Topic Archive Culture
Surviving Life - Master Švankmajer returns to the screen with a ‘psychoanalytical comedy’
It is only every five years or so that the renowned Czech animator Jan
Švankmajer brings out a new film, and the wait is now over. “Surviving
Life” draws on many of Švankmajer’s traditional themes and styles
while exploring them through an experimental medium, once again confirming
why he is the most acclaimed Czech art house director at home and abroad. More
From Morning till Night and more
The Czech Cultural Centre in London is gearing up for a big event this
weekend – an exhibition of visual art by the Czech-born artist Kateřina
Šedá called from Morning till Night. I asked the head of the centre,
Ladislav Pflimpfl, who was on a brief visit to Prague this week, what it is
all about and what else is in the pipeline for fans of Czech art this
autumn. More
First Czech movie using rotoscoping technique to premiere at Venice film festival
Alois Nebel, the first Czech film that was produced with the rotoscoping
technique – a process that renders images shot with actors in a unique
black-and-white cartoon style – will be premiering at the prestigious
International Film Festival in Venice this weekend. The movie, based on a
cartoon novel by Jaroslav Rudiš that has garnered a cult following, is
highly anticipated by Czech cinema lovers. Ahead of its premiere abroad, I
caught up with Alois Nebel producer Pavel Strnad and asked him about the
special technique it was made with, the film’s director and what category
the movie will be shown in at the festival. More
Jaroslav Marvan: 50 years on stage and screen
Jaroslav Marvan was one of the most prolific Czech actors of all times with
more than 150 film roles and many more theatre acts. He appeared in his
first – silent – movie in 1926, and he made his last film in 1973, a
year before he died. In this edition of Czechs in History we look at the
extraordinary career of Jaroslav Marvan, a theatre and film star before the
war as well as in communist Czechoslovakia.
More
“If I had been a boy, I would have been shot…” Part 8
In the last few weeks Veronika Hyks has been reading from the memoirs of
Jaroslava Skleničková, an extraordinary story of survival in war. We have
now reached May 1945. After nearly three years in Ravensbrück, the women
of Lidice are now free, although they still face the trauma of returning
home to find that the village has been wiped off the map and that all their
menfolk and nearly all their children are dead. David Vaughan introduces
the eighth episode. More
Fresh Film Festival opens in Prague with “defiance” as main theme
The Fresh Film Festival – highlighting work by debuting directors and
student filmmakers – got underway in Prague this week, offering viewers
a
rare opportunity to see films they would otherwise have little chance to
see. Last year “heroes” were the main theme; this year it’s
“defiance”. More
Ester Krumbachová – costume designer who left her mark on Czech New Wave
In this edition of Czechs in History, we look back at the life and work of
Ester Krumbachová, an artist, costume designer, screenwriter, and one of
the most important personalities of the Czech New Wave. Although her name
is somewhat forgotten today, she was a major inspiration to the leading
filmmakers of the 1960s, such as Věra Chytilová, Jan Němec or Vojtěch
Jasný. More
Psí Vojáci call it quits after 32 years
In today’s Sunday Music Show we bid farewell to a fixed star of the Czech
music firmament – Psí Vojáci is no more. Last weekend the band
announced that it was wrapping up more than 30 years on the stage and in
the studio – no long farewells – personal and health problems had got
the better of them they said. More
James Stafford – Author of The Sorrowful Putto of Prague
In this week’s Arts, my guest is Welsh writer James Stafford, the author
of a wonderfully irreverent new webcomic The Sorrowful Putto of Prague.
The
comic tells the story of a 400-year-old putto (or cherub) named Xavier
living in the city and it has captured the attention of both Czech and
English-language readers. After looking up the site myself, I was curious
to learn more about Xavier and his world. Luckily James Stafford – who
is
not usually based in Prague – was able to come to the studio to discuss
the project. More
Trutnov festival back on the Battlefield
It’s that time of year again – the Czech Republic’s premiere open air
music festival in Trutnov is back on the Battlefield, as the traditional
venue is called. A red letter event on the calendars of underground music
lovers (the likes of regular attendee Václav Havel), Trutnov has been
celebrating counter-culture since 1987, when it was attempted, but stopped
by the State Police. This year, as ever, the festival offers four days of a
“cultic meeting” beginning Thursday, “dedicated to Amnesty
International, Jim Morrison and the warriors from Tippecanoe”. Earlier
today festival organiser Iva Rejlová told me more of what we can expect. More
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