Iva Janžurová is a well-known name to regular attendees of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival: in 2015, she received the Festival President’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Czech Cinema, and in subsequent editions she has been one of the stars of the event’s famous trailers, which humorously poke fun at lifetime achievement honorees such as her. It is no surprise, then, that KVIFF was chosen as world premiere venue for the documentary Actress (Janžurka), since the film is unlikely to travel much outside of the domestic market.
Blending staged scenes, newly captured documentary footage and archive material, the film does what the title promises: it provides as full a portrait as possible of an actress. And not just any actress: as the prize she received in 2015 attests, Iva Janžurová is a veritable legend in the Czech Republic. A star of stage and screen, she made her first film appearance in 1961, aged 20, and is still going strong: her most recent Best Actress nomination at the Czech Lion Awards – the nation’s highest honor for film and TV – was in 2020, for the dark comedy The Lady Terrorist.
Shadowing her throughout is the director, Theodora Remundová, an accomplished documentarian who also happens to have a personal connection to the subject: she’s the great actress’s daughter. This is stated outright in the film, but beyond what must have been facilitated access to her mother and the archive footage (particularly of her stage performances), Remundová never uses the familial bond to turn the project into an extended therapy session, as was the case with Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Jane by Charlotte in 2021.
In this case, Remundová is less a family member and more a professional, never letting personal feelings get in the way of the filmmaking, as she confidently assembles an overview of her mother’s career. And while there is undoubtedly a hagiographic component to proceedings, few would argue it isn’t warranted, given the longevity and prestige of Janžurová’s artistic path.
In fact, the film’s title has a double meaning, as it’s not just about a great actress of Czech cinema, but also about the craft of performance: mother and daughter (who has also acted alongside her famous parent on numerous occasions) engage in conversation about what it takes to create a compelling characterization, delivering a portrait of a talented artist at work. Of course, the presence of staged elements in the film add another layer, as we witness Janžurová describing her process (a scene where she reminisces about being required to cry on cue for a role is particularly illuminating) and then exhibiting it, constantly moving between her real self and a variation of her professional persona.
This adds some playfulness to a portrait that takes itself seriously without ever getting too precious or reverential about its depiction of the subject. Remundová may be dealing with a legend, but there’s also a human being behind the mask of the movie star, and Actress is an entertaining balancing act, a fun reminder for local audiences as to why they still respond so warmly to Janžurová’s performances.
Director & Screenwriter: Theodora Remundová
Producer: Alice Tabery
Cinematography: Jan Šípek
Music: Tadeáš Vercák
Sound: Štepán Škoch
Production companies: Cinepoint, PubRes, Ceská televize, RTVS, innogy, Slovenský filmový ústav
World sales: Cinepoint
Venue: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Out of the Past)
In Czech
110 minutes
