MetaFilter posts tagged with Czechoslovakia

1989, revolution in Eastern Europe

Kattullus — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:49:20 -0800

The BBC World Service has put together a special report on the 1989 revolutions in Eastern Europe (they also have a simpler portal). There is a wealth of material, including TV reports on key events from the BBC archives, interviews, a map timeline, a report on Catholicism's role in the 1989 revolutions, a first-hand report of what it was like to gather news in East Germany during that time and much more.

Pat & Mat, lovable Czech puppetmen who have complex solutions to simple problems

Kattullus — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:53:11 -0800

The puppets Pat and Mat are beloved everywhere their Rube Goldbergian antics have been shown on TV. A couple of inventive handymen they consistently solve simple problems in outlandish fashion. Pat and Mat traveled far afield from their Czechoslovakian origins thanks to their short running time and silence, which made translation unnecessary. Considered ideologically impure by Czech authorities, creators Lubomír Beneš and Vladimír Jiránek were allowed to make around 30 episodes by the Slovakian arm of the state television corporation. They continued making new episodes after Communist rule ended and production was kept going after they passed away. First, let me present my sentimental favorite, Wallpaper. Below the cut are all the episodes I could find online. The Light. The Birdhouse. Spring Cleaning. Moving Day. The Lawnmower. Parquet flooring. Fenders. Cyclists. The Jumpers. The Grill. Biscuits. Painting Job. Rocking chair. Shelving. Water. The Gramophone. Hedge trimming. Carpet. Slot Car Racing. Swimming Pool. The Picture. The Excursion. Bodyguards. Strawberries. The Fax Machine. The Apple. Wheels. The Crossword. The Key. Billiards. Windsurfing. The Piano. The Aquarium. Workshop. Rain. The Lid. Doghouse. Flat Tire. The Roof. Illness. The Swing. Window Painting. The Garage. Model Builders. Breakfast in the Grass. Hang Glider. Golf. Automatic Machine. Garage Door. The Garden. The Light. Preserving. Paving Stones. The Door. Autodrome. Greenhouse. And finally, the first Pat and Mat ever made, Tinkers. Oh, and the name of the show is ...a je to! which means ...and it's done!

"the events in Postoloprty"

orthogonality — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:59:54 -0800

"Two hundred and fifty men were taken one day, another 250 the next, and a layer of earth was thrown in between," a policeman told a parliamentary inquiry in 1947. "They weren't all executed in a single night, but rather in stages." Often enough the condemned men were given a pick and shovel, and made to dig their own graves. The perpetrators didn't have many scruples. After all, they were sure they had high-level military backing...."The general told us, 'The fewer of them that remain, the fewer enemies we'll have.'"

Czech Town Divided over How to Commemorate 1945 Massacre

In July 1947 the ... parliament ... felt obliged to launch an official inquiry into the matter. Countless soldiers and local residents were interviewed, including Captain ... Cerny, who immediately assumed responsibility for the killing of the five boys on the parade ground. "I gave the order for their execution," he declared. ...The officials sent a report back to their minister recommending that the bodies be exhumed and burnt so that "[the victims] should have no memorials to which they could point as a source of suffering by their people." In a top-secret operation in August 1947, several mass graves were dug up, and 763 bodies were removed, most of which were then cremated. There is little doubt that there were more victims whose bodies were never found. Meanwhile, the official documents about "the events in Postoloprty" were classified as confidential and disappeared into the Interior Ministry archives. That suited the postwar residents of Postoloprty and Zatec, who now lived in the houses of the killed or displaced former inhabitants.

