This article was written by Tory Crowley.
Watching The Bohemian is like entering another world. In a sense, we are entering the world of real-life Czech composer Josef Mysliveček, who became famous in the late 1700s for writing Italian operas. While the movie is officially a product of the Czech Republic, most of the dialogue is in Italian, as the story is set primarily in 18th-century Venice.
As someone not well-versed in opera, I appreciate that this movie gracefully walks the line of including enough performances to honor the art of operatic performance without alienating me. It never made me feel overwhelmed or like I was missing key elements of the story by not knowing opera well.
This is a character-driven story, and for better or for worse, director Petr Václav resists indulging in long, expansive shots of the Italian countryside, gorgeous buildings, or costumes that are works of art in their own right. They are there in the background, but never the focus. In short, this is a movie drenched in beauty, but the characters take it for granted, and so we do too. Decadence is simply the air our characters breathe.
The story follows musician Josef Mysliveček (Vojtech Dyk) on his quest to make a name for himself as an opera composer. Josef takes us to grand residences, ornate performance halls, and even into the presence of a king.
The riches he encounters are ironic because Josef himself is penniless by choice. He gave up his homeland, a place in his family’s business, and even signed away his inheritance to pursue a bohemian lifestyle, a life devoted to passion and pleasure. We meet Josef willingly dependent on the good graces of his wealthy benefactors. But it seems Josef is happy with the choices he has made.
At one point, we meet Josef’s dutiful twin brother, representing the path not taken, who asks him in frustration, “What’s the point of being famous if you’re in debt?” There is no reply, but to Josef the answer is obvious: there is no other way to live.
Czech actor Vojtěch Dyk plays Josef perfectly, capturing his essence as an artist. There is no duplicitousness in Josef. He pursues art, music, love, and sex without reservation.
However, the women in Josef’s life aren’t as singularly committed to chasing their own desires as he is. His lovers live in the tension of pursuing their passions while maintaining their reputations and family obligations. These women are also burdened by the pain and injustice of the world in ways that never bother Josef.
And while Josef’s hedonism brings him fame, glory, and women, it also costs him a lot. He remains poor, dependent on the generosity of others, and ultimately physically unwell. In his later years, Josef gets sick and becomes disfigured, having to wear a mask around other people. Still, he never wavers in his decisions.
There is a scene toward the end of the film where Josef gambles away all of his money, loses his watch, and then loses the coat off his back. But he doesn’t get upset by his loss. On the contrary, he enjoys playing the game and having the chance to win. This scene, where he goes all in, loses everything, and is happy with his choices encapsulates his viewpoint perfectly. And it’s his fidelity to this view that makes him the man and composer that he ultimately becomes.
While Josef Mysliveček is largely a forgotten figure in history, this film serves not only to acknowledge his work as a composer but also his lifestyle. In the end, Josef fully embodies his nickname “Il Boemo” (“The Bohemian”).
This film is hedonistic in all aspects, including how it handles sex. It feels very, shall we say, “European” in its presentation of sexual content. However, the overt sexual content is concentrated within a few key scenes and generally is useful for character and plot development. I never felt like the adult content was merely there for the sake of being gratuitous or shocking.
And much like Josef Mysliveček himself, this film has a deep appreciation for beauty. It’s almost an embarrassment of riches how ornate the settings are and how gorgeously the costumes complement each setting. The cinematography makes you feel like a painting from the Italian Enlightenment has come to life.
This movie was submitted as the Czech entry for Best International Film at the 95th Academy Awards. While it was not chosen as a final nominee, it’s easy to see why it was a contender.
The Bohemiand will be available on Apple TV+ and other digital platforms on July 30.
Tory Crowley is a writer and editor from Michigan. She is interested in everything but especially loves writing about film, finance, and faith. You can see her work published in Collider, Policygenius.com, and the Hope for New York blog. She is an alumna of the University of Michigan—go blue!
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