Czech Film Center

Synopsis

A stroke of Butterfly Wings a view into the family background of composer Václav Felix from the 1930's to 1980's. It shows the sequence of events and context in which Václav's politically involved procommunist attitude was formed.  Václav's emotional relation to his parents was extremely strong. He saw his father as a great model which he stove to reach and his mother as a protector by whom he sought understanding. However, since 1948 Václav's personal life began to unwind in connection with the political situation in Czechoslovakia. Václav fully identified with the ideology of the communist party. His support of the party also determined his private, personal decisions such as the choice of his life partner or cooling of his affection towards his father who had been imprisoned by the communists. The political ideology had also an impact on his musical work, which he had chosen as his profession. He found refuge in his hobby - collecting butterflies. The ups and downs of his life enable us to observe from what roots Václav's worldview grew and the reasons why he kept it.