Jan Svankmajer: Insects / Alchemical Furnace / Kunstkamera Blu-ray

Three films open different doors into Jan Svankmajer's surreal world. In Insects, an amateur troupe rehearses the Capek brothers' The Insect Play. Its overbearing director, his wife Ruzena and an inattentive cast bring their own frustrations and desires to the production, until the lives of the performers and their insect characters begin to overlap with disturbing consequences. Jaromir Dulava, Kamila Magalova, Jan Budar and Jiri Labus feature in the cast.

Alchemical Furnace, directed by Jan Danhel and Adam Olha, observes Svankmajer's working life and the continuing presence of his late wife and artistic partner Eva. The documentary explores the objects that feed his imagination, his complex relationship with producer Jaromir Kallista, and the everyday activity surrounding exhibitions, lectures and the search for materials.

Kunstkamera offers a two-hour, narration-free journey through Jan and Eva's collection. Paintings, sculptures, taxidermy, shells and curious objects form a personal cabinet of wonders, accompanied by Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. Together, the films connect artistic invention with the physical spaces and materials from which it grows.

Disc one contains Insects and Alchemical Furnace, totaling 221 minutes, with Czech DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Japanese subtitles. Disc two contains the 120-minute Kunstkamera. The two-disc collection includes an explanatory leaflet and a trailer.