestiality, but others didn’t. The Daily Mail described the film as “a panoply of depravity”. The Guardian reported viewers falling over each other as they rushed for the exits during the first public screening at the Venice film festival. The scene in which a man’s eyes are gouged out with a spoon was a tipping point for many.
Speaking from his study in Prague, director Václav Marhoul recalls those moments with bemusement and exasperation. “In the first screening in Venice, it was 1,500 people and a maximum of 70 walked out,” he says. “That means that 1,430 people stayed. And the next day, from 1,200 people, maybe five left. And then journalists are writing about this massive walkout. I don’t understand it. It’s crazy!”