Varo vasentasi

Zdeněk Troška should watch this ten-minute film at least twenty times to see how a well-crafted slapstick can be created in a minimal space. The endless efforts of the boxer, portrayed flawlessly by Jacques Tati, who learns the rules and basic tricks of this punching sport (quite literally) on the go, evoke the loudest bursts of laughter that the audience doesn't need to be ashamed of. And if director Troška did in fact see this little film, he must have misunderstood it. However, there is one thing that bothers me about this short, and that is the words. I can't help but think that if the film eliminated even the minimal expressions that appear in it, it would have been even better. It may not be quite like a Chaplin (from whom the creators were clearly inspired) film, but it still deserves a full rating because I was royally entertained by it. (12.06.2005)