Haphazard travels of Sirman Deville around the Middle

[niminy-piminy]

speaking about Tartaria conspiracy (in another thread)...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features ... acy-theory

This is echoed by their astonishment at the double-height grand lobbies and arched doorways of old buildings, which they see as artifacts not meant for us. (Some theorists surmise that ancient Tartarians were giants.)

i just stumbled upon a pro-Tartarian YT video that (trying to prove the claim "ancient Tartarians were giants") gives as corpus delicti the local "Codex Gigas"...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Gigas

The Codex Gigas is the largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript in the world, at a length of 92 cm (36 in). It is also known as The Devil's Bible because of a very unusual full-page portrait of the devil, and the legend surrounding its creation.



It was created in the early 13th century in the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice in Bohemia, which is a region in the modern-day Czech Republic. It contains the complete Vulgate Bible as well as other popular works, all written in Latin.

the "logical" assumption of a pro-Tartarian YT theoretician is as follows...
if there is a giant ancient book, there must have been the giant (in terms of size) ancient people who read it.

well, if pro-Tartarians would read this thread, they would already know that applying simple logic, while trying to understand Bohemians, can only lead to misconceptions!
there is nothing mysterious about normal size (eccentric) Bohemians making a giant size Bible and inserting inside it a lovely depiction of Devil.
i see, there is still a vast popularization work ahead to make the Bohemian eccentricities more familiar in the civilized world (governed by excessive reason).

https://youtu.be/HtkIKLOOPJM

[rischka]

[niminy-piminy]

THE OKAMURA BROTHERS (Filip Remunda, 2019) 84 min
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10115814/

this film is a part of the documentary series called CZECH JOURNAL https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2480866/ that started in 2013 (it is episode No25).
there are 3 Okamura brothers — Hayato (oldest), Tomio (middle), Osamu (youngest).
their father = Japanese, mother = Czech.

1/ Osamu
Osamu is an architect (theory-driven), he is my age, we were classmates at Prague tech uni.
my surname starts with N, his surname starts with O, both letters are next to each other in the alphabet, so even if all the students were divided to make exercises in smaller circles, we were usually in the same — thus i got somewhat familiar with Osamu, he is a cool guy, we were on friendly terms during studies — however, since i left the architectural business (before graduating) we had zero contacts (i.e. for decades).
in Czechia, there are 5 options to study architecture (besides Academy of Arts, and Academy of Applied Arts, 3 tech universities — Prague, Brno, Liberec).
in 2019, he became the dean of the department of architecture of tech uni in Liberec.
before, he was editor in chief of a local architectural magazine, etc., etc.
in sum, he is a well-educated, cosmopolitan, liberal, environmentally-conscious, (according to his claim in the doc, he votes for the local Green Party — which is lately getting about 2% that is not enough to enter the parliament), pro-minorities (he is a gay), etc., etc. person.
he is (or is trying to be) on good terms with both of his brothers.

2/ Hayato
Hayato works as an interpreter & tourist guide (guiding through Prague people — not plush toys, viz below), he is a member of the local Christian Peoples Party (conservative, anti-gay, pro-EU), he is a practicing Catholic Christian.
despite probably not having a favorable opinion on gay marriage (due to his religious conviction and membership in the conservative party), he is on good terms with Osamu.
on the other hand, he is openly/fiercely (in the local mass media) criticizing his brother Tomio — his anti-immigration, anti-EU (Czexit) ideas.

3/ Tomio
Tomio is an entrepreneur and considers his brother Hayato to be crazy & jealous.
he is a Jack of many trades (mainly active in the local tourist industry).
one of the (many) ways that made him rich was the following creepy practice...
if you are a person with a sick relationship with your plush toy(s), you might get an unorthodox idea to send your plush toy(s) on vacation.
if you decide to send your plush toy(s) to Prague (f.e.), here he comes Tomio and his services.
he is doing something like this...
https://youtu.be/S31cuFOeeLs
or
https://youtu.be/Is4SWt_63mQ

it is actually what he was doing in the past.
later, Tomio discovered a better source of income, i.e. populist, anti-immigrant, anti-gay, anti-Eu (Czexit), patriotic politics — yes, he is a local Trump-type.
he started a populist, anti-immigrant, anti-gay, anti-EU, patriotic party, got into parliament, was accused by his fellow party-members of financial frauds, the party got split, etc., etc., ultimately, he started another populist, anti-immigrant, anti-gay, anti-EU, patriotic party that is currently in the parliament and according to recent polls, it has about 10-12% support of the locals (despite the public anti-campaign of Hayato).
he is friends with Marie Le Pen, Wilders, Salvini, etc., and he is the only one (among the 3 brothers) who has the wiki entry in various languages...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomio_Okamura
In his youth he worked as ... a popcorn seller at a cinema in Japan.

