The 'insectuous' brothers: Karel Capek's and Jan Svankmajer's avantgardism(s) and the limits of humanism
Abstract
Jan Svankmajer's recent Insect (Hmyz, 2018) is a work of film adaptation which functions as both an homage to Karel (and Josef) Capek's problematic avantg-gardism and critique of some of the Capek brothers' own compromises during the production of their play, From the Life of the Insects (Ze zivota hmyzu, 1922). In the light of Svankmajer's homage and critique, the article revisits Capek's avantgardism and seeks to recuperate some of the more radical, and easily overlooked, aspects in Capek's work in the early 1920s.
It goes on to discuss Svankmajer's own career of multiple film adaptations, before concluding with a critical evaluation of his latest (and arguably last) Capek-inspired film, read within the context of Svankmajer's liberational cinematic project.