If anybody could ever put a soundtrack to an epileptic porno, it would be Uz Jsme Doma.

filthy light thief — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 16:42:08 -0800

Music in Czech lands in the 20th was tumultuous, to say the least. The artistic freedom of the early 20th century shifted during World War I under Nazi occupation, flourishing again after the war. With the rise of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, arts were "destined to play a great role in the socialist education of the masses," which meant artists were to portray "life as it should be according to Marxist theory." Some bands shifted to more politically acceptable performances, while others went underground. The Velvet Revolution lifted limitations, and artists who had performed illegal shows in private now shared their underground sounds and sights with the world. The Plastic People of the Universe (who some credit with bringing the Revolution) could be considered to embody the Communist repression of the 1970s and 1980s in their gloomy, despair-driven music, with Už Jsme Doma showing a different side of Czech music, representing the exuberance of liberation. Už Jsme Doma literally translates to we are home, but also means something more like, "well, there we go" in Czech conversation. While Exuberant is a great way to describe the band, perhaps Emotional is better. Within a single song, they can shift from a drunken bar-room sing-along into something akin to high-speed punk, and then start sobbing in their next song, only to reach ecstatic highs again. Their sound has been shaped by their membership, which started with one trained member, Jindra Dolanský. Though trained on the clarinet, Jindra played the saxophone (along with singing backup and being a co-composer), which has been part of the distinct sound of the band. Another key element of the band has been Miroslav Wanek, lead singer, bandleader and (co-)composer since the band's initial re-forming in 1986. 10 years after their initial formation, UJD were the stage band for The Residents' live musical play, Freak Show Live in Prague, as well as the Freak Show Live CD-Rom (discussed previously). Six years later, Jindra left the band in late 2001, to focus on his family and stop the constant touring schedule of UJD. The band continued, and new arrangements of old material used keyboard, guitar lines and vocal melodies to replace the saxophone instead of hiring a new member. In October 2006, a grand 20 year anniversary show was performed in Archa Theater in Prague. The first half of the show covered the history of the band, with the return of Jindra Dolanský on saxophone, while the second half was the current line-up with a 20 piece choir. This show was recorded, and released as 20 Letů (20 Flies or 20 Years, translated as 20 Flyears). In 2006, trumpet player Adam Tomášek was hired as the first horn player in the band since Dolanský's departure. In October, 2007, the band returned to the United States for their first time since 2001, and continue to play. Interviews: May 1997, and February 2008 --- Videos ----------- Hollywood, the band's first music video (1993) Amen (incomplete) and Kreslak, Uprostred slov, showing the band's love of costume. Live in 1999 part 1, part 2. I believe these are from their 2006 reunion show, even though they are titled as being from 2005: Kovbojska Julecek Tvar (with captions) Jassica Napul Hollywood Kuzelina Jo Nebo Nebo (one of their first songs, included as a hidden song after the last track on their Best Of compilation entitled Fifteen Drops of Water) Live in 2007, with Adam on trumpet More live audience videos (add &fmt=18 after any video URL for "high quality" youtube videos)

Do you know these children?

Asparagirl — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:32:10 -0800

Do you, or an older relative of yours, recognize any of these children? More than 70 children separated from their families during WWII, now all elderly men and women, are using the Internet to try to find some answers about their pasts, their families, and sometimes even their own names. They are soliciting help and suggestions in the comments sections on each story. Sadly typical story: "The infant was hungry and crying, so her mother asked for milk from a Polish couple that happened to be on the train station. The Polish man brought milk for the baby. Then the Jewish mother asked if they would want to take the baby as their own because she could not keep it. This couple did not have any children, so after some consideration, they agreed. They asked the Jewish mother who she was, but she told them that it was better for them and for the baby not to know who she was. She then gave her newborn baby girl, who was probably one month old, to the Polish couple. The Polish couple raised the girl as if she was their biological daughter and never told her how she had come into the family. The girl grew up, married and had a son. It is this son who wants to find his Jewish roots..."