because Tomio became dirty rich (via plush tourist industry and populist politics), he decided to make an ostentatious representation of his status via architecture.
his well-educated & cosmopolitan brother Osamu recommended hiring a renowned Swiss architect Christian Kerez who designed for Tomio an experimental house.


Christian Kerez... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Kerez
the house was recently finished and thus Prague has a new architectural landmark...


a popular joke of the locals (who oppose Tomio's populist, anti-immigration, anti-EU, etc., etc. politics) is/was posting the pictures of this Tomio's experimental house on websites & pages where local patriots (pro-Tomio voters) flock together with a caption saying that it is a new mosque that immigrants erected for themselves in Prague.

[Mario Gaborovic]

New question for you Jiri:

Following the death of the last-alive Gusztav creator, there was a talk about 1980s East European animation on my favourite local radio-station (actually a patreon-financed internet program because the leading party cut the financing of all the anti-establishment media, or just put ventriloquist dummies with a hand in their butts everywhere). They mentioned a Czechoslovak brickfilm TV series which only had sports as theme. Like, a football match with Lego-like bricks. The hosts said they've searched the internet but found nothing - like myself.

Do you know the title of it? (I remember this show, too. It was aired many times)

[niminy-piminy]

i have no clue what this could be.
can't recall anything alike.

[Mario Gaborovic]

i have no clue what this could be.
can't recall anything alike.

hehe I told you Yugoslav television showed all sorts of stuff not even people from there watched it

It was basically a stop-motion with bricks; there was a soccer match, a F1 race, ice hockey, and swimming I think. I remember 1986 as production year.

I think I've found everything on imdb years later except for this, and Wummi - now Wummi was about two potato-like cavemen (one dumb, the other a bit smarter) who do various stuff together. West German production, I believe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3fO5_8VXm8

[niminy-piminy]

strange. i was going (on čsfd) through all the titles of animations made in Czechoslovakia from 1980 till 1989 and didn't notice anything fitting.
closest seemed https://www.csfd.cz/film/147639-do-toho ... o/recenze/
1986, 7x8 min, "Animated series of cheerful sports tales about animals."
i checked it and it is not at all cubic/pixelated/bricked. (so, it is certainly not what you mean.)

[niminy-piminy]

Middle ASMR
https://youtu.be/a16pYv-HJFA

interview with Middle Undine
https://youtu.be/tsIIoKzsozY

[sally]

Jan Kříženecký (1868-1921)

i missed this - the NFA have gone crazy pumping out things this month - but this is lovely, some really nice stuff in here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT8soh0a8o4

[sally]

more czech silents! truly they've gone berserk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF0PVfpp6cw

[Lencho of the Apes]

Ooo, Czech silents. And the super coincidence film zone also brings us a selection of short films about tramping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLTGQ9nwUAk&t=18s

[niminy-piminy]

ha, great!
only i am still not able to get accustomed to the old-new (harsh) reality after leaving the paradise of yolo economics.
locked life was much simpler and more conducive to cinephilia.
for four days already, i am trying to finish "the rose king" (and thus finally to conclude Werner Schroeter poll viewings).
i still didn't start viewings for the 1929 poll.
plus all the local galleries re-opening.
way too many priorities ahead.

otherwise, the key source to the local odd ways of leisure (including the ridiculous tramping escapism) is the book called "Summerhouses: The Architecture of Human Dreams and Possibilities" by Veronika Zapletalová.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/172 ... mmerhouses

[niminy-piminy]

