Of all the cinematic New Waves that broke over the world in the 1960s, the one in Czechoslovakia was among the most fruitful, fascinating, and radical. With a wicked sense of humor and a healthy streak of surrealism, a group of fearless directors - including eventual Oscar winners Milos Forman and J n Kad r - began to use film to speak out about the hypocrisy and absurdity of the Communist state. A defining work was the 1966 omnibus film Pearls of the Deep, which introduced five of the movement"s greatest voices: Vra Chytilov , Jaromil Jire, Ji¡ Menzel, Jan Nmec, and Evald Schorm. This series presents that title, along with five other crucial works that followed close on its heels, one from each of those filmmakers... some dazzlingly experimental, some arrestingly realistic, all singular expressions from a remarkable time and place. Pearls of the Deep" - A manifesto of sorts for the Czech New Wave, this five-part anthology shows off the breadth of expression offered by the movement"s versatile directors. All based on stories by the legendary writer Bohumil Hrabal, the shorts range from surreally chilling to caustically observant to casually romantic, but all have a cutting, wily view of the world.