Loves of a Blonde

Set in a small factory town where the ratio of girls to boys is 16-to-1, Milos Forman's first Oscar-nominated film--1965's Loves of a Blonde--follows the romantic misadventures of Andula (Hana Brejchová), who escapes a social-mixer-from-hell (where middle-aged balding military reservists are just about the only pickins' stud-muffin-wise for the hordes of young factory girls), only to end up in the arms of a sweet-talking itinerant band member, who beds her and then offhandedly invites her to visit him at home sometime. Not quite understanding the emptiness of the offer, Andula packs her suitcase and heads for the home of her new boy toy--where she is greeted by the lad's quite skeptical mother (a hilarious turn by Milada Jezková, a non-actress whom Forman met on a streetcar). One of the signature films of the Czech New Wave, Loves of a Blonde holds up quite well as a bittersweet romantic comedic romp, and thanks to a characteristically pristine Criterion mastering, the DVD looks and sounds great. As an added bonus, the disc includes a deleted scene and an enlightening 15-minute interview with Forman (in a great line, Forman says that he doesn't like to give scripts to non-actors before shooting, otherwise "their wives start directing the movie"). Definitely recommended. (R. Pitman)