1954 poll No1:
KUTASEK AND KUTILKA - GETTING UP IN THE MORNING (Jiří Trnka)

this little creepy flick (supposedly for children) is proof that local (even renowned) filmmakers had still pigeons in their belfries in 1954 (only one year after Josif Stalin's & Klement Gottwald's deaths).
only a deranged mind (witnessing years of Stalinist absurdities) can insert such a terrifying psychedelic entity (creepy clown) in a film for innocent children.

https://akjournals.com/view/journals/20 ... cle-p5.xml

An ontology of psychedelic entity experiences in evolutionary psychology and neurophenomenology
Author: Michael James Winkelman
Journal of Psychedelic Studies, Volume 2, Issue 1

Methods: A Comparative Examination of Entity Experiences
...
these predominantly anthropomorphic figures are mirrored in Luke’s (2011) summary of various studies on dimethyltryptamine (DMT) entity experiences that reported entities characterized as gnomes, dwarfs, elves, imps, goblins and other forms of “little people,” as well as angels, spirits, and gods. But even this humanoid form is exceeded in the characterizations of DMT entity experiences in modern clinical settings; Strassman’s (2000) participants experienced various types of “beings,” including “entities,” “guides,” and “aliens,” but appearing similar to insects, bees, cacti, clowns, mantises, reptiles, spiders, and stick figures.

Conclusions
...
We need to assess psychedelic entity experiences with respect to known projective properties of the human mind and its creative spirit, and specifically with respect to the innate modules that have been useful in explaining the prevalence of spiritual experiences and beliefs. Our innate modules give us programs that worry about what others think of us and imaging what they must be thinking and planning to do. Comparisons of entity experiences with the great creative works of fiction literature, movies, and the manifestations of epic dreams suggest that psychedelic entities experiences do not substantially exceed anything experienced in dreams, novels, films, or other expressive productions, including our famed myth-making and story-telling capabilities.

noteworthy is also the music instrument the creepy clown is playing.
it is гармошка (accordion), a typical attribute of the Soviets.
so, when Kuťásek is force-washed (neologism equivalent to force-feeding) by a creepy clown (psychedelic entity adorned with an attribute from the Soviet realm) who is helped by always obedient (brainwashed???) Kutilka, a viewer aware of the political situation in the Middle prior to 1953 can't perceive this (supposedly innocent, educational) flick without accompanying sinister in-between-the-lines reading.

Bhagavad-gita 2.69:
What all beings consider as day is the night of ignorance for the wise, and what all creatures see as night is the day for the introspective sage.

[sally]

yes it did look terrifying! (although even shirley clarke's non-middle 'in paris parks' was disturbing enough, filled at it was with menacing appearances of children) i see i shall need to brace myself for many 1954 horrors

[niminy-piminy]

even pigs fed with spoiled milk display more dignity than spoiled "little people" entities fed with storytelling.


1954 poll No9: IN PARIS PARKS (Shirley Clarke)

[niminy-piminy]

1954 poll No10:
INAUGURATION OF THE PLEASURE DOME (Kenneth Anger)

https://youtu.be/IgnRr170ERM

i see there is a noteworthy "Middle" trace in the INAUGURATION OF THE PLEASURE DOME.
some might say this experimental film is accompanied by the "Glagolitic Mass" soundtrack, others might dare to say this film is a video clip to the "Glagolitic Mass".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glagolitic_Mass

The Glagolitic Mass (or Slavonic Mass) is a composition for soloists (soprano, contralto, tenor, bass), double chorus, organ, and orchestra by Leoš Janáček. The work was completed on 15 October 1926 and premiered ... in Brno on 5 December 1927. Janáček revised the mass the next year. ... The Glagolitic alphabet was an early Slavic alphabet, the predecessor of the modern Cyrillic alphabet.

