Citizen Václav Havel Goes on Vacation

Father and son filmmakers Jan and Adam Novak's documentary Citizen Václav Havel Goes on Vacation recreates an astonishing chapter from the waning days of Soviet-controlled Czechoslovakia. In 1985, the playwright and activist Václav Havel tested the limits of free speech in his none-too-free homeland by taking an extended auto trip across Czechoslovakia to meet with fellow dissidents and opponents of the Communist government. Havel's journey was hardly a secret and the government response (he was constantly followed by three cars full of agents) created a scenario that was equally rich in absurdity and thuggish actions. Combining recreated vignettes with new interviews of witnesses (both dissidents and the no-longer-secret police), the film offers a wonderfully warped reminder of the worst elements of the Soviet bloc. By openly challenging policies of government surveillance, Havel exposed the Czechoslovakian leadership's paranoia. Havel, of course, became president of Czechoslovakia after the Iron Curtain collapsed and then became president of the Czech Republic when the country itself divided in half. DVD extras include a booklet with notes by the filmmakers. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)