When The Cat Comes (1963) - 5/3 - Film Night

On Thursday 5th March we screen When the Cat Comes (Až přijde kocour, 1963), a remarkable cornerstone of the Czech New Wave that represents the bold creativity and political sensibility of 1960s European cinema. Playing out like a fairytale, it tells the story of one sunglasses-wearing cat who sends a small provincial Czech village into chaos with his truth-revealing eyes.

The magical cat arrives with a travelling circus troupe, whose headline act is the removal of his sunglasses, as his gaze will reveal the true nature of those around him. In doing so, the act exposes the hypocrisy and unreliability of the village’s authoritarian powers and triggers a paranoid witch-hunt. A subversive, pure-hearted schoolteacher and the local children seek to defend the cat and put an end to the stifling of their imagination and creativity under the village’s strict regime.

The film is directed by Vojtěch Jasný, a key figure in the Czech New Wave cinematic movement alongside the likes of Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Ivan Passer and Jan Švankmajer. In its subversive political subtext, When the Cat Comes would later be banned under censorship following the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Upon restoration, it has been reappraised in its afterlife and celebrated for its vibrant, psychedelic visuals and clever, comic critique.

The cat comes to our basement micro-cinema on Thursday 5th March. Doors from 6pm, film starts at 7pm. Tickets are £6 and as always, include a free drink.

This project is supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network.