... vibrant rhythms, idiosyncratic melodies, and exuberant orchestration...

https://youtu.be/ufECsuua2w4

considering that "Janáček was a strong supporter of pan-Slavism, and this mass has been viewed as a celebration of Slavic culture", it is great to see Kenneth Anger has widened the scope and made the Slavic inner circle more diverse & complex by including Aphrodite, Lilith, Isis, Kali, Astarte, Nero, Pan, the Great Beast, and the Scarlet Woman.

last but not least, all the cinephiles interested in Leoš Janáček (btw. the local pronunciation of the surname "Janáček" is "ya-náááááááááá-czech" = all the syllables are not short but the middle one is long) are cordially invited to watch his biopic called LION WITH A WHITE MANE aka LEV S BÍLOU HŘÍVOU (Jaromil Jireš, 1987). it is one of the JJ's films i subtitled and thus it is deeply ingrained within my brain (due to all the repetitive replays of all the scenes that is an inevitable part of subbing work). the more ppl will watch this film, the closer we are getting to the possible future JJ poll (that is only a chimera at the moment).
https://letterboxd.com/film/lion-with-a-white-mane/

besides a regular (normcore) version...


the widely popular cinephile darkweb website also offers a version corrupted by a charming glitch and thus lovers of experimental film can watch LION WITH A WHITE MANE with occasional vibes that are very close to the hallucinatory INAUGURATION OF THE PLEASURE DOME.

[niminy-piminy]

1954 poll No22:
ARE YOU AMONGST THEM? (Jerzy Hoffman, Edward Skórzewski)

beware!!! unmannered "polish plumbers" on rise since 1954!


keep the city clean as a face of a kid who was force-washed by a creepy clown playing accordion!

[niminy-piminy]

https://www.verzio.org/2009/pol/index.html
The short documentary films made in Poland between 1956 and 1958 were called the “Black series.” The tone of the originally optimistic and pro-regime films screened as short features in cinemas fundamentally changed in 1956, when Władysław Gomułka returned to power. While the topic of the Warsaw uprising and the role of the Soviet Union in WW2 were taboo even in the more liberal and tolerant political environment, these films were often openly critical of the real social problems of poverty, prostitution, alcoholism, and housing.

despite ARE YOU AMONGST THEM? is sometimes also labeled as a "black series" item, it is probably (at best) a fringe entry (core items being the films made later).
tho (i guess), it shows how all this "black series" phenomenon started.
initially, a pro-regime task that developed into a criticism of the regime.
it seems some filmmakers who were initially entrusted with the cleansing/purging agenda (obligatory in a totalitarian regime), meant to identify "dirty vandals" and similar misfits, later turned the tables on the regime and started to criticize (in their films) poverty, prostitution, alcoholism, vandalism, etc., etc. as a systemic flaw (a shortcoming of the regime).

[niminy-piminy]

a week ago, another of the (on this forum immensely popular) East Bohemian harvests (reminiscent of the Ogava Production documentaries) took place. it was the harvest of black currants (that precedes by approximately one month the harvest of hazelnuts).

for a broader context, it has to be stated that 1/ the northern side of my east bohemian hut is adjoined to neighbors' house, 2/ the eastern side faces the picturesque valley (thus offering the view towards the distant horizon), 3/ southern side is fortified by a line of hazelnut trees, while 4/ view towards the west is dominated by black currants growing in close proximity of the windows (thus completely blocking my western view — i.e. all i can see while gazing towards the west from inside the hut is black currants).


due to the plague lockdowns, i was not able to make the annual tree winter cuts in the last two winters, and thus my two black currant trees grew completely wild. as a result of this recent (unintentional) "neglect", this year's harvest was the richest by far (so far). the abundance of the tiny black "spheres" hanging from the trees was beyond description.


some branches were so overloaded with fruits that big stones had to support them (to prevent them from breaking).


the procedure of black currant harvest (the journey from the ripe black currant fruits hanging on a tree towards drinking delicious juice) is as follows: 1/ black currant picked in a bowl is washed by water, 2/ washed black currant is thoroughly squeezed (all the juice is collected in another bowl/pot), 3/ all the black currant residue is collected in the third bowl/pot (so it can be recycled).


if everything is done right (and nothing is messed up), the result looks as follows (black currant juice is ready for consumption).


as you can see, the texture of the black currant juice was super bubbly this year.


i drank this juice raw (without any sweetening additives) and despite i was doing so in broad daylight (there was not a magical full moon night like during the past hazelnuts harvest) i still experienced a true "agricultural elation" (viz song in THE TREE, THE MAYOR AND THE MEDIATHEQUE). with a full stomach of home-made raw black currant juice my hair stood on end!

