Released following the Prague Spring and the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, Jaromil Jires’s film The Joke (Zert) brilliantly combines Ludvik Jahn’s past with the present, explaining the protagonist’s current bitter state of mind. Throughout the film, Ludvik spends most of his time reliving important events of his past, especially his expulsion from the Communist party and his time in the army meant to “reeducate” Ludvik. To effectively show this, Jires uses point of view shots throughout the flashbacks. Characters look directly into the camera, making the audience relive these moments as well. For example, as Ludvik is brought to a Communist party meeting to ask him about the postcard, those on the board, Paul, and Margareta peer into the camera as he is kicked out of the Party and university. In shots when Ludvik appears on screen, such as the scene when Alexei is found dead, he is shown as he appears in the present, clearly depicting that Ludvik is vividly remembering these crucial periods of his life.

These flashbacks are intercut with the present, often with music juxtaposing the events of the past. While Ludvik is recalling his days in the army, a band plays music for him. As they perform a song title “No More Masters, No More Slaves,” he describes how he was forced to spend six grueling years in the army, military prison, and the mines. Another scene depicts Ludvik in a brutal labor camp while joyful revolution songs play in the background. These scenes add to Ludvik’s bitterness while also including irony.