Killing The Devil (1970)

CZECHOSLOVAK CLASSICS: Classics from the unrivalled history of Czechoslovak cinema. Screening throughout September and October at De Uitkijk.

‘She’, an unnamed middle-aged woman, prepares sumptuous dinners for her former lover, the gluttonous Mr Devil. Whilst the boor devours endless meals and quotes Freud and Nietzsche to justify his chauvinism, their nocturnal encounters become increasingly absurd and grotesque.

KILLING THE DEVIL (1970), a long-forgotten gem of feminist satire, is the only film for which Ester Krumbachova received directorial credits. Despite her essential contribution to the Czechoslovak New Wave through films such as DAISIES (1966) and VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS (1970), Krumbachova was banished to the margins of film history by the regime. Decades later, her work is being recognised for what it is: a powerful critique of gender roles and power dynamics.