Five essential films inspiring Katya Kabanova

Our production of Katya Kabanova is heavily inspired by the Czech New Wave, an important film movement of the 1960s that pushed back against the repressive norms of the communist regime. The films were experimental, darkly funny and deeply moving, with exquisite cinematography and anti-regime themes. Now, we’re bringing this movement to the stage in our rendition of Leoš Janáček’s opera that blends theatre and live cinema with powerful audio-visual effects.

Here, Set & Costume Designer Savanna Wegman outlines five films — Czech and otherwise — that inspired her approach to Katya Kabanova.

Savanna Wegman:

Fruit of Paradise (1970)

Cheeky and playful, this Czech film delights me in its use of colour, collage and distortion. It is directed by one of my absolute favourites Věra Chytilová, and is a luxurious and hallucinogenic retelling of the story of Adam and Eve. The loss of innocence takes on folkloric twists that slide effortlessly between domestic and mythic which reminded me a lot of Katya’s distinct poetic voice in the libretto.

Melancholia (2011)

Melancholia is so rich in its style of visual poetry. I took a lot of inspiration from the way the landscape and the natural (or at times unnatural) world is treated like a part of the main character’s soul, responsive to Justine and her experience of depression. It cuts deep into the honest nuances of hopelessness but expresses them in gestures that are simultaneously bold and grand, yet quiet and powerful.

Outer Space (1999)

Heather Fairbairn, our Director, showed me this short film and it is quite a masterpiece! I think its genius comes from its visual fragmentation and decay — not only of the cinematic image and female subject but of the physical celluloid film itself.

The film destroys itself in multiple layers through tearing and shattering to expose a striking illusory perspective. It provided a stunning reference for how we wanted Katya’s inner landscape to implode — melting, ripping, dismantling our dual form inside cinema space and the theatre space.

Nostalghia (1983)

Tarkovsky’s Nostalghia gave me imagery of winged angels, dilapidated and overgrown cathedrals, and an intense mood of timelessness. I was swooning. It dances from de-saturated colours to black and white, in and out of dream states, and fixates on an indescribable recollection of home that is rich in symbolism and spirituality.

The powerful image of Gorchakov sitting in the front yard of his house surrounded by the ruins of a cathedral was burned into my brain and inspired the arched ruins of Act 3 in Katya Kabanova — spiritual worlds within worlds, and unseen layers emerging into being.

The Garden of Desires (1987)

This Soviet film influenced an atmosphere of romance in Katya Kabanova. Its pastoral landscapes — gardens, fields and rivers — cover up an underlying darkness: in this case, the impending Great Patriotic War of the 1940s.

The film follows a young girl and her sisters through white summer dresses, foreboding weather and lush cinematography. These have influenced Katya’s costume as well as the opera’s scene in Act 2 of the lovers in the garden.

Don’t miss Katya Kabanova at the Palais Theatre, 14 & 16 October. Book tickets now.