Robert Buchar
Encyclopedia
Robert Buchar is an American cinematographer
, filmmaker, film director and producer, born in 1951 in Hradec Králové
, former Czechoslovakia
.
In 1966 he came to Prague
to study photography at the Secondary School of Graphic Arts, and cinematography at FAMU, the Film Academy of Fine Arts
, where he graduated as M.F.A. in 1975. He worked as a cinematographer mainly for the documentary section of Krátký film, before defecting to the United States
in 1980. There he worked as a cameraman for CBS
until 1989, photographed over twenty films and documentaries in the U.S. and Europe. He also works as director of photography on independent films and commercials.
Since 1989 he teaches cinematography at the Columbia College
in Chicago
, where he became head of the Cinematography Concentration, the faculty's cinematography program, an advanced production course he developed.
'shttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm3205429/, feature
-length documentary
film Velvet Hangover about the Czech New Wave and the Czech film industry
before and after the Velvet Revolution
was screened in film festivals around the world. Some of the critics' appraisals:
Featuring in Velvet Hangover (in alphabetic order):
that the fall of communism in Eastern Europe
was a hoax
. Buchar's own view (supporting his critics):
Featuring in The Collapse of Communism (in alphabetic order):
other, (mainly / also) as director of photography
professional:
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
, filmmaker, film director and producer, born in 1951 in Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos...
, former Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
In 1966 he came to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to study photography at the Secondary School of Graphic Arts, and cinematography at FAMU, the Film Academy of Fine Arts
Film and TV School of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague or FAMU is one of the oldest film schools in Europe. Located in Prague, Czech Republic, FAMU was founded in 1946 as one of three branches of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
, where he graduated as M.F.A. in 1975. He worked as a cinematographer mainly for the documentary section of Krátký film, before defecting to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1980. There he worked as a cameraman for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
until 1989, photographed over twenty films and documentaries in the U.S. and Europe. He also works as director of photography on independent films and commercials.
Since 1989 he teaches cinematography at the Columbia College
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he became head of the Cinematography Concentration, the faculty's cinematography program, an advanced production course he developed.
Velvet Hangover
His, and David SmithDavid Smith
-In sports:* Dai Smith , rugby league footballer of the 1900s, who played for Salford, and Other Nationalities* David Smith , South African Olympic sport shooter...
'shttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm3205429/, feature
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
-length documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
film Velvet Hangover about the Czech New Wave and the Czech film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
before and after the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
was screened in film festivals around the world. Some of the critics' appraisals:
Featuring in Velvet Hangover (in alphabetic order):
- Jaroslav Boučekhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0098863/
- Jaroslav Brabechttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0102631/
- Věra Chytilová
Vera ChytilováVěra Chytilová is an avant-garde Czech film director and pioneer of Czech cinema. Banned by the Czechoslovakian government in the 1960s, she is best known for her Czech New Wave film, Sedmikrásky...- Saša Gedeon
Saša GedeonSaša Gedeon is a Czech director. He graduated from the Film and TV School of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 1995. His 1999 film Návrat idiota won him awards such as the São Paulo International Film Festival International Jury Award.-References:...- Zuzana Hojdová-Zemanováhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0389914/
- Jiří Krejčíkhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0470729/
- Antonín Máša
Antonín MášaAntonín Máša was a Czechoslovak film director and screenwriter. He directed seven films between 1966 and 1990.-External links:...- Jiří Menzel
Jirí MenzelJiří Menzel is a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography...- Stanislav Milotahttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0590548/
- Jan Němec
Jan NemecJan Němec is a Czech filmmaker whose most important work dates from the 1960s. Film historian Peter Hames has described him as the "enfant terrible of the Czech New Wave."- Biography :...- Ivan Passer
Ivan PasserIvan Passer is a Czech-born film director and screenwriter.A significant figure in the Czech New Wave of the mid-1960s, Passer worked closely with Miloš Forman on many of his films, and directed his first feature in 1965...- Jan Svěrák
Jan SverákJan Svěrák is a Czech film director. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák. He studied documentary filmmaking at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
- Karel Vachekhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0882899/
- Otakar Vávra
- Drahomíra Vihanováhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0897156/
The Collapse of Communism – The Untold Story
Currently (November 2009) Buchar's another documentary The Collapse of Communism – The Untold Story is in postproduction. According to some critics, it showcases the KGB's orchestration and management of the breakup of the Soviet Union. According to some critics, it promotes a conspiracy theoryConspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
that the fall of communism in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
was a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
. Buchar's own view (supporting his critics):
Featuring in The Collapse of Communism (in alphabetic order):
- Tennent H. Bagley
- Vladimir Bukovsky
Vladimir BukovskyVladimir Konstantinovich Bukovsky is a leading member of the dissident movement of the 1960s and 1970s, writer, neurophysiologist, and political activist....- Angelo Codevilla
- Petr Cibulka
Petr CibulkaPetr Cibulka is a Czech politician and former dissident.As one of signatories of Charter 77 Cibulka was repeatedly imprisoned for various fabricated offenses and spent a total of 5 years in prison before the Velvet revolution in 1989...- František Doskočil
- Joseph D.Douglass, Jr.
