Jan Werich
1905 - 1980For more than 10 years he worked in theatre Jiří Voskovec and Jaroslav Ježek. Their partnership was a platform for their numerous left-wing political satires, most notably in the Osvobozené divadlo (Liberated Theatre). The trio's work took inspiration from Dada, with its love of the absurd, a reaction against bourgeois values and the horrors of World War I.
In 1955 he begun working in cinema, and 1960s were a peak in his actor career. From the creation of the ABC Theatre he moved to the City Theatres of Prague and then to the Musical Theatre of Karlin and Nusle. Werich was originally cast by producer Harry Saltzman to play Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Upon his arrival at the Pinewood set, both producer Albert R. Broccoli and director Lewis Gilbert felt that he was a poor choice, resembling a "poor, benevolent Santa Claus".
Lakomá Barka
Vlasta Pospíšilová
Jan Werich
When the village school master discovers the body of a mean-spirited, miserly old woman, with whom he has had a disagreement, he decides to dispose of the body himself without alerting anyone else to it, but when the body is discovered by another villager the same cycle begins again, with the body eventually passing through the hands of half of the village.
Mean Barbara
Byl jednou jeden král...
Bořivoj Zeman
Jan Werich, Vlasta Burian
A selfish self-centered widowed ruler, barely tolerated by his subjects and called appropriately enough, 'King Myself, First' asks his three daughters to name the measure of their love for him. When one of them says, "more than salt", he banishes her from the kingdom. Not understanding what she meant the King assumes love can only be measured by precious metals or one's own talent, the 'correct' answers from his other two daughters. The arrogance of the King leads him to gather all the salt in the kingdom and destroy it. Of course, this backfires as he slowly learns the universal value of the substance, and of course, the essence of his daughter's reply. With the help of the wise and magical old 'herb woman', the King also learns what it means to be a true and wise ruler.
Once Upon a Time, There Was a King...
Císařův pekař – Pekařův císař
Martin Frič
Jan Werich, Marie Vášová
The Emperor's mismanagement of his country is provoking some in his court to plot to overthrow him. He feels successful, at least, when he discovers the legendary Golem, which he believes can protect him and even cure his imaginary illnesses but, when he disappears while on a bender, his kindly baker, who looks just like him, is mistaken for him, and begins to put things in order. However, the conspirators, not to be outdone, determine to bring the Golem back to life to do their bidding.
The Emperor and the Golem
Až opadá listí z dubu
Vlasta Pospíšilová
Jan Werich
The story is a celebration of the cleverness and wit of the simple peasant Čupera, who triumphs not only over the demon of alcohol, but also over the bureaucratically persistent and thorough devil. The hell that the farmer goes through during the withdrawal process is stylized as a shantytown, a galley with a prison and a dehumanized night club.
When the Oak Leaves Fall
Jan Werich's Fimfarum
Aurel Klimt, Vlasta Pospíšilová
Jan Werich, Ota Jirák
feature-length animated band on the themes of Jan Werich's book. A funny and instructive narrative about fairy-tale and everyday things, about the dwarves, the miracles, but also about the very ordinary human weaknesses and cleverness. The Art Concept of Puppet Stories accurately depicts the humor and atmosphere of the fairy tales "Fimfarum", "The Fall of the Oak", "Franta Nebojsa", "The Dream of the Dream" and "Lakomá Barka", written by Jan Werich on a gramophone record in the 1960s under the title Fimfarum.
Jan Werich's Fimfarum
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
Karel Zeman
Miloš Kopecký, Rudolf Jelínek
The 20th century's first man lands on the moon and discovers - that Baron Munchausen has already beaten him to it, along with Cyrano and characters from Jules Verne's lunar-landing novel. The Baron spirits the young cosmonaut by horse-drawn ship back to an ancient "Earth", where they insult a sultan, rescue a princess, fall in love with the princess, and then as a trio have further experiences in a world of pastel colors, ornate dreamlike settings, and the inevitable angry disrupters of peacefulness and love.
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
