Straight to Video

Today, we review the latest videos to surface on the Czech political scene:

VIDEO NUMBER ONE
This stars a former aide to Health Minister David Rath, Eva Klimovicova (I'm sorry, but that's going to have to be changed for marquis purposes), and representatives of the drug company Pfizer. Klimovicova offers to ensure Pfizer's drugs make the state's reimbursable list if Pfizer buys advertising in a journal she edits for the Czech Medical Chamber. Her contract says she gets to keep all the advertising revenues from the journal.

This one suffers because the whole "big pharm" theme has been treated recently -- with much better production values AND dead bodies -- in "The Constant Gardener."

There's no driving soundtrack, no love interest, no car chases. It's pure Dogme, and Dogme is so over.

VIDEO NUMBER TWO
This one has a colorful background story, because the video itself went missing. In June, when its three stars -- all members of a state privatization committee -- were first charged with seeking a CZK 50 mln bribe from Veolia Water, Veolia didn't have the video. In December, the charges were laid again when Veolia suddenly found it. I believe the film was not available earlier because it was showing at the Cannes Film Festival (hors de competition, of course). Now, it's resurfaced and it's riveting.