Jiří Brdečka (24 December 1917 – 2 June 1982) was a

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, ...

writer, artist, and film director.

Life

Brdečka was born in Hranice (then in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

) to a literary family; his father, Otakar Brdečka (1881 – 1930), wrote under the pseudonym Alfa. Brdečka studied philosophy and aesthetics at

Charles University in Prague ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

until the German occupation of Czechoslovakia forced the closing of the school in 1939. He then became an administrative clerk at the Prague Municipal Museum and found occasional work as a newspaper journalist and cartoonist. He worked as a press agent for the studio from summer 1941 to the end of 1942. In 1943 Brdečka took a job as an animator, and by 1949 he was working as a film director and screenwriter at

Barrandov Studios Barrandov Studios is a set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe. Several major Hollywood productions have been made here, including '' Mission Impossible'', ' ...

. He began directing animated films on his own in 1958. In addition to his film work he also worked as a journalist, a film critic and a novelist. Brdečka's work is marked by its droll intellectual humor, often featuring an extensive use of hyperbole, satire, and literary illusions. He had one daughter, the writer and film critic (born 1952). Brdečka died in 1982 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 capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Selected filmography

Director

* '' Wedding in the Coral Sea'' (1944) * '' Springman and the SS'' (1946)

Screenwriter

* '' Springman and the SS'' (1946) * '' The Emperor's Nightingale'' (1948) * ''

The Emperor and the Golem ''The Emperor and the Golem'' ( cs, Císařův pekař a pekařův císař) is a two-part Czechoslovak historical fantasy comedy film produced in 1951. The film is set during the reign of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor and was filmed in color (not c ...

'' (1951) * ''

Old Czech Legends ''Old Czech Legends'' ( cz, Staré pověsti české) is a 1953 Czechoslovak stop motion puppet animation film directed by Jiří Trnka. It is based on the 1894 book ''Ancient Bohemian Legends'' by Alois Jirásek. Production After the completion ...

'' (1951) * '' Lost Children'' (1956) * ''

The Fabulous World of Jules Verne ''Invention for Destruction'' ( cs, Vynález zkázy) is a 1958 Czechoslovak black-and-white science fiction adventure film, directed by Karel Zeman, produced by Zdeněk Novák, and starring Lubor Tokoš, Arnošt Navrátil, and Miloslav Holub. ...

'' (1958) * '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (1959) * '' The Fabulous Baron Munchausen'' (1961) * '' The Cassandra Cat'' (1963) * ''

Lemonade Joe ''Lemonade Joe, or the Horse Opera'' ( cs, Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera) is a 1964 Czechoslovak musical comedy film, directed by Oldřich Lipský and written by Jiří Brdečka, based on his novel and stage play. A parody of the American ...

'' (1964) * ''

Dinner for Adele ''Dinner for Adele'' ( cs, Adéla ještě nevečeřela) is a 1977 Czech parody comedy film directed by Oldřich Lipský. Alternative titles were ''Adele Hasn't Had Her Dinner Yet'', ''Nick Carter in Prague'' and ''Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet''. ...

'' (1977) * ''

The Prince and the Evening Star The Prince and the Evening Star (Czech:Princ a Večernice) is a 1979 Czechoslovak fairy tale film. Plot Old King has a son Velen and three daughters. One day he leaves Velen to temporarily run the kingdom. One night, Velen wishes upon the Evenin ...

'' (1979) * '' The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians'' (1981)

References

External links

*
Essay on Jiří Brdečka
by Gene Deitch 1917 births 1982 deaths People from Hranice (Přerov District) People from the Margraviate of Moravia Czech animated film directors Czech journalists Czech cartoonists Czech humorists Czech satirists Czech screenwriters Male screenwriters 20th-century journalists 20th-century screenwriters Czechoslovak writers Charles University alumni {{CzechRepublic-writer-stub