''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. Described by Zeman as a "pseudo- historical" film, it is an anti-war

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 discu ...

set during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

. 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 ...

with animation 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 Wittenbe ...

Cast

* Petr Kostka as Petr * Miloslav Holub as Recruiting officer Matyáš of Babice * Emília Vášáryová as Lenka * Valentina Thielová 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 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 fictional character, characters. He st ...

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 as Spanish officer * Josef Haukvic as Musketeer * František Kovářík 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 i ...

, 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 commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

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