Now the countryside will bloom,
Swallows will have lots of room.
Fields covered with flowers bright,
For the ladybugs' delight!
No more insecticides,
No more pesticides,
No more diesel oil,
No roads the view to spoil,
We'll breathe in oxygen,
instead of kerosene.

We will all live in the country,
Among the meadows and the fields,
We can live like landed gentry
On whatever the soil yields.
If you're a most important clerk,
Accountant, or data brain,
There will be no need to go to work
In an auto, or by train.
We will be on permanent vacation
In agricultural elation.

What luck!
We have found the best solution
For the coming generation.

last but not least, all the residue of the harvest was ofc properly recycled.

[sally]

a week ago, another of the (on this forum immensely popular)

YES!

[niminy-piminy]

i don't want to make any premature bold statements — because as folks on the Isles use to say "don't count your chickens before they are hatched" or "there's many a slip between cup and lip" — but it seems like the upcoming hazelnuts harvest will be also rather spectacular! there was plenty of rain and sun and thus 2021 might become the year of abundance. soon to be heard!

[niminy-piminy]

btw. in a broader perspective my "harvests" are part of my "peasant resistance" (or "non-heroic infrapolitcs of resistance")!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapons_of_the_Weak
Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance
Weapons of the weak include sabotage, foot-dragging, evasion, false compliance, pilfering, feigned ignorance, and slander.

[Lencho of the Apes]

Those peasant strategies sound a lot like the ones put forward in a magazine called Processed World, about anarchism in the office place.
http://libcom.org/library/processed-world

[niminy-piminy]

good soldiers Schweiks of the world unite!

[niminy-piminy]

1934 poll rewatch:
WE LIVE IN PRAGUE (Otakar Vávra) ... no dialogues!
https://letterboxd.com/film/we-live-in-prague/

https://youtu.be/ppu5hMs_eic
https://youtu.be/FAaTtJxS9V0

This city symphony contains (besides a suicide by drowning) a short glimpse (part II, from 00:05 till 00:12) at the (fresh new) Czechoslovak Werkbund’s Baba housing estate. Prague was the last Werkbund building exhibition (after e.g. the Stuttgart or Vienna “model estates”), mounted in September 1932. It attracted 12,000 visitors who viewed the 32 flat-roofed functionalist dwellings (promoting the development of modern architecture and industrial design) set on a hill above the city.

https://news.expats.cz/czech-tourism/ba ... te-prague/

The Baba Housing Estate



One of the best things about long-term living in Prague is the chance to get to know the city beyond the familiar sights in the center. Progressing from tourist to long-term resident and acquainting yourself with the city’s diverse neighborhoods and their stories is highly rewarding. And when it comes to exploring the city’s architecture and history, you’ll find there’s much more to Prague than bulbous Baroque or spiky Gothic towers.

If you’ve ever traveled north along the road from Vítězné náměstí or gone by train from Prague to Dresden, you’ve probably noticed a cluster of boxy white villas perched on the cliffs above the road and railroad, at the northern tip of the Dejvice district. This is Baba, a famous housing estate that presents another side of the Prague architectural story. After the profusion of Gothic and Baroque in downtown Prague, the austere minimalism and clean lines of the Baba villas are striking.

Baba, which is named after the nearby ruin of the same name, comprises a group of around 40 one and two-story detached houses. They face southwest, taking advantage of the superb views over Prague, and you’ll find them within an area marked by Nad Paťankou, Průhledová, Matějská, and Jarní streets. Although none of the villas are open to the public, a visit to Baba can be a rewarding destination for everyone. If you’re an architecture buff, the neighborhood should be a “must see”. But even if you have no interest in architecture, you can stop and take in some of the best panoramas in Prague, especially from Nad Pat’ankou Street.

The Baba story plays out against the backdrop of competing and changing architectural ideas in the young Czechoslovak Republic. Like other European cities, such as Brussels, Barcelona and Paris, Prague enthusiastically embraced Art Nouveau, which lasted roughly from the end of the 19th century to the outbreak of the First World War. At the same time, the new capital also became the centre of the Cubist architecture movement, an experiment unique to the Czech lands. The main exponents of Cubism were the members of an association of architects known as the Group of Fine Artists, including Josef Chochol, Josef Gočar, Pavel Janák, and Vlastislav Hofman.

