The Joke (Zert) 

The Joke (Zert) Jaromil Jires was one of a generation of Czechoslovakian film directors whose careers began between 1962 and 1968. Reacting against the conformist films of the Stalinist era and drawing on everyday life in a realistic manner, Jires made The Joke during the Prague Spring of 1968. The film, adapted from Milan Kundera's satirical novel,tells the story of a man sent to an army camp after a political joke of his misfires. In 1968, as Soviet tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia, the ruling authorities also failed to get the joke, and the film, a celebrated product of the Czech New Wave, remained unseen for more than two decades. Tickets $10. 80 minutes, black and white 1968 Directed by Jaromil Jires Based on the novel by Milan Kundera Written by Zdeněk Bláha and Jaromil Jires Starring Josef Sommer, Jana Dítětová, Jaromír Hanzlik, Věra Křesadlová, and Luděk Munzar.