Political unrest in regards to a potent Russian presence in Czechoslovakia serves as an undercurrent to the increasing jealousy that threatens to tear Tomas and Tereza apart. Due to the length alone, there’s something of an epic feel to this lighthearted romance, particularly as major historical events arise, and partly because this picture also focuses on Sabina’s story, which moves to a different location for a secondary yarn. This casualness, which lingers on all sorts of minute details, carries over to virtually every scene, resulting in both an intimate familiarity with the cast and settings and a whopping running time. The film also boasts a tremendous amount of sex and nudity – sequences conducted under the unhurried, precise lens of director Philip Kaufman. There’s certainly a sexual liberation existing in their relationship, even if one or all of them will eventually get hurt by these unconventional unions – and the sudden transition to a traditional marriage. In fact, he’s open about Tereza’s arrival with Sabina, going so far as to ask his older paramour to take his younger one under her wing. And he must orchestrate a careful juggling act, though it’s inevitable that his various partners will find out. “Take off your clothes.”īoisterous, destructive sexual games also remind of that aforementioned 1963 Best Picture Oscar winner, along with Tomas’ odyssey-like voyage through new places, with new women to explore. But he doesn’t have long to wait at what seems like that very evening, Tereza arrives in town from a hasty train ride to knock on his door (it’s never explained how she knew where to find him). This, of course, leaves him to ponder and wonder about the curious beauty. After her shift ends, she joins him on a park bench, but he decides to return to Prague in a timely fashion, departing without acting upon his desires.
While at the spa, Tomas notices pretty Tereza (Juliette Binoche), a cafe employee – yet another prime candidate for seduction. He’s an undeniable playboy and a shrewd lothario too. Even before the credits finish rolling, Tomas is sent to a nearby spa to perform a surgery, where he can’t help but to spy additional women, perhaps in need of a liaison. N Prague in 1968, a young doctor named Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis) demonstrates an exquisite proficiency with the ladies – exemplified by chirpy musical interludes, intertitles, and a general gaiety that feels very comparable to “Tom Jones.” His main squeeze – and the woman who knows him best – is Sabina (Lena Olin), whose bed he often shares.
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