Chytilova Vs Forman - Consciousness of Continuity (Chytilov, 1981)

An intellectual match between two dramatically different artists, one permanently unsure and frustrated and questioning everything, the other an astonishing storyteller perfectly at peace, unacquainted with introspection and reliant on intuition. “Who made the right decision? The filmmakers who opted for the Hollywood system, or those who stayed in Czechoslovakia? That is the opening question of “Chytilova Versus Forman,“ a documentary shot “unofficially“ while Chytilova was on a visit to London and New York, where Forman was shooting his 1981 film “Ragtime.“ It was also shot very informally, with Chytilova barraging Forman with questions in French, and Forman fielding them in English. As documentaries about films go, this is an odd one, a cross between Forman at work and Forman at thought. The private Forman is much more interesting.“