It is a wonderful example of what television can be, in the best tradition of the Czech TV series: this means fantasy, inventions, humor, good ideas; here, instead of fairy tales, we find science fiction. Director Ota Hofman and Jindrich Polak were provided with big means as for scenarios and special effects (big for that and today's time), but after all the value of their work lies not here. It is their direction itself, the good and cute actors, the rich screenplay, and the many original inventions scattered throughout the series. Everything is made more pleasant by the Czech sense of humor: this means that you are led to laughing not by someone who makes the fool of himself, by dirty jokes or by exaggerations of any kind. The humor is placed in the delicate double meaning - or absurdity - of some dialogs and situations. The main trigger of fun and laughing is the diversity between the visitors from the future and the people of 1984. Habits, conventional attitudes, laws, taboos, good manners are quiet different and often the visitors cannot help seeming strange and funny to the world of the past. Generally speaking, this is a further proof that vulgar jokes about sex are not at all necessary to make people laugh, and not the best means either. It is a good entertainment both for children and adults. Now that it is available on DVD there is the possibility of taking a chance, especially for those who were not enough lucky to see it on television (Czechoslovakians and Germans) when it was first broadcast. As in most Czech series and movies there is no political propaganda. There are only some hints to workers upheavals and protests in the Western World, but in a light way that one can forgive. The series was shot with great efforts between 1981 and 1983, and one can observe the changes in the aspect of the adult actors, and big changes in some children. Anyway, the seventies and the eighties were the best years for Czech television (and for other televisions too). Today's TV series should only blush of shame in front of this one. Furthermore, there is no sex whatsoever; though, there is some innocent erotics when the camera catches some shots of Dagmar Patrasova. In my opinion, she is one of the most beautiful women ever appeared on the screen. For male audiences it is almost impossible not to be amazed by her.
Review of The Visitors
