Czech DVDs

[admira]

Karel Vachek's DVD's

[MichaelB]

Ufff, now this is something:

Zlata sedesata-DVD

It's the complete "Golden 60's" documentary series - 26 DVDs, with English subtitles (or so it appears)! (I reviewed the "abbreviated" 2-disc version here.)

It's quite expensive though: ~5 EUR a piece, or ~105 for the complete set... (No matter, I'm getting one of them sets right away! )

My set arrived this morning, and I'm delighted to confirm that English subtitles are indeed included, and they appear to be extremely thorough and idiomatic.

I've had a quick spin through the Jan Švankmajer disc, on the grounds that he's the filmmaker in the set that I know best, and it appears to be impressively comprehensive. Essentially, it's an extensively-illustrated interview - to give some idea how extensive, this is the list of film clips in the closing credits (i.e. not including photos or still artwork):

• The Last Trick (1964)
• Johannes Doktor Faust (Emil Radok, 1958)
• Un Chien Andalou (Luis Buñuel, 1929)
• The Czech Year (Jiri Trnka, 1947)
• J.S. Bach Fantasia in G minor (1965)
• Punch and Judy (1966)
• Historia Naturae (1967)
• The Garden (1968)
• A Quiet Week in the House (1969)
• The Flat (1968)
• Picnic with Weissmann (1969)
• The Ossuary (1970)
• Leonardo's Diary (1972)
...plus documentary footage of the Prague puppet school, Laterna Magika performances, etc.

Given that the focus is on the 1960s, this seems very thorough indeed - out of the fourteen films he made from 1964-72, they've included clips from ten, and the interview has lots of background detail, including plenty of things I didn't previously know about - for instance, one of the reasons Leonardo's Diary caused such a scandal was that it was the only Czech film (feature or short) selected for Cannes that year. So from a Czech perspective it was highly visible, and it caused a huge row thanks to being used as a political football between two rival officials who hated each other (Švankmajer describes this with some relish, even though the fallout led to him being banned from making films for seven years).

All in all, it looks very promising - there doesn't seem to be any particular order in which the discs should be viewed, so I think I'll alternate between filmmakers I know and ones that I don't.

[MichaelB]

All in all, it looks very promising - there doesn't seem to be any particular order in which the discs should be viewed, so I think I'll alternate between filmmakers I know and ones that I don't.

Courtesy of the Česká Televize website, I found out that the original screening order was:

1. Miloš Forman
2. Otakar Vávra
3. Juraj Herz
4. Miroslav Ondříček
5. Věra Chytilová
6. Albert Marenčin
7. Hynek Bočan
8. Ladislav Helge
9. Jiří Menzel
10. Stanislav Milota
11. Jan Kačer
12. Jan Švankmajer
13. Meir Lubor Dohnal
14. Drahomíra Vihanová
15. Jan Schmidt
16. Zdeněk Mahler
17. Jan Němec
18. Eduard Grečner
19. Ivan Balaďa
20. Karel Vachek
21. Igor Luther
22. Juraj Jakubisko
23. Vojtěch Jasný
24. Dušan Hanák
25. Vít Olmer
26. Ivan Passer

I daresay the viewing order doesn't matter too much, though I can see why they kicked off with Forman, as he's the biggest name (and it's slightly disconcerting seeing him speaking his native language: I'd mentally assumed he spoke English with a gravelly foreign accent from birth).

But it also makes sense to put Vávra second, as he's the crucial link with the past - by far the oldest interviewee (which is why presumably why his was the first to be filmed, in 2003, though he's actually still alive at the ripe old age of 100), he's lived and worked through and indeed survived virtually all the great ideological shifts in Czech film history, in addition to his crucial role as the FAMU professor who taught most of the great 1960s generation.

Another thing worth highlighting is the involvement of the Slovak Film Institute and the presence of people like Juraj Herz, Dušan Hanák and Juraj Jakubisko among the headline interviewees. People often refer casually to the Czech New Wave, but Peter Hames' book is titled The Czechoslovak New Wave for a reason - indeed, the first film discussed in the documentary overview is Štefan Uher's The Sun in a Net (1962). I imagine the heavy involvement of Martin Šulík, an important Slovak director in his own right (he's credited as director of all the episodes I've sampled, as well as the two-part overview), ensured that this often overlooked aspect of central European film history would get its due.

