Karel Zeman
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
In his unique treatment of the famous book by Gottfried August Bürger, Zeman was inspired by the engravings of one of the most important illustrators of the 19th century, Gustave Doré. Filming the action in black and white, the director then used heavy tinting with different colours to symbolise the changing moods and surprising twists of the story. The fantastical adventure of Baron Munchausen brings his fabulous tales to life, intertwined with the love story of a modern adventurer, Tony, who becomes the Baron's rival in love. This film won many international prizes, in Cannes and Locarno as well as at many other festivals. The American director Terry Gilliam is on record as saying that Zeman's film was the initial inspiration for his own version of the story, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).
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Invention for Destruction
The most successful Czechoslovakian film in history, which became a global phenomenon in 1958. In New York alone it was screened simultaneously in 96 cinemas. This fantasy adventure won a number of prestigious awards, including the Grand Prix at EXPO 58 in Brussels. This is the first of Zeman's films to be inspired by Jules Verne, in which the director tries out a new style of art direction, which he was later to develop even further. The story-book sets, striking design and innovative music of Zdeněk Liška – all contribute to the unique appearance of this thrilling story with its anti-war subtext. The black and white narrative is deeply influenced by the classic engravings of Édouard Riou and Léon Bennett - the original illustrators of Verne's novels. hroughout his life Zeman continued to develop this new style, using it to create his visionary worlds. The digital restoration of the film Invention for Destruction is a part of the project Restoring The World of Fantasy. Restoring The World of Fantasy is a joint project of the Karel Zeman Museum, The Czech Film Foundation and Czech Television. The aim of the project is within three years to digitally restore selected films produced by Karel Zeman to the finest quality, to screen them in cinemas and bring them to life again. The aim of the project is also to inform the public about importance of the digital restoration. American expert James Mockoski is supervisor of the digital restoration of these Karel Zeman films. The restoration is being led by main restorer Ivo Marák at Universal Production Partners (UPP), the reconstruction of the audio portion of the films is taking place in Soundsquare under the direction of Pavel Rejholec.
Apple TVThe Fabulous Baron Munchausen
In his unique treatment of the famous book by Gottfried August Bürger, Zeman was inspired by the engravings of one of the most important illustrators of the 19th century, Gustave Doré. Filming the action in black and white, the director then used heavy tinting with different colours to symbolise the changing moods and surprising twists of the story. The fantastical adventure of Baron Munchausen brings his fabulous tales to life, intertwined with the love story of a modern adventurer, Tony, who becomes the Baron's rival in love. This film won many international prizes, in Cannes and Locarno as well as at many other festivals. The American director Terry Gilliam is on record as saying that Zeman's film was the initial inspiration for his own version of the story, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).
Apple TVInvention for Destruction
The Czechoslovakian film 'Invention for Destruction' (1958) marked a turning point for director Zeman, incorporating Jules Verne's influence and a novel art direction style. Its blend of story-book sets, innovative music, and anti-war themes made it a global sensation. A part of the 'Restoring The World of Fantasy' project, the film's digital restoration aims to revive Zeman's visionary worlds and promote the significance of digital restoration.
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