The Role of Božena Horáková in the Movie Little Otik

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Introduction

Little Otik is a fascinating comedy movie whose storyline conforms to both Froyd’s and Mulvry’s theories of psychology and film respectively. It is a Czech film acted in 2000 and based on a fascinating folktale Otesanek by Erben. The main protagonists are Božena Horáková, Karel Horák, and Alžbětka. Their characters are clearly described to the audience through semiotic means and application of various camera angles in the entire movie story.

Filmmaking calls for hard work especially when aiming at producing a competent movie in the industry (Acher and Pincus 56). There has been an upward trend in the growth and development of filmmaking over the last few decades. The upward rising growth and development is due to the increased film acting talents and development of theories that criticize the old films. Hence, newly produced films seem to have an improvement to the old ones (Wood 95).

Scene one: Protecting Otik from the father when he wants to chop him after seeing her breastfeeding him

Božena Horáková’s character shows a great motherly love, selfishness, and insensitivity. Being with her motherly love character, Božena Horáková has no child of her own, and thus she takes too much care to her adopted tree stump child with much love as her own born child (Little Otik).

However, Otik has angered the society for eating people and hence threatening their security. The move by Otik’s father to have him killed is being triggered by Otik’s cannibalistic character. Hence, Božena Horáková’s action to protect Otik shows selfishness and carelessness in other people’s welfare.

In addition, her character shows a great element of insensitivity of risks that their lives face, and hence she ought to support her husband in doing away with Otik. The camera angle used at this scene creates a disturbing mood to the audience. It is a high-angle shot to the Otik and makes him look innocent and inferior.

However, it is a neutral shot to the Božena Horáková and Karel Horák, her husband. This aspect makes her husband look merciless and brutal, but weaker than her protective wife. On the other hand, Božena Horáková, looks protective and merciful for her child, hence the audience is moved by her action though and immoral move.

The movie, Little Otik, was produced in the twenty first century when the film industry was much developed and feminism was a long gone issue. However, its development is based on the conforming to the will of Mulvey and Freud as expressed by their renowned theories. In contrast to the 1950s and 1960s movies whose main protagonists were male, Little Otik has used a couple and a neighbor’s daughter, Alžbětka, as the main protagonists.

Scene Two: Her Reaction after the Social Worker Died

Similar to the scene one, Božena Horáková still protects Otik from the ruthlessness of his father. Karel Horák realizes his mistake of shaping the tree stump into the shape of a kid and giving it to his barren wife when it is too late.

However, his wife has mercy over the stump child and protects him after killing and eating a human being. This happens soon after eating a postal worker (Little Otik). In this scene, Božena Horáková’s character does not change from the first scene, but rather extends to extreme carelessness and inhumane behavior.

She seems not to feel the loss of a human life when they realize that their child has killed and eaten a human being. She protects Otik by showing him a motherly love when she feeds him as usual and as if nothing has happened. The camera angle is similar to the scene one though tilted at an acute angle from above, while making Otik look vulnerable to his father’s ruthlessness.

Scene Three: When Otik eats her hair

BoženaHoráková seems not to feel any danger when her hair is eaten by Otik (Little Otik). Her husband is sensitive and his great sensitivity of danger, likely to be caused by Otik, puts him at odds with his wife. Božena Horáková’s character is dominated by great insensitivity as she sees Otik’s behavior as a normal child behavior that could easily be corrected.

It is normal for a mother to protect her child against anyone with a bad intention, but she too needs to consider the reason behind the aggression of a person towards her child. Her insensitivity is clearly seen when she considers the habit as normal and fails to react immediately, and thus protect everyone from acting.

The camera angle is a point of view shot that allows the audience to make character judgment without being directed by the camerawork. The dominant camera angle in this scene is the worm shot angle against Otik. This angel makes Otik look like a monster and superior character that could harm the lives of the other characters (Fisher 78). On the other hand, bird eye shot camera angle is applied to other characters and helps to make them appear inferior to Otik’s character.

According to the theories of psychoanalysis by Freud that personal development is often triggered by the school of thought that produces some results such as the defense mechanism. In addition, he argues that the driving force, which leads to such results, is generated by libido in his psychoanalytic theory (Freud 56).

Mulvey’s added some weight to her theory that explains movies as the possible source of social behaviors. The two theories play a great role in the Little Otik movie since the characters were used as representatives of real life characters in the social life.

Conclusion

Going by the Mulvey and Freud’s theories in the above three scenes, Little Otik has influenced the society in various ways and the movie as an artwork it reflects the real events that take place in the society (Fisher 78). Some parents protect their children, while their behaviors are a threat to other people in the society as it is reflected by BoženaHoráková who symbolizes over caring mothers. On the other hand, it has influenced the society by urging them to leave the children’s matter at the hands of their parents who overprotect their ill behaviors.

In addition, the camera angles that were used during the acting of the movie have played a major role in the delivery of the intended information to the society. With regard to the movie plot has been a literature work that was published long before the movie was filmed.

For instance, in the scene three, Otik ought to appear superior and more dangerous than any other character in the film, and this was influenced by a worm shot camera angle against him, and bird eye shot camera angle against other characters. Hence, Little Otik movie has a great art work.

Works Cited

Acher, Steven, and Edward Pincus. The Filmmaker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age, New York: Plume, 2012. Print.

Fisher, Seymour. The Scientific Credibility of Freud’s Theories and Therapy, Columbia University Press, New York: 1985. Print.

Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams, London: NuVision Publications, 2004. Print.

Little Otik. Dir. Jan Švankmajer. Czech Republic: Barrandov Biografia. 2000. Film.

Mulvey, Laura. Visual and Other Pleasures, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1989. Print.

Wood, Jason. Talking Movies: Contemporary World Filmmakers in Interview, Washington, D.C: Wallflower Press, 2006. Print.

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