[MichaelB]

Karel Vachek's DVD's

Thanks for this - I've taken the plunge and ordered a box.

Anyone thinking of following suit should be advised that payment is less than convenient - they either want a bank transfer upfront or cash on delivery, but they've been very helpful via email. But I've been meaning to check out Vachek's work for some time (Peter Hames didn't generally mention documentaries and animation in his book on Czech cinema, but made an exception for Vachek and Jan Švankmajer on the grounds that their work was "impossible to ignore"), so this is an excellent opportunity.

As for the Golden Sixties box, I've only just started delving into it properly (I plan to watch the lot over the next three or four weeks), but if the rest of it's as good as what I've seen so far it's right up there with Kevin Brownlow's legendary Hollywood for its genuinely comprehensive overview of an entire epoch of film history. Obviously, it's of far more specialist interest than Brownlow's masterpiece, but it's easy to see why it took ten years to make.

[razumovsky]

Michael - thank you for posting your comments on the Golden Sixties box. Do you know what would be the best way of ordering this from the UK?

[MichaelB]

I'm guessing from its own website - the production company seems to be selling it online themselves.

[perkizitore]

Does it cost about 86 pounds including shipping?

[MichaelB]

Sounds about right.

[admira]

18 documentaries by a legend of Czech film Jan Špáta on 4DVD

[MichaelB]

18 documentaries by a legend of Czech film Jan Špáta on 4DVD

It took some time to find concrete info, but these DVDs do appear to have English subtitles.

But I'm none the wiser as to why Jan Špáta is a legend of Czech film - perhaps you'd like to introduce his work to us?

[admira]

a few links:
Jan Spata: A documentary maker of everyday life
Witnesses of Intermittent Time
Biography

[admira]

This is more of a general Czech cinema question, but what's the best DVD source(s) for Jiri Barta, the animator. I've found this American DVD, but nothing else.

Toys in the Attic (2009)

[Calvin]

Can anyone translate this? I think it has some comments on the 4K restoration of Marketa Lazarová but I can't quite understand the Google Translate version #-o

[MichaelB]

Can anyone translate this? I think it has some comments on the 4K restoration of Marketa Lazarová but I can't quite understand the Google Translate version #-o

This is based on Google Translate, my own knowledge of the situation and my very rusty Czech, so please don't take this as gospel, but...

Marketa Lazarova finally on Blu-ray!

A few weeks ago, one of the most valuable treasures of Czech cinematography was re-premiered at the [Karlovy Vary] festival, in a 4K digital projection of a restored copy. This had been discussed for a long time [something about a secret]. Finally, the Czech National Film Archive invited the restoration company UPP [to carry out the restoration], but under several conditions, including an initial prohibition on the use of the original negative (though in the end it was partially used) and a ban on remastering.

In practice, this means that the film has been restored in the sense of removing scratches and other physical defects, but it has not been fully remastered. So while Marketa Lazarová now exists in a digital version, this was not created with the aid of technology that could make further adjustments to the presentation of the image (contrast, sharpness, brightness across the frame, etc.). Marketa Lazarová may look better than ever before, but it does not look as good as it could. And it's a damn shame.

But at least let's be glad about something. Digital copies will be made available soon, which means projected screenings in arthouse cinemas - and, most importantly, the National Film Archive is preparing new DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film.

No major details have been revealed as yet. The authoring will be sourced from UPP's 4K master (with no remastering in the case of the Blu-ray, sadly), and the film should come out at some point in December. This edition should be accompanied by extra material, as yet unspecified (apparently this will be sourced from the archival materials held by the NFA). And the sound? Unfortunately, it will be mono, though the original four-track master is still preserved in the Czech archives.

