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--- lb:rebelove [2025-06-17 14:40:30] – ninjasr
+++ lb:rebelove [2026-05-09 12:29:43] (current) – [Historical Context] ninjasr
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== Rebelové ======
-**Rebelové**(Rebels;Rebe//l//ove)((:fn:>This is a bilingual pun. The Czech word for rebel is ‘rebelové’ (plural). However, the pun here is the English ‘rebel-love’.)) is a Czech film that takes place in 1968. Rebelové is a romantic dramedy musical. It doesn't appear to be known about almost at all outside of Czechia,((:fn:>Obligatory mention of Slovakia as well.)) hence this article.
+<div subtitle>
 {{tag>films speculah}}
-===== Review =====
+</div>
-The more time passes, the more I realize that this film is both ridiculously stupid but impressive in the strangest ways. First of all, do I recommend watching it? Probably just once, to //experience// it...but otherwise it probably isn't worth it.
+{{ img:b:r:rebelove.png?460 }}
+<dfn :cs>Rebelové</dfn>(Rebels; Rebe//l//ove)((:fn:>This is a bilingual pun. The Czech word for rebel is <span denote :cs>rebelové</span> (plural). However, if you read it as English, it's <span denote>rebel-love</span>.)) is a //Czech// film that takes place in **1968**. Rebelové is a romantic dramedy musical. It doesn't appear to be known about almost at all outside of [[lb:Czechia]],((:fn:>Obligatory mention of Slovakia as well.)) hence this article.
-Rebelové suffers from the standard issues that most Czech productions face: lackluster acting; odd script;((:fn:>For reference, one of the lines is (paraphrased): ‘Of course it looks like a shrine, it's a shrine to trains!’ (referring to a //train time table//.))) weird direction and editing; clear lack of budget; etc.
+===== Review =====
+The more time passes, the more I realize that this film is both //ridiculously stupid// but impressive in the strangest ways. First of all, do I recommend watching it? Probably //just once//, to //experience// it...but otherwise it probably isn't worth it.
+<div passage>
+Rebelové suffers from the standard issues that most Czech productions face:
+  * Lackluster acting;
+  * Odd script;((:fn:>For reference, one of the lines is (paraphrased): <q :en>Of course it looks like a shrine; it's a shrine to trains!</q> which refers to a //train time table//.))
+  * Weird direction and editing;
+  * Clear lack of budget;
+  * etc.
 Reportedly, the director of the film had little previous experience with films...and mostly filmed music videos. After you watch this film...yeah, that checks out. Though the choreography here is actually not that great.
+</div>
-One of the strange positives of this film is that it portrays the 60s in a way that doesn't feel artificial in the same way that many 60s nostalgia films nowadays do. The other notable upside is the music: unusually for Czech music, it's actually good. I found out this was because it isn't Czech in origin, but it's mostly American music that was translated and adapted for the film. So if you're used to those originals, it'll sound really weird.
+One of the strange positives of this film is that it portrays the 60s in a way that doesn't feel artificial in the same way that many 60s nostalgia films nowadays do. The other notable upside is the music: unusually for Czech music, it's //actually good//. I found out this was because it isn't Czech in origin, but it's mostly American music that was translated and adapted for the musical. So if you're used to those originals, it'll sound //really// weird.
+<div passage>
 Anyway, time to move onto the plot: it's not that great. Though the concept here is //really// interesting. Like very //very// interesting, though the execution falls short.
-Basically, we're following two groups of people: teen girls (18-19) and young adult guys (early twenties). The teen girls are about to graduate Czechoslovak highschool, so they're preparing for it. The young adult guys are army deserters who are intending to escape the country, with the ultimate goal of reaching America. Yeah, bet you weren't expecting that from a romcom.
+Basically, we're following two groups of people: teen girls (18-19) and young adult guys (early twenties). The teen girls are about to graduate Czechoslovak high-school,((:fn:>The Czech education system doesn't have 'highschool' in the American sense. Elementary school is from 6-15, then you have Middle School from 15-18/19. Then you have 'High' School, which is just university or college. The girls here are Middle School students in the Czech system.)) so they're preparing for it. The young adult guys are army deserters who are intending to escape the country, with the ultimate goal of reaching America. Yeah, bet you weren't expecting //that// from a //romcom//.
-The two groups meet by chance and shenanigans ensue. Notably, the lead girl and lead guy end up being true love and whatnot. In any other context, they'd end up happy together. While the guy group is waiting for their opportunity to run, the Warsaw Pact Invasion ends up happening, which ends up making life incredibly difficult for everyone involved.
+The two groups meet by chance and shenanigans ensue. Notably, the lead girl and lead guy end up being true love and whatnot. In any other context, they'd end up happy together. While the guy group is waiting for their opportunity to run, the **[[lb:Warsaw Pact Invasion]]** ends up happening, which ends up making life //incredibly// **difficult** for everyone involved.
+</div>
-The film ends with <wrap spoiler>the lead guy getting arrested and chucked in prison, while the lead girl and her family emigrate. The rest of the guy group manages to escape</wrap>. Yeah, this film has a serious downer ending. Though it's all set up perfectly.
+The film ends with <mark spoiler>the lead guy getting //arrested// and //chucked in prison//, while the lead girl and her family emigrate. The rest of the guy group manages to escape</mark>. Yeah, this film has a serious downer ending. Though it's all set up perfectly.
 ===== Speculah & Analysis =====
 ==== Historical Context ====
-The film takes place in 1968, which was a very important year in Czechoslovak history, and follows the tradition of important years in Czechoslovak history either having a 6 or 8((:fn:>Having both shows just how important it was.)).
+The film takes place in 1968, which was a very important year in Czechoslovak history, and follows the tradition of important years in Czechoslovak history either having a 6 or 8.((:fn:>Having both shows just how important it was.))
-More specifically, it was the year the Warsaw Pact Invasion occurred. This happened after there were attempts at reforming Czechoslovak socialism (Prague Spring; ‘Socialism with a human face’) and the Soviet Union did not like that at all. Though, apparently, there's a small chance the invasion occurred due to a misunderstanding. That's not directly relevant.
+More specifically, it was the year the **Warsaw Pact Invasion** occurred. This happened after there were attempts at reforming Czechoslovak socialism (**[[lb:Prague Spring]]**; ‘[[lb:Socialism with a human face]]’) and the Soviet Union did not like that at all. Though, apparently, there's a small chance the invasion occurred due to a misunderstanding. That's not directly relevant.
-Right after the invasion, most of the reforms were rolled back.
+Right after the invasion, most of the reforms were rolled back, plus many of the people who were in charge ended up getting fired. This shakeup apparently proved detrimental long-term, since they didn't have any new people in the government until 1989 (the **[[lb:Velvet Revolution]]**; when communism fell in Czechoslovakia). That contributed to the ultimate fall of the socialist state.
 ===== Trivilinks =====
   * [[tmdbm>73213|TMDB]]
+  * The film is actually available on YouTube, so you might be able to watch it for free. Just note that there are no English subtitles (and I never found any). [[you>AoK3-WMbxRk|Here]] it is.