While Czech Cubism enjoyed its brief flowering, in neighboring Germany the Werkbund movement was emerging. Essentially a government-sponsored project attempting to fuse traditional crafts with industrial mass-production techniques, it was founded in Munich in 1907 and had a significant influence on modern architecture, including establishment of the famous Bauhaus school of design in Germany. The Werkbund brought together artists, artisans, and architects, and a key feature of its work was a series of architecture and design exhibitions, featuring innovative designs in concrete, glass, and steel. It was behind the famous Weissenhof housing estate in Stuttgart, which was built for the 1927 Werkbund exhibition, and further exhibitions were held in the 1920s and early 1930s.

The Deutsche Werkbund spawned a number of similar organizations in other countries, including the Czech Werkbund (Svaz československého díla) was set up in 1913. In 1920, after the establishment of Czechoslovakia, the Czechoslovak Werkbund was created.

In 1928, the Czech Werkbund decided to build a model housing estate in Prague similar to the estates constructed by the Deutsche Werkbund. The group asked leading architect Pavel Janák to produce a street plan; his solution followed the contours of the gently sloping site above the Baba cliffs and comprised three parallel streets.

The next phase of the project, construction of the housing, involved leading Czech architects from three generations. The oldest members included Janák and Gočar from the Czech Cubist movement. In the middle were Jan Linhart and Oldřich Starý, who followed the ideas of purism and functionalism, and the youngest generation was represented by architects such as Ladislav Žák. Dutch architect Mart Stam was the only non-Czechoslovak participant in the project.

Construction was hampered by financial problems, as the ripples of the Wall Street crash of 1929 spread to the Czech Republic, and administrative problems also impacted the project. When building finally began, in 1932, the concept had been significantly altered. Originally, the estate was to comprise terraced and detached houses, with standardized designs, interspersed with individual designs. But the idea of standardized houses was abandoned, and each villa designed separately, with negotiations between architect and client. Ironically, despite the ideals of the Werkbund, the Baba clients were from the more affluent sections of society and included successful writers, artists, and civil servants as opposed to workers. The villa owners were opposed to standardized designs and wanted their own unique architecture.

Each villa is unique, and there are some marked differences between them. For example, the house at Matějská 23 is characterized by blank walls with small windows punched into it, and Dům Zadák, at na Ostrohu 53, resembles a very large box. The work of Ladislav Žák is more sculpted, incorporating curves, and other villas have a higher proportion of glass. Despite the variety, all are united by functionalist themes. This movement developed in the 1920s and was a response to changing circumstances in architecture, including in aesthetics and building types. Architects adhered to the diktat of “form follows function” and designed structures characterised by simplicity, clean lines and geometric forms.

In terms of individual buildings, the designs range from Ladislav Žák‘s are reminiscent of steamships, whereas Mart Stam’s they are united by common themes such as a lightweight style, and an abundance of glass. Internally, the villas are open-plan, in line with the ideas of functionalism.

Even before the Baba estate was completed, in 1940, war had broken out in Europe and Prague was an occupied city. Thankfully, the villas were unscathed by World War Two, although, predictably, during the 40 years of Communism, the neighborhood, like all others regarded as “bourgeois”, didn’t exactly flourish. In their eyes, the estate represented everything that was wrong with the First Republic (1918-1938), which the Communists hated and did everything they could to erase from the public memory.

Although Baba survived World War Two, since it was built it has lost some of its coherence thanks to insensitive alterations. Some villas retain their original features, while others have been thoughtlessly changed. In order to retain the character of the estate as much as possible, Baba became a conservation area in 1993.

Baba is located in Prague 6, which offers the urban explorer particularly rich pickings. This part of the city, particularly around Vitězné náměstí, saw a boom in construction thanks to the newly established institutions of the newly established Czechoslovakia. Architects naturally used this unique opportunity to design buildings according to the latest architectural trends, and you’ll see plenty of examples of functionalism and other “isms“ in Prague 6. Whole swathes of this swanky borough are of architectural and or historical interest: part of the upmarket villa quarter of Ořechovka is Prague’s first Garden Suburb, and the nearby Villa Müller (by Adolf Loos), and assorted villas in the neigborhood are just some of the more well-known sights.