- Edward Jay Epstein
Edward Jay EpsteinEdward Jay Epstein is an American investigative journalist. While a graduate student at Cornell University in 1966, he published the book Inquest, an influential criticism of the Warren Commission probe into the John F. Kennedy assassination...- Robert M. Gates
- Bill Gertz
Bill GertzBill Gertz is an American editor, columnist and reporter for The Washington Times. He is the author of six books and writes a weekly column on the Pentagon and national security issues called "Inside the Ring". During the administration of Bill Clinton Gertz was known for his stories exposing...- Oleg Gordievsky
Oleg GordievskyOleg Antonovich Gordievsky , CMG , is a former Colonel of the KGB and KGB Resident-designate and bureau chief in London, who was a secret agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service from 1974 to 1985.-Early career:Oleg Gordievsky attended the Moscow State Institute of International...- Vladimír Hučín
Vladimír HucínVladimír Hučín is a Czech political celebrity and dissident of both communist and post/communist era....- Jeff R. Nyquist
- Ion Mihai Pacepa
Ion Mihai PacepaIon Mihai Pacepa is the highest-ranking intelligence official ever to have defected from the former Eastern Bloc. He is now a United States citizen, a writer, and a columnist....- Jaromír Štětina
Jaromír ŠtetinaJaromír Štětina is Czech journalist, writer and politician. He is most known as war correspondent from conflict areas of former Soviet Union.Štětina studied University of Economics, Prague...- Pavel Žáček
Pavel ŽáčekPavel Žáček is a Czech academic and government official. He was the first Director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, the Czech government agency and research institute tasked with investigation of the crimes of the Communist regime of Czechoslovakia that was declared to be...- Ludvík Žifčák
Filmography
documentaries, feature-length, also as director / producer- Velvet Hangover, together with David Smith, 1999/2000, USA
(in Czech: Sametová kocovina, 2002) - The Collapse of Communism – The Untold Story, 2009/2010, USA
other, (mainly / also) as director of photography
- Four Seasons (in Czech: Čtvero ročních dob), 2008
- Bear Not to Be, 1968
- Certainly, 1969
- The Club, 1971
- In the Sign of Eagle, 1978
- The Comets, 1979
- City in the Center of the City, 1979
- Etology of Animals, 1980
- Basic Meditation Exercise, directed by George Drasnar (Jiří Drašnar)http://www.slovnikceskeliteratury.cz/showContent.jsp?docId=1339http://www.blisty.cz/aut/1379/bio.html(in Czech), 1981
- Go West-Sing West, 1991
- Where are you, 1992
- The Land of Youth, 1992
- Granny, 1998
- Poslední z rodu, directed by Drahomíra Vihanová, Czechoslovakia, 1977
Books
- Czech New Wave Filmmakers in Interviews, foreword by Antonin J. Liehm, McFarland & CompanyMcFarland & CompanyMcFarland & Company, Inc. is a book publisher of primarily academic and adult nonfiction based in Jefferson, North Carolina. Its president and editor-in-chief is Robert Franklin, who began the enterprise in 1979...
, 2003 (based upon the Velvet Hangover documentary) - And Reality be Damned... December 2009, Eloquent Strategic Publishing http://theloop.colum.edu/s/644/index.aspx?sid=644&gid=1&pgid=252&cid=7531&ecid=7531&ciid=26789&crid=0 (based upon The Collapse of Communism – The Untold Story documentary)
in Czech: Revoluce 1989 – utajené informace ze zákulisí, Brána, 2009
professional:
- Design of the photographic and the cinematographic image, with Jan Smok, Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Prague 2001
- The Spotmeter and its application in cinematography and video (on proper metering techniques)
External links
- BucharFilm – author's website
- Robert Buchar – entry at IMDb web