Written and directed by Petr Václav, Il Boemo offers a unique look into the life and career of Czech composer Josef Myslivecek, one of the most acclaimed and prolific composers of opera in Italy. Il Boemo can also be considered a portrait of the XVIII century life by reason of how successfully it achieves the ambience of that period. It evokes the sensation of being in the eighteenth century in a beautiful and captivating way where costumes, furniture, makeup, and hairstyling can transport you to a bygone era of grace and luxury. The film's cinematography consists of colors that transmit a sense of calmness, romance, and drama, reinforcing the narrative's dynamics from its pianissimo to its forte. There is a sense of etherealness captured by the lighting, candles, chandeliers, and natural light, a resemblance to Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975). A resemblance that is not accidental, for, according to Václav, Barry Lyndon and Milos Forman's Amadeus (1984) were artistic inspirations for the lighting, camerawork, narrative style, and the way to shoot opera scenes. This is not the first time Petr Václav delves into the life of Josef Myslivecek, in 2015 he made Zpoved' zapomenutého, a documentary about the forgotten maestro. One of the purposes of Il Boemo is to answer the questions of how it was possible that Myslivecek rose so fast to fame, captivating the world of music, and how he consequently vanished so quickly from the collective memory after being considered one of the most popular Czech composers of the XVIII century.
As a story about a composer, it has many scenes with music, Myslivecek rehearsing and conducting his operas, but also beautiful arias that enhance not only his importance as a composer of that time but also communicate the sublime aspects of music and how it can convey what sometimes is difficult or impossible to put into words. The score for the movie, consisting of Myslivecek's compositions that were rediscovered in recent years, was performed by the Czech group Collegium 1704 conducted by Václav Luks and featuring international soloists like Philippe Jaroussky, Emoke Baráth, Raffaella Milanesi, and Simona Saturová. The pieces of music in the movie add an aura of melancholy. Remainders of what no longer exist, echoes of the rise and fall he experienced. They can also add a sense of joy and fascination. For instance, where one of his operas was met with enormous success provoking admiration everywhere. Being considered a mentor to Mozart, there is a scene where we can see a very young Wolfgang Amadeus joining Myslivecek backstage and effortlessly displaying his talent as a child prodigy. This moment successfully captures in a short amount of time the outstanding mastery of the gifted child and what he would become.
However, Il Boemo is not only a movie about music, it is about the ascent and decline of Myslivecek on a professional as well as a personal level. Petr Václav's feature is not interested in mitigating the harsh reality of the late composer as a forgotten figure whose prime was well beyond him. His life as a Bon vivant with conquers here and there would lead to unforeseen consequences, furthering the impact the movie can produce. The depiction of hedonistic experiences also leads to a sense of freedom in being more open and less restrictive, something that the movie successfully transmits. Some of the situations could be interpreted as peculiar, to say the least, while others as liberating. The movie does not attempt to lessen the hypocrisy often found in snobbery and nobility, on the contrary, it might be said that it heightens it. Behaviors defying the assumed speak for themselves. They might or might not be part of the mores of the era, but they certainly elevate the film's search for the impactful by portraying them. What is also impactful are the performances. The cast is one of the strongest aspects of the movie, and they all play characters that suit them well. Besides the great lead by Vojtech Dyk, we have Elena Radonicich as the empowered rich libertine Marchesa, Barbara Ronchi as the world-famous and problematic soprano Caterina Gabrielli, etc.
Il Boemo, in the end, is an invitation to indulge in the beauty of music, a movie for all art lovers that is definitely worth seeing as it will widen your love for classical music as well as your appreciation for the great Czech composer.
