The Golden Fern: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Czechoslovakia, 1963
Director: Jiří Weiss
Writers: Jan Drda, Jirí Weiss
Cast: Vít Olmer, Daniela Smutná, Karla Chadimová, Frantisek Smolík, Radoslav Brzobohatý, Zdenek Braunschläger, Cestmír Randa, Josef Bek, Otomar Krejca, Bohumil Svarc, Jorga Kotrbová, Jaroslav Vojta, Alena Bradácová

Release Date: March 11th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 111 Minutes 5 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Czech
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"A handsome young shepherd (Jean Marais lookalike Vít Olmer) stumbles across a magical golden fern in the forest. A stunning, enigmatic forest fairy named Lesanka (Karla Chadimová) is sent to retrieve it but instead falls hopelessly in love with him.  When he’s forced to join the army and heads off to war, she sews a seed from the fern into his shirt to protect him. While he’s away, though, he falls for the icily beautiful daughter of the commanding general (Dana Smutná) who demands he perform a series of Herculean tasks to prove his devotion to her. " - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Released by Deaf Crocodile, the Národní filmový archív and Comeback Company."

The Golden Fern comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.1 GB

Feature: 29.8 GB

This is another solid encode from Fidelity in Motion. Though the source looks excellent, some very minor debris still remains. Image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Czech with removable English. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and range-wise things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include three short films directed by Jiří Weiss: The Sun Shines on the River Lužnice – beautiful, lyrical B&W tone poem of the pre-WWII Czech countryside: athletic young men and women canoeing down the River Lužnice, passing medieval castles and sleepy half-forgotten villages (9 minutes 58 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono, no dialog, text in Czech with removable English subtitles), Song of Ruthenia – another gorgeous B&W film poem of the Czech countryside and Weiss’s personal favorite of his early shorts. Mythical images of mountains and streams and rural farmers tilling the land make this a precursor to the mystical visions of the forest in The Golden Fern. Filmed traveling on horseback through the mountains of Ruthenia (then part of Czecholovakia, now part of Ukraine), shooting the diverse community with Ruthenians (Slavs), Jews and Roma all living in the same area (11 minutes 36 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Czech with removable English subtitles), and The Rape of Czechoslovakia - Weiss’s classic B&W agitprop short was made after he escaped to London just ahead of the Nazis. He carried with him three reels of material for his unrealized film DVACET LET SVOBODY (TWENTY YEARS OF FREEDOM) i.e. 20 years of the existence of independent Czechoslovakia from its 1918 founding to 1938 when the Munich Agreement dissolved it. In English with poetic narration written by C. Day-Lewis, father of Daniel Day-Lewis (16 minutes 52 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an interview with the filmmaker’s son Jiří Weiss Jr. about his father’s remarkable life story and filmmaking career, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (58 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian Peter Hames and Czech film expert Irena Kovarova of Comeback Company, a video essay by film historian Evan Chester (58 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, and an insert with a URL that has a PDF for the video essay and the audio commentary.

Summary:

Jiří Weiss directed The Golden Fern. He is known for The Wolf Trap, Romeo, Juliet and Darkness, 90 Degrees in the Shade, and Murder Czech Style.

A shepherd finds a magical golden fern in the forest and the fairy sent to retrieve it falls in love with him.

Though The Golden Fern was Jiří Weiss’ only foray into fantasy cinema, he delivers a remarkable fairy tale that stays with you long after its final image. The narrative revolves around a protagonist who finds love and happiness, only to throw it away because of a rash decision. That said, the narrative feels like two distinctive halves: the first half is firmly rooted in the realm of fantasy, while the latter half takes on a much darker tone when the protagonist finds himself forced to fight in a war.

When discussing a film like The Golden Fern, one should not overlook Jiří Weiss’s masterful direction. Besides drawing most of the cast, there is an abundance of visually arresting moments that heighten the mood. The first of these moments is an almost ten-minute dialog-free opening setup where the only sounds are the wildlife in the forest. Other striking moments include the first time the protagonist sees the fairy, the carnage of war, and a finale that provides a perfect coda to the events that preceded it.

All around, the cast is excellent, especially Vít Olmer in the role of the protagonist. All of the narrative is told from his point of view, and he delivers a superb performance. Other notable performances are the two actresses Karla Chadimová and Daniela Smutná; they portray the two women in the protagonist's life. Their characters could not be more unalike; Karla Chadimová portrays the kind, loving fairy who falls in love with the protagonist, while Daniela Smutná portrays a princess who is temporarily amused by the company of the protagonist.

Though the narrative's two halves are polar opposites tone-wise, the result is a narrative that never feels disjointed. The narrative's deliberate pacing does a phenomenal job building momentum. Also, there is an abundance of atmosphere and a lyrical quality to the events that unfold. Ultimately, The Golden Fern is an enthralling cinematic experience, and a must see for fans of folklore and fantasy cinema.

The Golden Fern gets an excellent release from Deaf Crocodile that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, three short films and insightful extras; highly recommended.

Note: There is a deluxe release of The Golden Fern that comes in a slipcase, and a 60-page booklet with an introduction by filmmaker Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Holdovers, Nebraska), an essay by film historian Peter Hames, an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central), and Memories of cinematographer Bedrich Batka by writer William Robertson.

Written by Michael Den Boer