The Jester knows his history, and has embarked on a book project to write down all this information in an illustrated tome, starting with his observations on the subject of war, specifically the Thirty Years War which devastated the Czech people. He takes as his guide through this a young farmer called Petr (Petr Kostka) who was not caught up in the conflict as he was too busy toiling on the land, but war has an unwelcome habit of dragging innocents and bystanders into its chaos, and lo, the God of War blew his gales and Petr was suddenly captured by one side, not actually knowing what either army was fighting for. From now on he would have to live on his wits, but soon he was acting out a subterfuge to stay alive...
A Jester's Tale, or Bláznova kronika as it was originally called, was one of the part-animated, part live action films directed by Karel Zeman, a Czech pioneer of fantasy works whose influence not simply in his techniques but in the way he used them to put across his plots and themes was notable in the efforts of directors who would be far more famous than he ever was. Such was the drawback of labouring under the Soviet repression that he existed in for half of his life, and just as that was about to be lifted, he passed away, though he had long been retired by 1989. It was an irony you imagine he would take in with his philosophical good humour of the sort his art conveyed.
Well, you would hope so, as his take on wartime here was notable in allowing the actual horrors of combat and its effects to intrude only occasionally as for the most part the movie reacted to the madness of Petr's situation with a bemused yet wise demeanour, emphasising that once you either had allowed yourself to be caught up in war or were forced into it you were at the mercy of forces beyond your control for the most part. Zeman represented that powerlessness with the image of the God of War huffing and puffing whenever he wished to exert his strength, thereby sending the characters hurtling into life or death peril as many would set out to attack other people without even being tremendously sure of what they were fighting for, other than those folks over there in the different uniforms being the enemy.
Petr wasn't alone on his journey through this lunacy on a large scale, as he meets two other folks who will assist him in surviving: first, the rotund, wily soldier Matej (Miroslav Holub) who initially captures him, then finds the tables turned when rivals show up whereupon he proves himself to be an opportunist rather than a career army man. On escaping with a carriage full of treasure, they both meet Lenka (Emília Vásáryová), the girl whose donkey they have "borrowed" to pull the carriage, and they decide to make friends. More role playing ensues as representatives from one side of the conflict show up led by Captain Varga (Karel Effa) who drags them off, thinking they are by turn a nobleman, his second and his fool (Lenka dresses up as a jester, disguising herself as a boy).
Once in Varga's castle stronghold, or rather the castle belonging to the Emperor, Petr meets Countess Veronika (Valentina Thielová) who is seeking a suitor and now that he has shown up, she doesn't need to marry Varga, much to his chagrin. Only Petr's not so keen either, wanting to get as far away from this madness as he can, and if he can take Lenka with him so much the better. Matej blusters his way through this in search of his next drink, suggesting the only people who regard killing other people as the best method to get your way are frankly the real fools, caught up in a fervour that makes no sense once you get down to its basics. Petr and Lenka can see that, though there is a scene where the previous lightness of touch turns more disturbing as the girl has an insight into the true toll of war and it hits home just how horrific it is. Mostly, though, the characters were on the level of fairy story players, more representative of a type or idea than they were flesh and blood, and as far as that went this was an engaging watch, Zeman's impeccable visuals carrying you through. Music by Jan Novák.
