Search - The End of August at the Hotel Ozone on DVD

The most chilling anti-war film ever made

Florida reader | Florida | 03/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The film begins years after a modern nuclear war. An older woman leads a band of teenaged girls in a constant search for other living humans, especially men. All of their food comes from cans, as it is not safe to eat anything that grows. The girls, who all carry machine guns, have grown up without the social constraints of society.

Of the post nuclear holocaust films I have seen, none come close to "End of August" in capturing the utter devastation of nuclear war--not so much the physical destruction, but a more interior destruction. Filmed in stark black and white, "End of August" shows the utter loneliness and despair of a society that has become unravelled. This is a hard film to watch, and its ending is devastating.

I'm not sure the director intended this to be an anti-war film, but to me, there is no more graphic representation of the insanity of nuclear war."

Disturbing vision of a post-apocalyptic world

M. Cabbage | Washington State, USA | 07/08/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, this movie was beautifully filmed. The landscapes, settings and sequencing of scenes was amazing. That said, I found the rest of the movie fairly well-done, but certain parts were quite disturbing. Even though the characters felt flat I must acknowledge the acting challenges placed before them. I would be very interested to know if the animals shown in the movie were actually killed while filming. Some of the scenes lead me to believe this was the case. While immensely disturbing (i.e. maiming and killing a dog, twisting the head off of a snake, etc.) the message--the lack of civility (civility which comes from living in a society) and understanding of what we accept as social norms--is clear and it clearly sticks with you. It was reminiscent of Lord of the Flies in some ways except that the younger women never knew society at all. They were savage and primeval in their actions and attitudes and the only things keeping them in check is the older woman who remembers what society was like.
Overall it was beautifully shot, impressive for its scope for the time of release and the country in which it was made. But this movie is not for the squeamish and it does move kind of slow. But if you are like me and like to watch as many futuristic-post-apocalyptic-the-world-is-a-wasteland-sci-fi movies as you can, then you should check this one out."

The picture it presents of a post-nuclear world is not prett

Richard J. Brzostek | New England, USA | 03/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The End of August at the Hotel Ozone is Czech film from 1966 about a post-apocalyptic world. This film could be considered an anti-war film, as the picture it presents of a post-nuclear world is not pretty. It shows us a world that is nearly a throw back to the Stone Age.

A band of women travel together and are searching for other people, particularly men, but it has been years since they saw anyone new. An older woman acts as their leader and occasionally tells them what the world was like before they were born. The young people raised in this world do not have the morals of those raised before the war. To call them reckless and savage would be an accurate description as they think mostly of themselves and cruelty is part of their normal behavior. I have to add that parts of the movie are disturbing, as there is actual animal cruelty in the film.

I highly enjoyed the visual beauty and creativeness of The End of August at the Hotel Ozone. Learning about the world presented in the film coupled with seeing the effect the war had on people is an eerie combination. The story drew me in and I thought the suspense didn't let up. I think this is a great movie but may not be for those who are faint of heart. Even with that said, everything that is disturbing about the film just might be adding another element of realism.
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