#181 - The Ear (Ucho) Film Analysis with Martin Kessler

The Flick Lab

In this episode of the podcast, filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler joins the show to discuss the film The Ear, also known as Ucho. This Czechoslovakian classic, directed by Karel Kachyňa, unravels a Czech couple (Radoslav Brzobohatý, Jirina Bohdalová) consumed by fear and paranoia, vividly depicting the psychological toll of living in a communist surveillance state, "the all-hearing ear". Throughout the night, the couple confronts their deepest fears, and the underlying fractures in their turbulent marriage come to the surface.

Completed in 1970, the film was banned in the aftermath of the Prague Spring, receiving its release nearly two decades later following the fall of the communist regime in 1989. You can find Martin Kessler on X (Twitter): @MovieKessler

Films covered in this episode: The Ear (1970)

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Guest Martin Kessler. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.