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Karel Zeman

Karel Zeman

A true successor to Georges Méliès and the wizard of the big screen, as he was often called, Karel Zeman was born in Ostroměř near Nová Paka in northern Bohemia. A brilliant pioneer of special effects in film, he is still one of the few Czech directors to be universally recognized in the world of cinema.

Ever since his childhood he had adored puppets and performed with them in a puppet theater. Despite his artistic talent, his parents insisted he study business at high school in Kolín. At the age of 17, responding to advertisement in a newspaper, he went to Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, where he studied advertising design. While in France, he frequently visited the cinema, and became especially interested in animated movies. He was to put this knowledge to good use in his own first attempt at animation – an advertisement for soap.

He traveled widely in his youth, hiking in Morocco, Egypt, Yugoslavia and Greece. After his military service he returned to work in advertising, and, in 1939, he was about to make an extended trip to Casablanca in Morocco, as a representative of the Báťa shoe company, aim failed to get the necessary papers from the then Protectorate authorities in time and in the end he had to stay put.

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Movies Made By Karel Zeman (28)

La magie Karel Zeman (2015)

French DVD compilation of five short films by Czech animator Karel Zeman. ...

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The Tale of John and Mary (1980)

Young knight John travels the world in search of fame and fortune, but also to help others and prove himself. However, things go dire fast and he becomes burdened with life's hardships. But then he meets a pretty water nymph, Mary. ...

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Karel Zeman for Children (1980)

Seventy-year-old filmmaker Karel Zeman recapitulated his thirty years of work in the field of animated and trick films. The film Karel Zeman for Children includes excerpts from Baron Prášil, The Tale of Hansel and Gretel, Mr. Prokouk, King Lávra and Jou ...

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The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1978)

Krabat, a beggar boy, is lured to become an apprentice to an evil, one-eyed sorcerer. With a number of other boys, he works at the sorcerer's mill while learning black magic. Every Christmas one of the boys has to face the master in a magical duel, where t ...

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A Thousand and One Nights (1974)

Five different exploits of Sinbad the sailor where he gets mixed up with the pretty daughters of exotic potentates, with powerful monsters that threaten his existence, and with all sorts of teeming jungle life. ...

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On the Comet (1970)

When a comet passes the Earth very closely, it pulls a small part of North Africa, and a small swathe of humanity, along with it. ...

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The Stolen Airship (1967)

Five young people take off in a lighter-than-air machine at the Prague Centennial Exhibition. A live-action/animated film based loosely on Jules Verne's novels Two Years' Vacation and The Mysterious Island. The film in Art Nouveau style consists of live-ac ...

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The Jester's Tale (1964)

An anti-war black comedy set during the Thirty Years' War. It follows ploughman Petr, recruiter Matěj and country girl Lenka who get caught up in both sides of the war and experience many adventures before they find happiness. The film combines live actio ...

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The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962)

A 20th century man lands on the Moon and discovers that Baron Munchausen has beaten him to it, accompanied by Cyrano de Bergerac and the characters from Jules Verne's novels about the conquest of the satellite. ...

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Laterna magika II (1960)

A film of the Czech multimedia theatre production, Magician's Lantern. Eight Czechoslovak directors filmed a choreographic performance conceived and directed by director Alfred Radok and artist Josef Svoboda. This performance consists of twelve scenes: "In ...

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The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958)

As the world progresses into the industrial age, a professor studying the "nature of pure matter" is spirited away by a would-be dictator and connived into building a super-bomb, as a young reporter and a girl rescued from the sea attempt to warn him of t ...

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Mr. Prokouk, Detective (1957)

Story of Mr. Prokouk, who having read too many detective stories sees criminals everywhere. ...

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Strakonický dudák (1955)

The story of the piper Švanda, who went abroad for money and fame, but whose love for his homeland ultimately wins. ...

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Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955)

Four schoolboys go on an awe-inspiring expedition back through time, where they behold landscapes and creatures that have long since vanished from the earth. ...

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The Treasure of Bird Island (1953)

People living on an island finds a treasure, but it does not only do them good. ...

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King Lavra (1951)

A king hides an embarrassing secret - and it causes him to execute every barber who cuts his hair. ...

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Inspiration (1949)

A glass blower imagines that his creations come to life. A story of love contained within a single drop of rain. A voyage into ethereal beauty. ...

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Mr. Prokouk, The Inventor (1949)

After a hard day at work, Mr. Prokouk decides to invent a machine to ease his labor. But inventing is work too, and Mr. Prokouk spends more time dreaming about inventions than actually inventing anything. Can he find an easy solution? ...

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Mr. Prokouk, The Volunteer (1947)

Mr. Prokouk postpones the filming and decides to leave for the agricultural brigade. ...

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Mr. Prokouk, The Office Clerk (1947)

Cobbler Mr. Prokouk starts working in an office where there is a lot of paperwork too big for him. ...

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Mr. Prokouk in Temptation (1947)

While building a house, Mr. Prokouk is interrupted by a chap in a barrel with a seemingly endless supply of free liquor. This does not improve Mr. Prokouk's building skill. Can he regain sobriety long enough to finish his house? ...

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The Hamster (1946)

Animals try to escape from a flood. ...

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Mr. Prokouk: A Horseshoe for Luck (1946)

Mr. Prokouk finds a horseshoe and thinks it's a good luck charm. So, he decides to take it with him home and find a suitable place for it. He soon discovers that the horseshoe brings him nothing but bad luck. ...

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A Christmas Dream (1945)

Christmas has arrived. As a little girl and her parents enter the room, the little girl finds all kinds of toys under the Christmas Tree. She immediately throws her old doll aside and starts playing with her new dolls. But that night she has a dream. Or ma ...

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Movies Starring Karel Zeman (3)

Film Adventurer Karel Zeman (2015)

A look at the life, work and importance of Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman (1910-89), a genius of world cinema, a wizard of special effects, revealing his sources of inspiration and his revolutionary filming techniques. ...

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Karel Zeman for Children (1980)

Seventy-year-old filmmaker Karel Zeman recapitulated his thirty years of work in the field of animated and trick films. The film Karel Zeman for Children includes excerpts from Baron Prášil, The Tale of Hansel and Gretel, Mr. Prokouk, King Lávra and Jou ...

Watch Now

Inspiration (1949)

A glass blower imagines that his creations come to life. A story of love contained within a single drop of rain. A voyage into ethereal beauty. ...

Watch Now