''A Jester's Tale'' ( cs, Bláznova kronika) is a 1964

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

film directed by

Karel Zeman Karel Zeman (3 November 1910 – 5 April 1989) was a Czech film director, artist, production designer and animator, best known for directing fantasy films combining live-action footage with animation. Because of his creative use of special effec ...

. Described by Zeman as a "pseudo-

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

" film, it is an

anti-war An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

set during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. The film combines

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

with

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

to suggest the artistic style of the engraver

Matthäus Merian Matthäus is a given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: ;Surname * Lothar Matthäus, (born 1961), German former football player and manager ;Given name * Matthäus Aurogallus, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Wittenberg ...

Cast

Petr Kostka Petr Kostka (born 11 June 1938) is a Czech actor. Kostka was born in Říčany near Prague, Czechoslovakia. In 2003, he received Thalia Award for performing Herman in ''Smíšené pocity'' ''Mixed Emotions''. Selected filmography * ''Fetters'' ...

as Petr *

Miloslav Holub :''Miloslav Holub should not be confused with the Czech poet Miroslav Holub.'' Miloslav Holub (27 February 191512 March 1999) was a Czech actor, perhaps best known for his appearances (ranging from leads to cameo roles) in five films by Karel Ze ...

as Recruiting officer Matyáš of Babice *

Emília Vášáryová Emília Vášáryová, Doctor Artis Dramaticae (hon.) (; born 18 May 1942) is a Slovak stage and screen actress, referred to as the "First Lady of Slovak Theater". During her over five decades long career, she has received numerous awards includ ...

as Lenka *

Valentina Thielová Valentina may refer to: Entertainment Film * ''Valentina'' (1950 film), a 1950 Argentine film * ''Valentina'' (2008 film), a 2008 Argentine film Television * ''Valentina'' (1993 telenovela), a 1993 Mexican telenovela * Valentina (2013 telenov ...

as Countess Veronika *

Karel Effa Karel Effa (born Karel Effenberger; 23 May 1922 – 11 June 1993) was a Czechoslovak character actor who appeared in some 65 films. Selected filmography * ''Uloupená hranice'' (1947) - Závodcí * ''Poslední mohykán'' (1947) * ''Parohy'' ...

as Hetman Varga of Koňousov * Eva Šenková as Countess *

Eduard Kohout František Eduard Kohout (6 March 1889 – 25 October 1976) was a Czech stage, film actor and television actor.Mitchell p.57 Selected filmography * ''Battalion'' (1937) * '' The Magic House'' (1939) * '' Nocturnal Butterfly'' (1941) * '' Happy Jou ...

as Count *

Vladimír Menšík Vladimír Menšík (9 October 1929 – 29 May 1988) was a popular Czech actor and entertainer, born in Ivančice, Moravia, Czechoslovakia. Both comedian and serious actor, he created a wide range of lively characters. He starred in more than 12 ...

as Court painter *

Čestmír Řanda Čestmír Řanda (5 December 1923 – 31 August 1986) was a Czechoslovak film actor. He appeared in over 65 films and television shows between 1960 and 1986. Selected filmography * '' Bílá spona'' (1960) * ''Hvězda zvaná Pelyněk'' (196 ...

as Watchman *

Jiří Holý Jiří Holý (27 November 1922 in Ružomberok – 11 November 2009 in Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical ...

as Spanish officer *

Josef Haukvic Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) Josef is the surname of the following people: * Jens Josef (born 1967), German composer of classical music, a flutist and academic teacher * Michelle Josef (born 1954), Canadian musician and tr ...

as Musketeer *

František Kovářík František () is a masculine given name of Czech origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, François, and Franz. People with the name include: *Frank Daniel (František Daniel) (1926–1996), Czech film director, producer, and screenwrite ...

as Jester

Reception

The film was a notable success at the 1964

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

, winning Best Picture and Best Director. It was also voted Best Film at the 1964

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

IFF in Ethiopia, and was honored in three categories at

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

References

External links

* 1964 films 1960s black comedy films Czechoslovak black-and-white films 1960s Czech-language films Films directed by Karel Zeman Czechoslovak animated films Czech animated films 1964 animated films Films with live action and animation Czech historical adventure films 1960s historical adventure films Films with screenplays by Pavel Juráček Films set in the 1620s Films set in the 1630s Thirty Years' War in popular culture Films with screenplays by Karel Zeman 1964 comedy films 1964 drama films Czech black comedy films 1960s Czech films Czech animated adventure films Czech animated comedy films Czech animated fantasy films {{1960s-CzechRepublic-film-stub