Old Czech Legends
Encyclopedia
Old Czech Legends is a 1953 Czechoslovak stop motion
puppet animation film directed by Jiří Trnka
. It was based on the 1894 book Ancient Bohemian Legends
by Alois Jirásek
.
After the completion of Bajaja in 1950, Trnka was celebrated by the communist regime of Czechoslovakia, and asked to make more films. He created a project to film Don Quijote, but it was rejected. Trnka decided to go back to illustrating children's books, but the government convinced him to make his next film based on a classical Czech book. Trnka initially didn't want to work on the project, but once he started for real, the results were astonishing.
The 91 minute film is a rather ambitious project that Trnka made possible thanks to his legendary mastery of puppets and animation. The complex story is filled with many characters and features complicated scenes both to stage and animate. His use of camera movements, lighting, set design, character design and animation and general storytelling made this a very influential movie in the history of animation.
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
puppet animation film directed by Jiří Trnka
Jirí Trnka
Jiří Trnka was a Czech puppet maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is best known for his work in animation with puppets, which began in 1946...
. It was based on the 1894 book Ancient Bohemian Legends
Ancient Bohemian Legends
Ancient Bohemian legends is a book by Alois Jirásek written in 1894. It includes legends such as Maidens' War, Libuše and Přemysl, Krok's Daughters and Bohemian Arrival.-Bohemian Arrival:...
by Alois Jirásek
Alois Jirásek
Alois Jirásek was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a secondary-school teacher until his retirement in 1909. He wrote a series of historical novels imbued with faith in his nation and in progress toward freedom and justice...
.
After the completion of Bajaja in 1950, Trnka was celebrated by the communist regime of Czechoslovakia, and asked to make more films. He created a project to film Don Quijote, but it was rejected. Trnka decided to go back to illustrating children's books, but the government convinced him to make his next film based on a classical Czech book. Trnka initially didn't want to work on the project, but once he started for real, the results were astonishing.
The 91 minute film is a rather ambitious project that Trnka made possible thanks to his legendary mastery of puppets and animation. The complex story is filled with many characters and features complicated scenes both to stage and animate. His use of camera movements, lighting, set design, character design and animation and general storytelling made this a very influential movie in the history of animation.
Voice cast
- Růžena NaskováRůžena NaskováRůžena Nasková was a Czechoslovak film actress. She appeared in 15 films between 1915 and 1953.-External links:...
- Zdeněk ŠtěpánekZdenek ŠtepánekZdeněk Štěpánek was a Czech actor. He appeared in 65 films between 1922 and 1968.-Selected filmography:* Paradise Road * The World Is Ours * Skeleton on Horseback...
- Eduard Kohout
- Václav VydraVáclav Vydra (actor born 1876)Václav Vydra was a Czech film and stage actor. He starred in 31 films between 1914 and 1953.Vydra was also a noted stage actor, acting in the Vinohrady Theater and National Theater playing major roles of the characters in plays...
- Karel HögerKarel HögerKarel Höger was a Czechoslovak film actor. He appeared in nearly 100 films between 1939 and 1977.-Selected filmography:* Lost in the Suburbs * Krakatit * Old Czech Legends...
External links
- Jiri Trnka, Walt Disney of the East! - article @ Animation World Network (AWN)
- Jiri Trnka: an artist who turned puppets into film stars
- A frame of the movie
