Erotikon (Eroticon). 1929. Directed by Gustav Machatý

Erotikon (Eroticon). 1929. Czechoslovakia. Directed by Gustav Machatý. Screenplay by Machatý, from a novel by Vítězslav Nezval. With Ita Rina, Karel Schleichert, Olaf Fjord. Silent, with live piano accompaniment. 85 min.

This is the first major work of the director Gustav Machatý, who would achieve international fame with his sexually frank Ecstasy in 1932. Less explicit but no less sensual, Erotikon traces the consequences of an impulsive encounter between a handsome stranger (Olaf Fjord), stranded by a storm in a small town train station, and the station master’s virginal daughter (the extraordinary Slovenian actress Ita Rina, who became a European star with this film). HD video.