[niminy-piminy]

1934 poll No2:
THE ATOM OF ETERNITY (Čeněk Zahradníček) ... Ltbxd 1935 but all other databases 1934

experimental non-story of seduction, abandonment, and suicide by drowning ((sic!) viz above) with tidbits (viz tits (sic!)) of associative montage for dummies.
no dialogues!
only it says, in the beginning, it's a "photogenic (viz photogénie) poem made of black and white seconds".
and then follows a quote by Jean Epstein saying, "There are no stories, there never have been stories. There are only situations, having neither beginning nor end."

https://youtu.be/gazKHwOkOdo

[niminy-piminy]

1934 poll No3:
SOLDIER’S STORY (Čeněk Zahradníček, Vladimír Šmejkal)
https://letterboxd.com/film/soldiers-story/

Ltbxd says 1937 (and some other databases 1936, on IMDb it is absent) but according to a local reliable source (NFA) it was made in 1934 and premiered in 1937. the reason for this gap (between the year of creation and the year of "official" screening) is probably the amateur status of ČZ.

Čeněk Zahradníček (1900–1989) is known mainly as a respected pioneer of the Czech amateur film. He was one of the founders of the Prague Pathé Club, he was also an active amateur filmmaker and amateur film promoter.

it is without dialogues!
only you have to know "Nevidím!" means "I can't see!" and "MOBILISACE" means "MOBILIZATION" (header on the posters).

if anyone was discouraged by the above MZ's 1934 flick with somewhat simplistic associations (tits/goats, train-tunnel/penetration, etc.) this pacifist film is much more complex, and (in my opinion) it has the potential to leak into someone's 1934 ballot.

https://uloz.to/file/XRz9ufsVdNUm/pribe ... AFM0WnZwZ2

[niminy-piminy]

1934 poll No11:
DON'T MAKE GRANDPA ANGRY (Karel Lamač)

when Vlasta Burian ("king of (local) comedians") appears in the film (produced by the local capitalist entertainment industry in-between the wars) it is irrelevant who is the director (be it Karel Lamač or Martin Frič or whoever else) because the purpose of such a cinematic tale is only to offer trillion opportunities for jokes/gags for the aforementioned "king of comedians" (who usually plays more than just one character so he can fool around even more).


these gags/jokes come in such an infinite quantity that even a viewer who doesn't fall in any of the typical target groups of this shallow entertainment is soon overpowered by the shitstorm of fun that he/she also grins occasionally (f.e. when the "king of comedians" shuts up (for a while) and cobra-like belly-dances in the psychiatric hospital to the alluring tunes of a flute played by his fellow-lunatic).


the only reason why this flick might be of any interest to the international (english-speaking) audience is the frequent english-like gibberish that can be heard in the film (due to the assumed identity of the "uncle from America" staged by the "king of comedians" — in one of his roles in this single movie).
thus you can encounter in this film instead of "good afternoon!" the phrase "good afternooning!" or "good odpoledning!" (odpoledne=afternoon).
or the question "have you had a good passage?" is responded by "yes, i have two passage! one little passage and one bigger passage" (because the word "passage" is misinterpreted (due to its pronunciation "pesidž") as something akin to local word "pes"=dog). etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. (very creative subtitles will be indispensable here!)

[niminy-piminy]

a few weeks ago (September 12) i was in PONREPO (cinema of the National Film Archive).
it screened 5 short films (as a hommage to cinematographer Karel Slach).
https://letterboxd.com/cinematography/karel-slach/
https://www.kinometer.com/?credit=4934
Karel Slach is (locally) known for being the main collaborator (cinematographer) of Karel Vachek (the key director of the recent local cinema).
but Karel Slach "held the camera" also in other directors' films (this screening focused on these "other" collaborations).

