Burning Bush

Director Agnieska Holland's ambitious three-part historical drama is set just after the tumultuous Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. The action begins when Jan Palach, one of the leaders of a group of radical anti-Communist students in Prague, sets himself on fire in Wenceslas Square in protest of the Soviet occupation's tightened chokehold on the nation. As local authorities learn that more students are willing to torch themselves for political reasons, pressure quickly builds to stamp out this student movement before any further incendiary incidents can occur. Enter beautiful defense attorney Dagmar Burešová (Tatiana Pauhofová), whose icy good looks and well-coiffed period modishness provide a stark visual contrast to the otherwise bleak, gray backdrop of Communist-era Prague. When she's not strutting around the city like a preening fashion model on a perpetual catwalk, she's pursuing a seemingly no-win legal case: Burešová has decided to represent the Palach family in a lawsuit designed to rescue the deceased radical Jan's reputation. Although a bit overlong, the HBO-aired Burning Bush is still a solid period piece from noted filmmaker Holland. Extras include a stills gallery. Recommended. (M. Sandlin)