Marketa Lazarová in HD will definitely be a milestone in Czech Blu-ray releases. In foreign markets, national classics are restored and remastered for Blu-ray presentation on an almost daily basis, but Marketa Lazarová will be the first [Czech] one. Something says that it will also be the last one for some time. [I'm completely stuck on the last sentence, but it's something about the apparent impossibility of classic films being restored properly in HD in the Czech Republic].

That's guaranteed to be riddled with errors, so a more authoritative translation is most welcome!

[Calvin]

Thank you! It's much more legible now and I'm even more interested to see the new restoration in motion and judge for myself whether there is room for improvement.

[MichaelB]

Incidentally, the section on Marketa Lazarová in the 25 From the Sixties documentary (reviewed here, and see above for info about the complete Golden Sixties box set) includes some fascinating on-set footage, which is presumably what the piece was referring to.

[admira]

Japanese release from Columbia Music Entertainment :

[MichaelB]

If the Amazon listing is correct (not necessarily a given, I know), this is a barebones release in Czech with Japanese subtitles - and if that's true it's not remotely competitive with the region-free BFI version, even if it's the same transfer.

(I suspect it probably is, as there wouldn't have been any point accessing the original interpos to create another HD master when there's nothing wrong with the universally-acclaimed BFI one).

It's also well over double the price, even as a preorder.

[MichaelB]

The Karel Vachek DVDs have arrived. I haven't had a chance to watch any properly yet (and probably won't until I've finished my Golden Sixties marathon, which includes an entire episode on Vachek), but a few quick observations:

1. The "box" that comes with the box set is a thin cardboard sleeve, black on the outside, beige on the inside (i.e. no text or artwork). It was also shipped flat and intended for self-assembly. I don't imagine I'll bother hanging onto it.

2. According to the DVD sleeves, there are multiple subtitle options besides English. These vary from disc to disc, so I'll highlight them after each title.

3. All the discs are marked region-free PAL. I can confirm that this is definitely true of PD702, and there's no reason to assume the others don't follow suit.

4. Each disc comes with a slim booklet with stills and notes in both Czech and English.

5. Menus are also in both Czech and English - you select the language on first loading the disc.

6. The six discs appear to contain Vachek's entire film output, from his only surviving FAMU student short to his most recent feature. The mammoth gap between 1968 and 1992 is all too easy to explain - I don't imagine the Husák regime had much time for highly critical avant-garde documentaries.

Said output is as follows:

1959 - Painter Kamil Lhoták (Malíř Kamil Lhoták, 7 mins) - PD702, English/Czech/French
1963 - Moravian Hellas (Moravská Hellas, 33 mins) - PD702, Czech/English/French
1968 - Elective Affinities (Spřízneni volbou, 85 mins) - PD702, Czech/English
1992 - New Hyperion or Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood (Nový Hyperion aneb Volnost, rovnost, bratrství), 207 mins - PD703, English/French/Polish
1996 - What Is To Be Done? (A Journey From Prague to Český Krumlov, or How I Formed a New Government) (Co dělat? (Cesta z Prahy do Českého Krumlova aneb jak jsem sestavoval novou vládu), 216 mins) - PD704, English/French/Polish
2000 - Bohemia Docta or The Labyrinth of the World and the Lust-house of the Heart (A Divine Comedy) (Bohemia Docta aneb Labyrint světa a lusthauz srdce (Božská komedie), 254 mins) - PD705, English/French/Polish
2002 - Who Will Watch the Watchman? Dalibor, or The Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin (Kdo bude hlídat hlídače? Dalibor, aneb klíč k chaloupce strýčka Toma, 242 mins) - PD705, Czech/English/Polish
2006 - Záviš, the Prince of Pornofolk Under the Influence of Griffith's 'Intolerance' and Tati's 'Monsieur Hulot's Holiday' or The Foundation and Doom of Czechoslovakia (1918-1992) (Záviš, kníže pornofolku pod vlivem Griffithovy Intolerance a Tatiho prázdnin pána Hulota aneb vznik a zánik Československa (1918 - 1992), 147 mins) - PD701, Czech/English/French/Polish

The links are to Vachek's own website - which offers more info on the films themselves and video extracts.

