Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

, actor, and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. His films often combine a

humanistic Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

view of the world with

sarcasm Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflection ...

and provocative

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

. Some of these films are adapted from works by Czech writers such as

Bohumil Hrabal Bohumil Hrabal (; 28 March 1914 – 3 February 1997) was a Czech writer, often named among the best Czech writers of the 20th century. Early life Hrabal was born in Židenice (suburb of Brno) on 28 March 1914, in what was then the province ...

and

Vladislav Vančura Vladislav Vančura () (23 June 1891 in Háj ve Slezsku – 1 June 1942 in Prague) was an important Czech writer active in the 20th century, who was murdered by the Nazis. He was also active as a film director, playwright and screenwriter. Early ...

Early life

Menzel was born in Prague in 1938 to Josef Menzel and Božena Jindřichová. His father Josef was a journalist, translator and children's book writer. Menzel studied directing at the

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 ( cs, Filmová a televizní fakulta Akademie múzických umění v Praze) or FAMU is a film school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1946 as one of three branches of the Acade ...

(FAMU) in Prague. His teachers at the academy included Czech Director

Otakar Vávra Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was born in Hradec Králové, Austria-Hungary, now part of the Czech Republic. Biography and career Vávra attended universities i ...

Career

Menzel was a member of the

Czech New Wave The Czechoslovak New Wave (also Czech New Wave) is a term used for the Czechoslovak filmmakers who started making movies in the 1960s. The directors commonly included are Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Ivan Passer, Pavel Juráček, Jiří Men ...

cinema in the 1960s. His first feature film, ''

Closely Watched Trains ''Closely Watched Trains'' ( cs, Ostře sledované vlaky) is a 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel and is one of the best-known products of the Czechoslovak New Wave. It was released in the United Kingdom as ''Closely Observed Trains ...

'', won the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

in 1967. The film was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

drama based on a book by

. His film '' Larks on a String'' was filmed in 1969, but was banned by the government censors. It was finally released in 1990 after the fall of the

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

regime. The film won the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

at the

40th Berlin International Film Festival The 40th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 February 1990. The festival opened with ''Steel Magnolias'' by Herbert Ross, which was shown out of competition. The Golden Bear was awarded ''ex aequo'' to the American fi ...

in 1990. The film was also based on a book by

, and spoke about life in a re-education camp in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

under the

communist rule A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

in the 1950s. Menzel was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film again in 1986 with his dark comedy ''

My Sweet Little Village ''My Sweet Little Village'' ( cs, Vesničko má středisková) is a 1985 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel. In 1987 it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Plot The film's main storyline follows the lif ...

''. In 1987, he was a member of the jury at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1989 he was a member of the jury at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1995 he was a member of the jury at the 19th Moscow International Film Festival. He was awarded an

IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award The IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award is an Indian cinema prize, one of International Indian Film Academy Awards. List of Honourees The recipients of this award are listed below. References

{{IIFA Awards International Indian Film Acade ...

in November 2013. He was also awarded the French title of Knight of Arts and Letters and the Czech Lion for lifetime artistic contribution. In the 1980s he was offered by a West German television studio to make a television series version of

The Good Soldier Švejk ''The Good Soldier Švejk'' () is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who pretends to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary i ...

with

Rudolf Hrušínský Rudolf Hrušínský (17 October 1920 – 13 April 1994) was a Czech actor. He was one of the most popular Czech actors. Many of his movies such as ''The Good Soldier Švejk'', ''The Cremator'' or '' Capricious Summer'' are considered classics of ...

. He didn't get the permission from the Czechoslovak government however. His last appearance in a feature film was in the 2018 Slovak film, ''

The Interpreter ''The Interpreter'' is a 2005 political thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, and Jesper Christensen. It was the first film shot inside the United Nations Headquarters, as well as the fin ...

'', which was based on the story of a man's interactions with an SS soldier who had executed his parents. The film was

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

's official entry to the Oscars.

Death

Menzel died on 5 September 2020, aged 82, after battling a prolonged illness. He had undergone a brain surgery earlier in 2017. He is survived by his wife Olga Menzelová, and daughters, Anna Karolina and Eva Maria. Menzel's wife confirmed on 9 November 2020 that Menzel died as a result of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pneumonia.

