"A well-deserved 2003 Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film." Ruthe Stein SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "At the heart of this film is a moving love story (the kind that romance novelists dream about) - a marriage of convenience that grows into something substantial and honest." Cherryl and Leigh Ann THEMOVIECHICKS.COM "Humble, heartwarming storytelling with good acting and lush visuals." Janice Page BOSTON GLOBE "The story is as basic as a peasant meal -- and just as hearty." Carrie Rickey PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "It is a film of deep feeling, survival and sacrifice that's well acted and brought to the screen with style." Larry Ratliff SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

"Mr Trojan has succeeded in his objective by surmounting the horrors of a real-life time and place with a romantic dramatization of great love flowering on dangerous soil." Andrew Sarris NEW YORK OBSERVER "By the time it's over you find yourself wondering why more films don't have the chutzpah to delve deeper into the battle-weary heart." Marc Savlov AUSTIN CHRONICLE "Stunning." E! ONLINE "Here's a film that manages to tell its tale without pandering, without cheap melodrama, without gimmicks and without big-name stars. Instead, it simply develops its characters and lets the drama unfold naturally." Jeff Vice, DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY "A detailed tale well told." Richard C Walls ORLANDO WEEKLY

The Inside Story

"A strong tale. The filmmaking is traditional and it pulls on the heartstrings. I'd recommend ZELARY to anyone." ..... David Ansen NEWSWEEK

It's indeed a real achievement to produce a foreign language film that speaks to its audiences with more than just words [or as is the case, subtitles] but where every picture is as they say, 'worth a thousand words'. It is an even greater achievement to make it into the final selection, those five films chosen to fight for an Oscar ® in the category of Best Foreign Language Film at the annual Academy Awards ® as did this absolutely wonderful, superb film from Czechoslovakia, "Zelary". This is the second time I've has the pleasure of reviewing a film by a Czek Director. The last occassion was when I was invited to review [and see] my first Czechoslovakian film "Divided We Fall". In my minds eye I can still see the images of this truly superb Jan Hrebejk film about the Jewish struggle with the Gestapo in war torn Czechoslovakia during World War II. The images are so powerful and lasting, as if burnt into the mind. Like "Divided We Fall", "Zelary" is set in WW2 but not in a city. "Divided We Fall" was produced by "Zelary" director Ondrej Trojan and written by Petr Jarchovský who also wrote the screenplay for "Zelery". Zelary is a little town in the picturesque mountains where Eliska is taken to avoid falling into the hands of the Gestapo. It is a most beautiful place as audiences will discover. The film covers a period which concentrates on 1943 to wars end with a poignant re-vist at the end. The changing scenery, the hardships faced, the spirit of the people, the love that grows makes every minute a treasure. I like others in the audience were surprised how unforced the film was throughout its 142 minute running time. It just flashes by. There is so much going on in "Zelary" yet it is never cluttered or confused thanks to sterling direction by Ondrej Trojan. The film definately runs on emotion, There is a constant sense of foreboding, an expectation that the Nazi's will arrive and destory the beauty of the place; you half expect there's a collaborator in the village who will bring soldiers; you experience much of what the people of Zelary cope with as the seasons change; the will they or won't they that surrounds the gentle timber worker Joza and the medical student turned nurse [and covert underground worker] Eliska that you don't want "Zelary" to end. You want to know everything that happened in this film based on a true story. Adapted from the novel "Jozova Hanule" by Kveta Legátová and performed from the screenplay by Petr Jarchovský is nothing short of a real treasure. I can say this about "Zelary". I don't any of the actors who appeared in the film, but I felt as I left the Trak Cinema, that I knew all the characters as if I myself had been there with them in that beautiful place called "Zelary". This is one film I can truly give a big wrap to and without hesitation highly recommend to those who seek something, beautiful, romantic and unexpected in a foreign language film. Crew Bytes "ZELARY" was .......
directed by Ondrej Trojan ["Let's All Sing Around" and TV'S "Fireside Stories"]; screenplay by Petr Jarchovský ["Let's All Sing Around", "Cosy Dens", "Divided We Fall" and "Up and Down"]; original story by Kveta Legátová ["Zelary"]; costume design by Katarina Bielikova ["On the Beautiful Blue Danube", "Rivers Of Babylon", "The Rain Falls on Our Souls" and "Up and Down"]; production design by Milan Bycek ["Wonderful Years That Sucked", "Victims and Murderers", "Champions" and "Up and Down"]; edited by Vladimír Barák ["Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Experience", "Divided We Fall ", "Cosy Dens" and "Up and Down"]; cinematography by Asen Sopov ["Let's All Sing Around", "Ozone" and "TV'S "Fireside Stories"]; original music by Petr Ostrouchov ["Aktualita", "Okénka" and "The Deil Knows Why"] produced by Ondrej Trojan ["Cosy Dens", "Divided We Fall", "Out of the City", "Cruel Joys and "Up and Down"]. Casting About "ZELARY" stars .......
Anna Geislerová ["England!", "Ozone", "Little Scars" and "Shut Up and Shoot Me"]; György Cserhalmi ["Forbidden Fruit", "Smouldering Cigarette", "The Bridgeman" and "Control"]; Jaroslava Adamová ["Escape from the Shadows", "The Water Nymph", "Dissolved and Effused" and "Príbeh '88"]; Miroslav Donutil ["The Fortress", "Fanny", "Cosy Dens" and "Bored in Brno"]; Jaroslav Dusek ["Cosy Dens", "On the Road", "Choking Hazard" and "Up and Down"]; Iva Bittová ["Rose Tinted Dreams", "Island Of The Silver Heroes", "Ballad for a Bandit " and "Tenderness"]; Ivan Trojan ["Erotic Tales IV", "Seducer", "One Hand Can't Clap" and "Smart Philip"]; Jan Hrusínský ["The End of the Good Old Days", "A Man Named Benito", "I Was a Teenage Intellectual" and "An Ideal Husband"]; Frantisek Velecký ["Sons of Fire ", "The Fortress ", "Thief of Hybe " and "In the Town Full of Umbrellas"] and Tomás Zatecka ["Zelary"] as Lipka. What It's All About

"An intimate epic with the scope of old Hollywood and the emotional depth of a rigorous art film." Chris Vognar DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Eliska has been forced to put her medical studies on hold since the Germans have occupied her country. Eliska works as a nurse at the local hospital with her surgeon boyfriend Richard and their friend, Dr Chldek. When they are not at the hospital the three are involved in anti-nazi activities. When their activities are discovered, Eliska is forced to flee to the mountains with one of her patients, a timber worker who has been under her care after an accident nearly took his life. Acting as his carer Eliska travels with him to the remote mountain village of Zelary. Here she must reinvent herself if she is to avoid suspicion and not jepardize those who are covering for her. It is a shock for the young woman who must share a sparsely furnished home lacking the essentials she has enjoyed living in the city. It is also expected that she will marry and share the bed of the older, but gentle, Joza. It is bad enough she must put up with dirt floors and no bath, but can she go through with a marriage of convenience? First she must register with the authorities and after that she will worry about who sleeps in her bed. The Verdict "No hesitation in singing the praises of this Academy Award ® nominated foreign language film. Worth seeing just for its beautiful scenery and changes seasons. Beyond that, the cast is superb and director/producer Ondrej Trojan keeps it flowing like an endless thread throughout its 142 minute run time. A real surprise that is truly worth exploring, "Zelary" is highly recommended." The Cast

Anna Geislerová György Cserhalmi Jaroslava Adamová Miroslav Donutil Jaroslav Dusek Iva Bittová Ivan Trojan Jan Hrusínský Anna Vertelárová Tomás Zatecka Ondrej Koval Tatiana Vajdová Frantisek Velecký Viera Pavlíková Juraj Hrcka Imre Boraros Jana Olhová Jan Triska Michal Hofbauer Edita Malovcic Reinhard Simonischek Gabriela Schmoll Zita Kabátová Svatopluk Benes Jakub Laurych

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Eliska Joza Lucka Priest Teacher Tkác Zena Richard Slávek Helenka Lipka Michal Kutina Anna Kutinová Old Kutina Old Kutinová Vojta Juriga Pavel Juriga Juliska Jurigová Old Gorcík Young Gorcík Marie Gorcíková Dr Benícek Irca Old woman Old man Young soldier

The Crew Directed by Ondrej Trojan Adapted from the novel "Jozova Hanule" by Kveta Legátová Screenplay by Petr Jarchovský Produced by Ondrej Trojan Original Music by Petr Ostrouchov Cinematography by Asen Sopov Film Editing by Vladimír Barák Casting by Ladislav Ondrácek Production Design by Milan Bycek Costume Design by Katarina Bielikova Run Time 142 minutes Rated MA 15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - Sony Pictures Classics - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved