aust (Czech: Lekce Faust, lit. 'Lesson Faust') is a 1994 drama film directed and written by Jan Švankmajer. A Czech Republic-led production with co-production support in France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, the film merges live-action footage with stop-motion animation, including puppetry and claymation.
Produced by Jaromír Kallista, the film tells its version of the legend of Faust, borrowing and blending elements from the plays by Goethe (1808–1832), and Marlowe (c. 1592–1593), with traditional folk renditions. It has elements of modernism and absurdism, and has a Kafkaesque atmosphere, enhanced by being set in Prague. The tone is dark, but humorous. The film was selected as the Czech entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 67th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[3]
Plot
The story begins on the streets of Prague on a grey morning busy with commuters. A colourless figure (Petr Čepek) emerges from a metro station. On his way home, the man encounters two men handing out flyers. It is a map of the city with a location marked. He shrugs and discards it, returning to his lodging. As he opens the door, a black cockerel runs out. The man sits down to eat, cutting himself a slice of bread. He discovers an egg concealed inside the loaf. He cracks it open but it is empty. Suddenly the lights go out and the wind rises. Objects are thrown about the room. The commotion ceases; the man goes to the window and looks down to where the two men from earlier are staring up at him. One of them holds the cockerel. The man closes the blind and returns to the table, where he finds the map and traces out the location marked using his own map of the city,.
Kommentare