in praise of daisies

Věra Chytilová's 60s film Daisies is a surreal trip into an aesthetic paradise where women are liberated from the conventions of etiquette. It stars two young girls who, upon realising that "Everything's going bad in this world", decide "we're going bad as well" and spend the rest of the film in a psychedelic rebellion. Good on 'em.

Released two years before the 1968 Prague Spring and part of the 60s Czech New Wave (Nová Vina) movement, it aimed to make the Czech people aware of a system of oppression and incompetence that had brutalised them. It was filmed during a brief period of artistic liberalism following the homogeneity of Czech's Communist rule and before the Soviet invasion of 1968, which saw it banned for "depicting the wanton". 

It follows the misadventures of two young women who decide to mirror the indulgent world around them. Nothing traditional is sacred in their universe: food, clothes, men and war become both ammunition and the subject of their pranks. It’s little wonder it was banned - the film's anarchic spirit – particularly its pre-punk middle finger to the establishment – was summed up by the final dedication in the movie: 'Dedicated to those who get upset only over a stomped-upon bed of lettuce.'

Simultaneously, a brilliant dissent against political conservativism and an endless source of sartorial inspiration - flower crowns and thick graphic liners never looked better - its influence has been far-reaching for cultural mavens for decades. Take a look at any Gucci campaign in the past few years, and you’ll find the spirit of Daisies in there somewhere. We have gathered just a few film stills that inspire and delight us below.

You can watch Daisies via the BFI