Burning Bush

Name: Burning Bush
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: June 11, 2014
Duration: 231 min
Rating: 83

2014

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Kino Lorber | Release Date: June 11, 2014 | Not Rated

Summary: In protest of the Soviet occupation, Jan Palach, a student of the Charles University's Faculty of Arts, set himself on fire in Prague's Wenceslas Square on the 16th of January 1969, and died four days later. Through the story of the brave defense attorney Dagmar Buresova, who defended Palach's legacy in a doomed lawsuit, the film examinesIn protest of the Soviet occupation, Jan Palach, a student of the Charles University's Faculty of Arts, set himself on fire in Prague's Wenceslas Square on the 16th of January 1969, and died four days later. Through the story of the brave defense attorney Dagmar Buresova, who defended Palach's legacy in a doomed lawsuit, the film examines the transformations taking place in Czechoslovak society after the invasion of the armies of the Warsaw Pact in August of 1968. It depicts the beginnings of Czech and Slovak resistance against the occupation, which reached its apex with the mass protests during Palach's funeral. It also shows the nation's gradual resignation under the pressure of fear and harsher persecution. [Kino Lorber]… Expand

Director: Agnieszka Holland

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 231 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

RogerEbert.com Scout Tafoya

Jun 13, 2014

In the end, all that can be relied upon are objects and gestures. The littlest things that tie us to each other. The film often slows to a standstill to show children playing, cars passing, people talking and streets emptied of traffic. Read full review

A.O. Scott

Jun 10, 2014

Ms. Holland, working from a script by Stepan Hulik, a Czech screenwriter born in 1984, turns a sprawling story into a tight and suspenseful ethical thriller. Read full review

The Playlist Rodrigo Perez

Jun 13, 2014

Political thriller, procedural, emotional drama and rousing cry for basic human rights and values. Read full review

Alan Scherstuhl

Jun 10, 2014

For all the hurtling plot, and its occasional workaday scenecraft, Burning Bush proves an engrossing historical drama, low-key but in its final moments devastating. Read full review

Stephen Dalton

Jun 10, 2014

A deluxe multi-character drama that blends real history with semi-fictionalized spy thriller and soap opera elements, Burning Bush feels in places like an extended Czech remake of the Cold War-themed German Oscar-winner The Lives of Others. Read full review

Ela Bittencourt

Jun 10, 2014

The decentralized narrative benefits from the film's original conception as a miniseries, with plenty of time to draw us into the morass that was the communist state. Read full review

Mike D'Angelo

Jun 11, 2014

On the whole, though, Burning Bush is an absorbing docudrama that maintains a gratifying equilibrium between hope and cynicism. You can fight City Hall. It just takes a while. Read full review

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7.4

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User Reviews

aitpenbetova

Mar 12, 2015

If only Holland chose a different actress to play the role of Dagmar Buresova, the movie would be flawless. Choosing Slovak sex symbol to the play the lead role was unwise, as actress’s visuals steal attention from intended features that Dagmar Buresova’s character should have displayed toIf only Holland chose a different actress to play the role of Dagmar Buresova, the movie would be flawless. Choosing Slovak sex symbol to the play the lead role was unwise, as actress’s visuals steal attention from intended features that Dagmar Buresova’s character should have displayed to win the hearts of the viewers. Moreover, all the deals, made between Buresova and key political (male) figures, looked like products of former’s attractiveness while they were clearly products of her professionalism. The way the actress presented Buresova’s character was inappropriate, starting from aggressive make up to tight outfit and heels. When female traits are accentuated like that, the character turns into a sexual object and her other qualifications no longer capture viewer’s attention. Furthermore, it all diminished the role of Czech nationalism in the climate of Soviet domination. The choice of cast is critically important if director wants to convey a certain message. The message most viewers probably received this time was that Dagmar Buresova, another hero of Palach’s case, was very sexy lady.… Expand

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