[admira]

Drahomíra Vihanová

DOCUMENTARY FILMS OF DRAHOMIRA VIHANOVA
A WASTED SUNDAY
THE PILGRIMAGE OF STUDENTS PETER AND JACOB
PEVNOST

Just to add, there is a book + DVD that includes 6 documentaries.
Films:
Hledání (1979), a portrait of František Vláčil.
Variace na téma „hledání tvaru“ (1986), a portrait of a pianist František Rauch
Dukovany – vroucí kotel (1987)
Za oknem… (1988)
Proměny přítelkyně Evy (1990)
Portrait of jazz singer Eva Olmerová
Denně předstupuji před Tvou tvář… (1992)

[MichaelB]

I've tried Googling for info about English subtitles but have drawn a blank - as a general rule, can you supply this upfront? I make a point of doing so with my own news about Czech and Polish releases, because unsubtitled discs will be useless to virtually everyone here - I'm guessing the number of speakers of each language can be counted on the fingers of one hand round these parts.

[admira]

I am generally posting links to DVD's with subtitles. I can't confirm that about my latest post, since I don't have it (book+DVD) in my hands yet.
This book/DVD combo is very rare and unique and most of the films are "no dialogue" anyway, (as I red about it), so there is definitely an enormous value in this package.

DOCUMENTARY FILMS OF DRAHOMIRA VIHANOVA, A WASTED SUNDAY and THE PILGRIMAGE OF STUDENTS PETER AND JACOB are with english subtitles.

Velvet Hangover -documentary about the Czech New Wave personas.

[admira]

For everyone interested in Czech film, there is a six volumes of these bilingual (Czech/English) filmographical publications available from NFA called "Czech Feature Film", from 1898-1993.



Also from NFA is available DVD Petr Skala – A Hidden Experimenter

[admira]

Alex Zucker is translating to the English Vladislav Vančura's novel Marketa Lazarová.
Vančura's work in English:
Summer of Caprice
Vladislav Vančura, the Heart of the Czech Avant-garde

Vladislav Vančura as a director:
Before Graduation (1932)
Marijka the Unfaithful(1934) - won the first prize in the category The best rediscovered film on the International festival of archive and restored films in Bologne, Italia
Also Bohuslav Martinů's H.233 score represent the earliest surviving recording of his work.

[petoluk]

This autumn's line-up from Slovak Film Institute:

Slovak Cinema of the 40's & 50's (all films subtitled in English)

• Kapitan Dabac / Captain Dabac (1959), d. Palo Bielik
  Stastie pride v nedelu / Luck Will Come on Sunday (1958), d. Jan Lacko
  Rodna zem / Native Land (1953), d. Josef Mach – Oct 14
  Styridsatstyri / Forty-Four Mutineers (1957), d. Palo Bielik – Oct 21
  Stvorylka / The Quadrille (1955), d. Jozef Medved, Karol Krska – Oct 28
  Varuj...! / Beware! (1946), d. Martin Fric – Nov 4
  Vlcie diery / Wolves' Lairs (1948), d. Palo Bielik – Nov 11
  Katka / Cathy (1949), d. Jan Kadar – Nov 18
  Cert nespi / The Devil Never Sleeps (1956), d. Peter Solan, Frantisek Zacek – Nov 25
  Dazdnik svateho Petra / St. Peter's Umbrella (1959), d. Vladislav Pavlovic, Frigyes Ban – Dec 2

Tisicrocna vcela / The Millennial Bee (1983), d. Juraj Jakubisko - Oct 29 (the shorter theatrical cut; not sure about English subs yet)
Sedim na konari a je mi dobre / Sitting Pretty on a Tree (1989), d. Juraj Jakubisko - date not yet announced

And here's my review of the first film from the 40's & 50's edition:



Captain Dabac
"A psychological war drama about an officer of the Slovak Army who, following a personal tragedy, awakens to the cruelty of fascism during fights in the Ukraine. When he refuses to keep contributing to the evils of fascism by his army service, he's promptly punished. He escapes from prison and returns to Slovakia where he joins the movement of anti-fascist resistance. His is an individual and intimate rebellion, since despite of being a soldier himself, he starts to question even the partisan movement."