The Czech Who Invented Stylized Special Effects

What do Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, and the Brothers Quay all have in common? The answer is stylized special effects. Stylized special effects tell their story through the use of exaggerated or simplified shapes, motions, and colors. The story is represented in a non-naturalistic conventional form as opposed to a realistic...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

October 16, 2022

The Legend of the Golem of Prague

Today we are revisiting the Golem of Prague. We’ve written about this before in our post The Legend of The Golem but our friend Barbara S. Weitz shared the following information which we’ve decided to share here with you because it’s so interesting. We hope you enjoy it. Who is the Golem? The Golem is...

Books, History, Movies

October 6, 2022

The Czech New Wave

There are many so-called “new waves” in film history, from the French nouvelle vague (1959 through the middle 1960s) to the present day. While such monikers serve many purposes, including facilitating international marketing , they do identify those regions where, for any number of reasons, particularly fertile and original bodies of creative work have emerged....

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

September 8, 2022

Watch This: Medieval — The Story of Jan Žižka

I just learned that there is a new film starring Ben Foster as the Czech hero Jan Žižka, entitled Medieval in the United States and Jan Žižka for Czechs. It is a historical epic which will hit Prague cinemas on September 8, 2022 alongside a limited release in other markets including the United States on...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

August 22, 2022

Czech Immigrants Who Came Through Ellis Island

I am thinking of all those Moravian, Slovak, and Czech immigrants who came through Ellis Island. Those who came before us, and how so many of them are simply forgotten. Due to the ravages of time, many of the stories of these immigrants will remain mysteries forever. Not only the people, but their entire lives....

Bohemians, History, Movies

August 10, 2022

The Czech Man Who Fell from the Sky

Petr Horák was born on May 7, 1943 in Nusle (Prague) to Štěpánka and Oldřich Horák. As a young boy, Peter swam competitively and played water polo. He enjoyed skiing, riding a bike, playing table tennis, ice hockey, and soccer. At the age of ten, however, the doctor forbade Peter to partake in anymore sports...

Bohemians, ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

The Gray Man Showcases Prague as World Locations

August 2, 2022

The Gray Man Film Showcases Prague

The Gray Man is reportedly Netflix’s biggest budget original film, with a budget of $250 million. It debuted on Netflix on July 22, 2022. The film is a cinematic adaptation of Mark Greaney’s novel of the same name and features stunning footage throughout Prague. Filming in Prague began on June 27, 2021, and ended on...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies, Prague

July 16, 2022

Most—The Story of the Bridge Film

Want to watch a 30 minute Czech film (with subtitles) that will literally change your life? That is the gift I am bringing you today. The film Most (The Bridge) is so touching, it is perhaps the most poetic, powerful and brilliant piece of film making I have seen in recent memory. I guarantee you...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

June 10, 2022

The Silent Village & The Second Life of Lidice

On June 10, 1942 the Nazis wiped Lidice off the face of the earth. This June 10th marks the 80th anniversary of the horrific massacre of the men, women and children of Lidice – a little village west of Prague that was literally wiped off the map by the Nazis during WWII. The men were...

History, Movies

June 17, 2021

The White Disease aka Bílá Nemoc

A virus that first appeared in China, spread by shaking hands, putting the elderly at risk. The Czechoslovak film The White Disease (1937) evokes current headlines, but uses the epidemic primarily as a perspective on war and dictatorship. Bílá nemoc (The White Disease – as in leprosy) is a play written by Czech novelist Karel...

ENTERTAINMENT, LIFESTYLE, Movies

June 13, 2021

Classic Czech Dinner and a Movie

It’s time for a classic Czech dinner and a movie. Today, I am sharing the recipe for Šípková Omáčka – Czech Rosehip Sauce and Pajfalský knedlík – Pajfal dumplings from Slavnosti snezenek / The Snowdrop Festivities film. A delicious recipe, a fun film, and a wonderfully spent Czech inspired afternoon project to enjoy a...

LIFESTYLE, Movies, Recipes

June 11, 2021

The Grapes – Film for Moravian Wine Lovers

I love the Czech (Moravian) wine country as much as I love their wine. The Grapes is a fun Czech comedy series which did a great job of showing off Moravian wine country and even a bit about what it’s like to run a winery while telling a fun story of a young rascal, his...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

June 1, 2021

Jan Mikolášek: Charlatan or Healer

Jan Mikolášek (April 7, 1889 – December 29, 1973) was a Czech healer and herbalist. He grew up in a family of gardeners and then trained professionally in the field. He trained with spice maker Josefa Mühlbacherová, and he admired the Viennese professor, Valentin Zeileis from Gallspach. He studied Mattioli’s herbarium and passed the professional...

Bohemians, ENTERTAINMENT, Movies, PEOPLE

December 1, 2020

Czech Christmas Mass

Today we are bringing you a classic Czech animated film by Jakub Jan Ryba entitled Česká mše vánoční or Czech Christmas Mass, Hej mistře, with animated images by Josef Lada. It originally appeared on Czech TV in 1966. Beno Blachut, Jaroslava Vymazalová, Marie Mrázová, and Zdeněk Kroupa are the singers of the soundtrack of Czech...

CULTURE, Holidays, Movies

April 18, 2020

JoJo Rabbit and Propaganda

Jojo Rabbit is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, based on Christine Leunens’s 2008 book Caging Skies. Jojo Rabbit was filmed in various locations around the Czech Republic. To be more specific, Barrandov Studio, Chcebuz, Dolní Berkovice, Kytín, Petschek Palace (Petschkův palác), Prague, Úštěk, and Žatec. Roman Griffin Davis portrays the...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

January 4, 2020

Watch This: The Sorrows of Lenka or Trápení

Also known as The Sorrows of Lenka, The Proud Stallion, The Stress of Youth, Suffering, the Czech film Trápení is an engaging drama by director Karel Kachyna about the growing pains of a young teenage girl (Jorga Kotrbova) and the hardships of a noble steed mistreated by a cruel neighboring farmer. She is having a...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies