Capricious Summer (), a 1968 Czechoslovak comedy film, was the first colour film directed by Jià ÂàMenzel. It is based on the novel Rozmarné léto (Summer of Caprice) by the Czech writer Vladislav VanÃÂura. It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France. The film won the Crystal Globe at 1968 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
The film depicts a humorous story of three men, a retired artillery major, a priest and a bath-keeper, during rainy summer days.
At an abandoned swimming resort, three middle-aged menâÂÂAntonÃÂn Dura, a bathhouse owner; Major Hugo, a retired artillery major; and Canon Roch, the local abbéâÂÂhave a bickering conversation. Arnoà ¡tek, a touring tightrope walker, arrives and invites them to his circus act. Later that night, they attend Arnoà ¡tek's performance in the town square. There, all men meet Arnoà ¡tek's assistant Anna. After the performance, AntonÃÂn rescues Anna from the river. He seduces her, and the two sleep together until they are caught by AntonÃÂn's wife Kateà Âina at sunrise. Infuriated by his infidelity, Kateà Âina leaves and moves in with Arnoà ¡tek.
That same night, Canon Roch dines with Anna in her caravan as AntonÃÂn looks on from the outside. However, they are interrupted by a mob of village men, who pull Roch out of the caravan and assault him. The next morning, Roch has suffered a torn ear, to which Major Hugo and AntonÃÂn meet with him and stitch his ear. For the third night, Hugo and AntonÃÂn revisit the circus to see Anna again. During the act, an old man warns Arnoà ¡tek, who then falls off the wire and lands on his back, injuring himself. Anna then performs an elegant dance. Afterwards, Hugo dines with Anna in his caravan. Smitten with her, he forces himself on her and falls asleep in her lap. Meanwhile, Arnoà ¡tek, now bored with Kateà Âina's advances, sends her back to AntonÃÂn. She and AntonÃÂn amend their relationship.
By the following morning, Arnoà ¡tek searches for Anna, and strikes Hugo with a baton. All three men return to the resort where they notice Arnoà ¡tek's caravan leaving town and resume their summer days.