The Czech film Waves, which depicts the events surrounding the Prague Spring and the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, premieres in French cinemas this weekend under a new title and with a shorter runtime. Released in France as Radio Prague – The Waves of Revolt (Radio Prague – Les ondes de la révolte), the film is about 15 minutes shorter than the Czech version screened domestically last year.
Directed by Jiří Mádl, Waves focuses on the role of Czechoslovak Radio during the tumultuous years of 1967 and 1968. The film portrays both fictional and real-life figures from International Life desk of the broadcaster during Prague Spring and the subsequent Warsaw Pact invasion.
“This handsomely-mounted story from writer-director Jiří Mádl has a tendency to overplay the drama surrounding its fictional central protagonist, but the real-life underpinnings shine through, especially during a thrilling climax as Soviet tanks roll through Prague,” The Prague Reporter wrote in its review of Waves last year. “Viewers well-versed in Czech history and those completely unfamiliar with the events Waves recounts will both find a lot to like here.”
The film was the most-seen (and second-highest-grossing) in Czech cinemas last year, and the Czech Republic’s official submission to the 2025 Academy Awards; it was one of 15 films shortlisted for the Best International Film Oscar, but ultimately did not receive a nomination.
French distributor ARP Sélection decided to cut the film’s runtime from 131 to around 116 minutes to make it more accessible for local audiences and easier to program in French cinemas.
“To be honest, apart from the opening scene, which is spectacular, I don’t think the longer version adds anything extra,” Michèle Halberstadt, founder of ARP Sélection, tells Czech Radio.
“I would say it’s more complicated and less accessible. Selling a Czech film about the events of 1968 is not a given. And if it ran two hours and twenty minutes, that would be impossible. It’s very difficult. The moment a foreign film is longer than two hours, it becomes very complicated to schedule it into the program.”
Posters advertising the film in Paris feature microphones threatened by machine guns and about to be crushed by a military boot, highlighting the central theme of the fight for free media during the invasion.
French media outlets have responded to Waves with largely positive reviews.
“At once a political fable, a spy film, and a historical drama, Jiří Mádl‘s film astounds with its narrative mastery and emotional power,” Jean-Christophe Buisson writes for Le Figaro.
“Dramatic and educational, without being overly didactic, Radio Prague – The Waves of Revolt is worth watching for both its subject and its storytelling skills,” says Jacky Bornet for France Télévisions.
However, not all critics were convinced. Télérama’s Guillemette Odicino described the film as a political drama that failed to bring anything new to the genre.
“I’m a little disappointed with how the French press reacted to the film,” Halberstadt told Czech Radio about the French reception to Waves.
“I think they were too harsh. On one hand, you read that the topic is interesting. On the other hand, especially older journalists tell you they already know these events. Others point out that the way it’s made is too ordinary. I don’t agree with that. I really like the film.”
