Karel Kachyňa (1 May 1924 – 12 March 2004) was a Czech
film director and
screenwriter. His career spanned over five decades.
Early life
He was born on May 1, 1920, in
Vyškov
Vyškov (; german: Wischau) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Administrative parts
Vyškov ...
, Czechoslovakia. His father was a government officer. His mother was an art teacher. After spending first 4 years of his life in Vyškov, he moved with his family to
Dačice
Dačice (; german: Datschitz) is a town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
It i ...
and then
Kroměříž
Kroměříž (; german: Kremsier) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is known for the Kroměříž Castle with castle gardens, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town centre with the ...
. Kachyňa studied at
Baťa School of Art in
Zlín
Zlín (in 1949–1989 Gottwaldov; ; german: Zlin) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 73,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice river. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the ...
. During the WWII he was
forced to work in a German factory Walter Georgi in
Bernsbach
Bernsbach is a village and a former municipality in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony in Germany that together with its constituent community of Oberpfannenstiel has roughly 4,700 inhabitants. Since 1 January 2013, it is part of the town ...
.
After the war he was able to finish high school and work on commercials at the Baťa film studios in Zlín. Kachyňa was then accepted at newly founded
(FAMU) to study cinematography and directing. His fellow students were
Vojtěch Jasný
Vojtěch Jasný (30 November 1925 – 15 November 2019) was a Czech director, screenwriter and professor who has written and directed over 50 films. Jasný made feature and documentary films in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, USA & Canada, and ...
,
Zdeněk Podskalský
Zdeněk Podskalský (18 February 1923 – 29 October 1993) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He directed 32 films between 1950 and 1987.
Selected filmography
* ''When the Woman Butts In'' (''Kam čert nemůže'') (1959)
* '' Mu ...
and
Antonín Kachlík.
Career
After the graduation he directed
socialist realist
Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ...
propaganda documentaries with Jasný. Throughout the 1950s they both worked for the Czechoslovak Army Film. In the 1952 they traveled to China with Art Ensemble of the
Czechoslovak People's Army
The Czechoslovak People's Army ( cs, Československá lidová armáda, sk, Československá ľudová armáda, ČSLA) was the armed forces of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) and the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1954 until ...
and made three documentaries about the country.
Kachyňa made his most celebrated movies with a screenwriter
Jan Procházka in relatively free period in the 1960s.
After the
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...
and in subsequent
Normalization period, his politically critical movies ''
Long Live the Republic!'', ''
Coach to Vienna'', ''
The Nun's Night'' and ''
The Ear'' were banned.
Kachyňa was fired from his teaching job at FAMU, after the film ''Uninvited Guest'' by his student Vlastimil Venclík was interpreted as being a criticism of the Soviet Invasion.
From the 1970s he directed mostly historical movies focused on the lives of regular people, and children movies. After the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
he was re-hired at FAMU and continued to teach there until his retirement.
Personal life
Kachyňa was married twice. He had one daughter, Eliška, with his first wife Eliška Kuchařová. He met his second wife
Alena Mihulová
Alena Mihulová (born 4 May 1965) is a Czech film and television actress. She won Czech Lion for her role in ''Home Care''. She was married to film director Karel Kachyňa.
Selected Filmography
*'' Sestřičky'' (1983)
*'' Smrt krásných srnc ...
during the filming of ''
Sestřičky'' in 1983. Their daughter, Karolína, was born in 1994. He lived in the 16th century house in Nový svět neighbourhood near
Czernin Palace
The Czernin Palace ( cs, Černínský palác) is the largest of the baroque palaces of Prague, which has served as the offices of the Czechoslovak and later Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Czech Republic), Czech foreign ministry since the 1930s. It ...
at
Hradčany
Hradčany (; german: Hradschin), the Castle District, is the district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle.
The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about in length and an average of about wide. Its history ...
, Prague.
Filmography
Feature films
Television
* ''
Cesta byla suchá, místy mokrá'' (2003)
* ''
Kožené slunce'' (2002)
* ''
Otec neznámý aneb cesta do hlubin duše výstrojního náčelníka'' (2001)
* ''
Three Kings
The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the ...
'' (1998) TV series
* ''
Prima sezóna'' (1994) TV series
* ''
Městem chodí Mikuláš'' (1992)
* ''
Vlak dětství a naděje'' (1989) TV series
* ''
Duhová kulička'' (1985)
* ''
Velký případ malého detektiva a policejního psa Kykyna'' (1982)
* ''
Počítání oveček'' (1981)
* ''
Zlatí úhoři'' (1979)
Documentaries
* ''Bratři'' (1975)
* ''Legenda'' (1973)
* ''Four Times About Bulgaria'' (1958)
* ''The City Has Its Own Face'' (1958)
* ''World Championship of Air Models'' (1957)
* ''Crooked Mirror'' (1956)
* ''Stará čínská opera'' (1953)
* ''Z čínského zápisníku'' (1953)
* ''Lidé jednoho srdce'' (1953)
* ''Neobyčejná léta'' (1952)
* ''They Know What to Do'' (1950)
* ''Za život radostný'' (1950)
* ''Není stále zamračeno'' (1949)
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kachyna, Karel
1924 births
2004 deaths
People from Vyškov
Czech film directors
Czechoslovak film directors
Czech screenwriters
Male screenwriters
Czechoslovak communists
Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic)
Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague