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The Painted Bird Movie Storyline. Based on the acclaimed Jerzy Kozinski novel, The Painted Bird is a meticulous 35mm black and white evocation of wild, primitive Eastern Europe at the bloody close of World War II.
The Painted Bird follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother. The old woman soon dies and the Boy is on his own, wandering through the country-side, from village to village, farmhouse to farmhouse. As he struggles for survival, The Boy suffers through extraordinary brutality meted out by the ignorant, superstitious peasants and he witnesses the terrifying violence of the efficient, ruthless soldiers, both Russian and German.
In a defining scene, one of the peasants shows The Boy the flight of a captive bird, whom the man has painted and then released back into its own flock. The bird is immediately ripped apart because it is different from its fellows. That lesson reinforces all The Boy already knows and will soon know better: difference is fatal.
But there are rare moments of compassion: a German soldier spares The Boy, a priest intervenes on his behalf, and finally The Boy becomes the protégé of a Russian sniper, who is kind to the child, but ruthless with the enemy. And there are signs of love. The Boy is seduced by an older girl, finally re-discovering the comfort of intimacy, only to realize that he has been used.
When he is miraculously reunited with his weakened father at the end of the war, The Boy is cold and impenetrable, hardened by his ordeal. Yet we can still glimpse something of the old, sensitive Boy behind the eyes of the new. Perhaps there is hope.
The Painted Bird (Czech: Nabarvené Ptáče) is a 2019 internationally co-produced black-and-white war drama film written, directed and produced by Václav Marhoul. It is an adaptation of Jerzy Kosiński’s novel of the same name. It is the first film to feature the Interslavic language; Marhoul stated that he decided to use Interslavic so that no Slavic nation would nationally identify with the story.
The Painted Bird was selected to play in competition at the 76th Venice International Film Festival and was chosen for 2019 Toronto International Film Festival as part of Special Presentations. The film also screened in the Dare strand at the 63rd BFI London Film Festival.
It was selected as the Czech entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards making the December shortlist. Its brutal scenes led to walkouts from audiences at the Venice, Toronto and London film festivals. At the 35th Warsaw International Film Festival, the audience honored the film with a long ovation after its only screening.
The first trailer for the film was released on 28 July 2019. The film had its worldwide premiere at 76th Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2019. The film was first projected in Czech cinemas for journalists on 11 September 2019. It entered distribution for Czech cinemas on 12 September 2019. The film was originally scheduled to be released in May 2019. IFC Films became the distributor of the film for United States in October 2019. Premiere in the United States was set for 10 July 2020. Premiere in the United Kingdom was set for 27 March 2020.
The Painted Bird (2020)
Directed by: Václav Marhoul
Starring: Petr Kotlar, Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgård, Barry Pepper, Zdenek Pecha, Michaela Dolezalová, Udo Kier, Jitka Cvancarová, Marika Sarah Procházková, Marie Stripkova
Screenplay by: Václav Marhoul, Jerzy Kosinski
Production Design by: Jan Vlasák
Cinematography by: Vladimír Smutný
Film Editing by: Ludek Hudec
Costume Design by: Helena Rovna
Distributed by: IFC Films
Release Date: July 17, 2020
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