Filmography

Sources:

As a Director

As an Actor

* Strop (Short film) (1962) * Place in the Crowd (1964) * Obžalovaný (1964) *

Courage for Every Day ''Courage for Every Day'' ( cs, Každý den odvahu) is a 1964 Czechoslovak drama film directed by Evald Schorm. Plot Director Evald Schorm reflects on the changing political tides of his generation in this clear-eyed study of idealism and disill ...

(1964) *

If a Thousand Clarinets ''If a Thousand Clarinets'' ( cs, Kdyby tisíc klarinetů) is a 1965 Czechoslovak musical directed by Ján Roháč and Vladimír Svitáček. The film was a success especially among younger audience, but raised some controversies because of its ant ...

(1965) * Pension pro svobodné pány (TV Movie) (1965) *

Pearls of the Deep ''Pearls of the Deep'' () is a 1966 Czechoslovak anthology film directed by Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, Evald Schorm, Věra Chytilová and Jaromil Jireš. The five segments are all based on short stories by Bohumil Hrabal. The film was released in C ...

(1965) * Nobody Will Laugh (1965) * Searching (1966) * Volejte Martina (1966) *

(1966) * Flám (1966) * Return of the Prodigal Son (1967) * Hotel for Strangers (1967) * Private Hurricane (1967) * Dita Saxová (1968) * Capricious Summer (1968) * Crime in a Music Hall (1968) *

The Cremator ''The Cremator'' ( cs, Spalovač mrtvol) is a 1969 Czechoslovak dark comedy horror film directed by Juraj Herz, based on a novel by Ladislav Fuks. The screenplay was written by Herz and Fuks. The film was selected as the Czechoslovakian entry for ...

(1969) * Larks on a String (1969) * Nevěsta (1970) * Straw Hat (1972) * (1972) * Thirty Maidens and Pythagoras (1973) * The Apple Game (1976) * Modrá planeta (1977) * The Woman Across the Way (1978) *

Those Wonderful Movie Cranks ''Those Wonderful Movie Cranks'' ( cs, Báječní muži s klikou) is a 1978 Czech language, Czech comedy film directed by Jiří Menzel. The film was selected as the Czech entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign La ...

(1979) * Every Wednesday (1979) * Hra na telo (1979) * Koportos (1980) * (1981) * Tale of the Little Quarter (TV Movie)(1981) * Szívzür (1982) * Ferat Vampire (1982) * Švédská zápalka (TV Movie) (1982) * Babička se zbláznila (TV Movie) (1982) * Srdečný pozdrav ze zeměkoule (1983) * Fandy, ó Fandy (1983) * Sedm křížků (TV Movie)(1983) * Felhöjáték (1984) * Albert (TV Movie) (1985) * Run, He Is Coming! (1987) * Dámská jízda (TV Movie) (1988) * Stvoření světa (TV Movie) (1989) * Zvláštní bytosti (1990) * (1990) * Martha and I (1990) * Zvonokosy (TV Movie)(1990) * Pražský student (TV Mini-Series)(1990) *

The Elementary School ''The Elementary School'' ( cs, Obecná škola) is a 1991 Czechoslovak comedy-drama film directed by Jan Svěrák. The screenplay comes from the pen of his father Zdeněk Svěrák. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign L ...

(1991) * Das lange Gespräch mit dem Vogel (TV Movie)(1992) * The Little Apocalypse (1993) * Všetko čo mám rád (1993) * Joint Venture (1994) * Revenge (1995) * (1995) * Too Loud a Solitude (1996) * Truck Stop (1996) * Drákulův švagr (TV Mini-Series) (1996) * Franciska vasárnapjai (1997) * Hospoda (TV Series) (1996-1997) *

All My Loved Ones ''All My Loved Ones'' () is a 1999 Czech-language film directed by Matej Mináč. It was an international co-production between Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It was Slovakia's official Best Foreign Language Film submission at the 72nd ...

(1999) * Zimní víla (TV Movie) (1999) * When Grandpa Loved Rita Hayworth (2000) * The Sunken Cemetery (2002) * (2002) * (2004) * Rokonok (2006) *

Teddy Bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...

(2007) * A bárány utolsó megkísértése (TV Movie) (2008) * Setkání v Praze, s vraždou (TV Movie) (2009) * Operation Dunaj (2009) * (TV Series) (2009) * The Door (2012) * (TV Series) (2012–14) *

(2018)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menzel, Jiri 1938 births 2020 deaths Czech theatre directors Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alumni Czechoslovak film directors German-language film directors Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners Directors of Golden Bear winners Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Film directors from Prague Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres