Extase

Due to the unpopular dialogue, I liked the Austrian version better. But that doesn't change the fact that there's a huge difference between loving Ecstasy and simply respecting it as a signboard for 1930s Czech cinema (even though it is a co-production). Being in the movie theater for the fourth time was just a symbiosis with the editing track... and Becce's music... and Zvonimír's gradation and Hedy's perfection. Hooray for work! (12/02/2009)

Fantastic filmmaking, beautiful. If I had to pick one of Machatý's films I've seen so far that appealed to me the most, I'd pick From Saturday to Sunday, but that doesn't detract from Ecstasy's impact. It's a cinematic poem, one implied and literal metaphor after another, a meaning here, another there… Hedy Lamarr is magical and Machatý's beautiful shots, along with Becce's music, make even the simple act of waking up and opening the blinds an experience. Lastly, the finale with František Halas reciting... Yes, it's a strange finale, but it's again so well shot and gripping that it just belongs to the whole story, and anyone who wishes to can find cautionary tales as well (work shouldn't stand still = wife shouldn't go unnoticed?). (24/06/2020)

Gustav Machatý shows that he could direct human dramas, and this film isn't just about featuring a naked woman, which was still quite daring for its time. It's not even that traditional in today's mainstream. The way the lives of the individual characters change here is brilliantly written and performed. (15/01/2015)