Oil Lamps [screening + Q&A]

A special screening of Oil Lamps, directed by Juraj Herz and based on Jaroslav Havlíček's novel, follows young Štěpa’s tragic pursuit of love. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with lead actress Iva Janžurová.

Oil Lamps / dir. Juraj Herz / 1971 / drama / Czechoslovakia / Czech with English subtitles / 101 minutes

In Oil Lamps (Petrolejové lampy), directed by Juraj Herz, we meet Štěpa Kiliánová, a woman who resists the social conventions of her time—and fate itself. This 1971 adaptation of Jaroslav Havlíček’s novel is a masterclass in psychological drama and a showcase of Iva Janžurová’s defining performance. Štěpa, spirited yet emotionally isolated, longs for love but remains tragically alone in her inner world.

Set in a meticulously crafted period environment, the film’s oppressive atmosphere heightens the tension between characters. Herz avoids sentimentality, emphasizing detail, symbolism, and visual metaphor. Janžurová’s Štěpa is impulsive, earthy, and fragile—often comical, never ridiculed—a tragic mirror of female desire, sacrifice, and disillusionment.

Oil Lamps reflects not only an unhappy woman’s story but also the decline of bourgeois society, the futility of escaping entrenched norms, and the loneliness inherent to the human condition. In 2024, its digitally restored version screened in the Revivals section at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, reaffirming the film’s enduring significance and timeless cinematic language.

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