Vojtech Jasný
Encyclopedia
Vojtěch Jasný is a Czech director who came to prominence in the sixties. He won a Cannes
Special Jury Prize for Až přijde kocour/The Cassandra Cat (1963).
An active and influential filmmaker in Czechoslovakia
throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he was among many artists and intellectuals who left the country after the USSR-led invasion following the Prague Spring
of 1968.
Jasný worked in other European countries for several years including Austria
, West Germany
and Yugoslavia
until relocating to Brooklyn
, New York
in the early '80's. Jasný taught film directing classes at Columbia University
for several years (where his compatriot Miloš Forman
was also a professor and former Film Division Co-Chair) and continues to teach at The School of Visual Arts (SVA).
Až přijde kocour/The Cassandra Cat, one of Jasny's most popular films, is an allegorical fable about a magical cat that comes to a small Czech town and causes the underlying nature of the townspeople to be revealed in visually stunning, colorful and musical scenes. The film won a Special Jury Prize at Cannes.
Also among Jasný's notable works is Všichni dobří rodáci /All My Good Countrymen (1968), a story centering around the lives and fates of several rural Czechs as they struggle to adapt and survive under communist rule; a film later banned in Czechoslovakia after the invasion of 1968.
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
Special Jury Prize for Až přijde kocour/The Cassandra Cat (1963).
An active and influential filmmaker in 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...
throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he was among many artists and intellectuals who left the country after the USSR-led invasion following the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
of 1968.
Jasný worked in other European countries for several years including Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
until relocating to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the early '80's. Jasný taught film directing classes at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
for several years (where his compatriot Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
was also a professor and former Film Division Co-Chair) and continues to teach at The School of Visual Arts (SVA).
Až přijde kocour/The Cassandra Cat, one of Jasny's most popular films, is an allegorical fable about a magical cat that comes to a small Czech town and causes the underlying nature of the townspeople to be revealed in visually stunning, colorful and musical scenes. The film won a Special Jury Prize at Cannes.
Also among Jasný's notable works is Všichni dobří rodáci /All My Good Countrymen (1968), a story centering around the lives and fates of several rural Czechs as they struggle to adapt and survive under communist rule; a film later banned in Czechoslovakia after the invasion of 1968.
Filmography
- 2002 “Broken Silence” (TV – segment “Hell on Earth)
- 2001 Peklo na zemi
- 1999 Gladys, Return to Paradise Lost [Návrat ztraceného ráje]
- 1991 Why Havel?
- 1987 The Great Land of SmallThe Great Land of SmallThe Great Land of Small is a 1987 Canadian fantasy children's film. It was written by David Sigmund and directed by Vojtech Jasny. The film starred Michael J. Anderson, in one of his first, and largest, roles...
- 1984 Bis später, ich muss mich erschießen, “Der Blinde Richter” (TV)
- 1983 Es gibt noch Haselnuß-Sträucher (TV)
- 1981 Wir (TV)
- 1980 Gospodjica (TV), Die Einfälle der heiligen Klara (TV)
- 1978 Die Freiheiten der Langeweile (TV)
- 1977 Fairy (TV), Mein seliger Onkel, Die Rückkehr des alten Herrn
- 1976 Alexander März (TV), Attempted Flight [Fluchtversuch], The ClownThe Clown (film)The Clown is a 1976 West German film directed by Vojtěch Jasný. It is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Böll. It was chosen as West Germany's official submission to the 49th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not manage to receive a...
(Ansichten eines ClownsThe Clown (novel)The Clown is a 1963 novel by West German writer Heinrich Böll.-Plot:Hans Schnier is the "Clown" of the novel's title. He is twenty-seven years old from a very wealthy family. At the beginning of the story he arrives in Bonn, Germany. As a clown, he had to travel across the country from city to...
), Bäume, Vögel und Menschen (TV), Ernst Fuchs - 1975 Des Pudels Kern (TV)
- 1974 Der Kulterer, Frühlingsfluten
- 1972 Der Leuchtturm (TV), Nasrin oder Die Kunst zu träumen (TV)
- 1970 Nicht nur zur Weihnachtszeit (TV)
- 1969 Warum ich Dich liebe (TV), Czech Rhapsody [Ceská rapsodie]
- 1968 All My CompatriotsAll My CompatriotsAll My Compatriots is a 1968 Czechoslovak film directed by Vojtěch Jasný. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes Film Festival where Jasný won the award for Best Director.-Cast:* Radoslav Brzobohatý - peasant František...
[Všichni dobří rodáci] - 1966 The PipesThe PipesThe Pipes is a 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Vojtěch Jasný. It was entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Walter Giller – George Randy* Gitte Hænning – Mary Randy* Juraj Herz – William Poker* Václav Lohniský – Film Director...
(Dýmky) - 1963 The Cassandra CatThe Cassandra CatThe Cassandra Cat , also released under the titles When the Cat Comes, The Cat Who Wore Sunglasses, and/or That Cat) is a 1963 Czechoslovakian film directed by Vojtěch Jasný....
[Až přijde kocour] - 1961 Pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary [Procesí k panence]
- 1960 I Survived Certain Death [Přežil jsem svou smrt]
- 1958 DesireDesire (1958 film)Desire is a 1958 Czechoslovak film directed by Vojtěch Jasný. It was entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Václav Babka* Eva Blazková* Vladimír Brabec* Jana Brejchová* Vlastimil Brodský* Vera Bublíková* J...
(Touha) - 1957 Andela, September Nights [Zářijové noci]
- 1956 Opportunity [Příležitost]
- 1955 No Fear [Bez obav]
- 1954 Everything Ends Tonight [Dnes večer všechno skončí], Old Chinese Opera [Stará čínská opera], From a Chinese Notebook [Z čínského zápisníku]
- 1953 Lidé jednoho srdce
- 1952 Neobyčejná léta
- 1950 Není stále zamračeno, They Know What to Do [Vědeli si rady], Za život radostný