"Just in time for glasnost, Vera Chytilova's Prefab Story is being released in the West after nearly a decade of suppression. There is no mystery as to why the film rankled the Czech authorities. It shows the incompetence and corruption involved in the building of a huge block of apartments, and the inability of the residents to do anything but accept the shoddy workmanship for fear they might lose their chance at one of the half-completed, never-to-be-finished apartments. 'Despite the seriousness of the theme,' writes the Festival of Festivals' Kay Armatage, 'Prefab Story is wonderfully enjoyable, hilarious and touching all at once, for in this film we find Chytilova at the height of her powers as a filmmaker, combining her characteristically wild shooting style, farcical elements, wonderful use of music and intricate storytelling abilities.' In focusing on the lives of a varied group of Czechs who hope to obtain one of the flats, the film also shows that Czech society at large is anything but immune to the troubles that affect the workplace. Yet, as one might expect from the director of The Apple Game, the film is far from gloomy." -Walter V. Addiego