ADELA HAS NOT HAD SUPPER YET // High-Brow/Low-Brow/Uni-Brow

dir: Oldřich Lipský - 1978 - 1 hr 42 min

“Within that bizarre flower lies a huge enigma,” muses Nick Carter, America’s Greatest Detective (Michal Dočolomanský), called to Prague to investigate the case of a missing dog and instead winding up in the jaws of a giant carnivorous plant controlled by his old nemesis, The Gardener (Miloš Kopecký), in Czech director Oldřich Lipský’s beloved cult hit. Inspired by the Nick Carter dime novel detective stories created by John R. Coryell, ADELA is an irresistible slapstick combination of 19th century James Bond gadgetry, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, Blake Edwards circa THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN and Louis Feuillade silent serials like FANTOMAS and JUDEX. In other words, a sheer delight.

A loving tribute to the bygone days of old-world Prague, the film is literally filled with surreal, poetic moments and machinery – a balloon chase on a flying bicycle, a solar rifle, flowering vines serving tea – with the best by far being the Audrey-like man-eating plant designed and animated by the legendary Jan Švankmajer (who also contributed to MYSTERIOUS CASTLE IN THE CARPATHIANS several years later). Look for famed Czech actress Olga Schoberová (LEMONADE JOE, WHO KILLED JESSIE?, Hammer’s THE VENGEANCE OF SHE) in a brief but memorable role as cabaret dancer Irma the Cat.

High-Brow/Low-Brow/Uni-Brow is a monthly film series programmed by Andrew Linn dedicated to exploring films from every corner of taste and seeing what they have to say with each otherz

Host or Publisher Stray Cat Film Center