in December (last year) Karel Slach was 80, so as a "prequel" to the screening there was a little belated (due to plague) birthday party in the foyer.
i was not aware of it and thus when i reached the cinema (to see films) i actually reached the climax of the birthday party.
i sat on the chair (while local fringe-cultural elites were still partying) and assumed my absent-minded grimace (thus making all around aware i didn't come to listen to pathetic stupidities but to see films).
at one point it was said, Karel Slach got as a present a bottle of high-quality Moravian plum brandy and wishes to have a toast with all present.
plum brandy is not psilocybin or dimethyl-tryptamine so i was slightly reluctant to participate, but as plum brandy is one of few types of the booze i am tolerant (it usually doesn't bring me headaches) so i decided to have a toast with a giant of the local cinema.
i was served plum brandy and waited until Karel Slach will reach me, so we can toast (tap glasses) and me uttering some triviality like "cheers!".
we did so, i drank the plum brandy and instantly started to feel i am getting blind.
local plum brandies i drank before were always okay, but this was high-percentage poison.
i am not completely sure how i got inside the screening room without the aid of a white stick but somehow i got in.
then i "watched" these shorts...

1/ THIRTEEN MINUTES • TŘINÁCT MINUT (Petr Ruttner, 1964, 10 min)
first czechnewvawestudentfilm on display was a short about a ridiculous pub bet...

https://www.filmovyprehled.cz/en/film/3 ... en-minutes

Two students provoke each other in a pub and one of them, Radek, suddenly finds himself holding a pint in an outstretched hand and intends to stick out for thirteen minutes. His friend Franta measures time on his pocket watch. Mr Jarda and his very young girlfriend Olinka joins them at the table and comments on the "event." Jarda, in front of the admiring eyes of the girl, preaches to the two young men that there is no bet if no prize was set in advance. The girl's favour oscillates between the handsome Radek and her elderly boyfriend. Time passes and sweating Radek holds the glass up with the last dregs of his strength. The silly talk of his table-companions, however, irritates him and he intentionally gives up four seconds before the end. Franta understands, but the offended Jarda and Olinka immediately get up and leave.

in terms of the story-telling, it was a trivial anecdote but all the silly talks & absurdity & czechnewvawespirit made it a great intro.

2/ ALCRON HOTEL • ALCRON (Dušan Hanák, 1963, 10 min)
synopsis of the second czechnewvawestudentfilm on display says...

https://www.filmovyprehled.cz/en/film/3 ... cron-hotel

Young Alena chats with her friend, the older, elegant but highly sceptical Jarmila, in a café. Jarmila talks with disdain about love - when a woman is struck as by lightning and gives everything to a man. He abandons her, and when then comes another and another, a woman does not care any more. Jarmila takes the girl to the Alcron hotel, but Alena fails to notice that they are both being watched from the opposite sidewalk by her lover, a student of a library studies school. Jarmila introduces Alena to an elderly and apparently wealthy foreigner. Alena begins to lie to her lover, making up stories that new goods were delivered to the shop where she worked and inventory had to be taken. But the young man knows what he knows and reminds Alena that a long time ago, they promised to speak the truth to each other. Alena's mother applies cream on her face in front of a mirror. It is obvious that they do not get along too well. The mother reprehends her daughter, telling her that she is alone for everything, and asks her if she loves her boyfriend at all. She would prefer if she chose better company. Alena walks through the department store and sadly watches the new kitchen furniture and a young woman looking at baby's clothing.

but i can't recall most of these details cuz my blindness was peaking during this film.
tho i still remember (in general) the film was also great.

3/ ARTISTS • ARTISTI (Dušan Hanák, 1965, 13 min)
the most conventional flick on display (doc about circus artists during their winter pause — trying to acquire new skills for a new season or just idling around).

4/ THE GALLOWS–TREE • ŠIBENICE (czech) • ŠIBENICA (slovak) (Dušan Trančík, 1969, 35 min)
absolute gem!
the longest film on display.
wild, hallucinatory, surreal, fitted very well to my then "blindness".


5/ INTERVIEW IN THE STORM • INTERVIEW V METELICI (Karel Slach, 1969, 14 min)
the only film that Karel Slach not only shot but also directed.
initially, it was amusing but as it proceeded i was less and less "entertained" (and was going back in my thoughts to the previous gem).

additional side note:
as i watched in this session 2 films by Dušan Hanák i am sure i watched in sum 7+ already and thus he is a new name in our "waiting room" list.

[niminy-piminy]

1993 poll No10:
THE GARDEN (István Orosz)

https://youtu.be/esA6HqnQOVQ