Loves of a Blonde (1965)

Loves of a Blonde (Czech: Lásky jedné plavovlásky), also known as A Blonde in Love, is a 1965 Czechoslovak romantic comedy-drama film directed by Miloš Forman that follows a young woman, Andula, who has a routine job in a shoe factory in provincial Czechoslovakia, and her attempts at forging a romantic relationship.

Forman based his story on an incident from his past and the filmmakers created a realistic look and feel by filming on location in a small Czech town with a shoe factory, utilizing a largely non-professional cast, relying on a considerable amount of dialogue improvisation, and employing documentary-style cinematographic techniques.

Upon its release, Loves of a Blonde was popular in its home country and was shown at some major film festivals, where it garnered a number of nominations and awards. Critical response was largely positive, although some reviewers were less enthusiastic than others. The film is now considered one of the most significant examples of the Czech New Wave, a movement which took advantage of a temporary relaxation of totalitarian control over creative artists to use cinema as a means to explore new narrative strategies while making pointed critiques of social and political conditions behind the Iron Curtain. Loves of a Blonde was nominated for the 1966 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.