Czech animator Karel Zeman

sleepy pete — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:13:26 -0800

Karel Zeman was a Czech animator probably best known for his movies Journey to the Beginning of Time and The Fabulous World of Jules Verne. He used stop-motion animation, cartoons, puppetry, colorization, and live action to create surreal and otherworldly films of amazing beauty. Sadly (for some), there's not a lot on the internet in English about the man. Although, it really doesn't matter what language(s) you know when there are so many of his works online. These are in no particular order and some are not in English: The Magic World of Karel Zeman (partial) The Special Effects of Karel Zeman, part 2 (one of the vids that pops up on the "related videos" portion is NSFW) Baron Prásil (Baron Munchausen) intro, clips 1, 2, 3 1001 Nights Krabat Mr Prokouk Episode 1, 2, 3, 4 King Lavra part 1, 2, 3 Vynález Zkázy (A Deadly Invention/The Fabulous World of Jules Verne) part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Čarodějův Učeň part 1, 2, 3, 4 Cesta do Praveku (Journey to the Beginning of Time) part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Inspirace (Inspiration) Karel Zeman playlist on youtube (personal playlist which includes the above films) If you watch one, go with Inspirace. It's a stop motion/live action piece utilizing blown glass figures and takes place in a drop of rain. Previous thread on Eastern European animation

Commie Kids Telly

fearfulsymmetry — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:07:16 -0800

One rather strange minor cultural phenomena you experienced as a kid growing up in 60s and 70s Britain was a number of television programs that originated from beyond the Iron Curtain. Most infamous was the downright scary The Singing Ringing Tree from East Germany (Radio4 doc), later spoofed by the Fast Show but there were several others... including The Little Mermaid from Czechoslovakia, The White Horses from Yugoslavia (with its beautiful and much loved theme tune) and The Mole, also from Czechoslovakia, by acclaimed animator Zdeněk Miler … of which there are many many examples on Youtube. I doubt it the BBC at the time were really trying to further world revolution (MI5 put a stop to that) the documentary explains that is was just trying to fill up the schedule with cheap imports. And apparently The Singing Ringing tree was criticised by the powers that be in it’s own country for being too bourgeois with its princesses and princes and certainly The Mole was pretty subversive in its own way: "Mr. Miler said he steered clear of politics, but as Krtek became his life's work, the films did not shut out the real world, before or after the fall of Communism. Bureaucrats were poked fun at. He lamented the destruction of the environment. He showed a rabbit graphically giving birth. One film had Krtek travelling the world, stunned at an American mole's superior burrowing technology."

Flash, bang, wallop.

tellurian — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 20:52:27 -0800

Sechtl-Vosecek. A collection of photographs taken over the last 150 years are in the process of being digitized. Check out the Sokol costume ball Šibřinky or take a trip from Bechyně to Tábor. Also available is a selection concentrating on Bukhara from the Prokudin-Gorsky Collection. And much, much, more.

Good-lookin' books.

languagehat — Sat, 18 Dec 2004 08:33:05 -0800

Czech book covers of the 1920s and '30s. Czechoslovakia was an amazingly creative place between the wars, and this Cooper-Hewitt exhibit showcases some of the book covers it produced. Here's an overview and descrption of styles; you can explore them here. I particularly like Sborník Literární skupiny, Jaroslavu Královi k padesátinám, Nejmenší dum, and the work of Karel Teige. (Via wood s lot.)

Prague Spring

plep — Tue, 12 Aug 2003 05:59:00 -0800

The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia. Posters, pamphlets, social protest material. 'In the morning hours of August 21, 1968, the Soviet army invaded Czechoslovakia along with troops from four other Warsaw Pact countries. The occupation was the beginning of the end for the Czechoslovak reform movement known as the Prague Spring. This web site contains material from the days immediately following the invasion, and they reflect the atmosphere in Czechoslovakia at the time: tense, chaotic, uncertain, full of pathos, fear, and expectation... '
Related :- the Berlin Wall and East Side Gallery; A Concrete Curtain: The Life and Death of the Berlin Wall; Szoborpark in Budapest, with its gigantic Cold War-era statues.

The Prehistoric art of Znedek Burian amidst a motherlode of large scans of Czech art and photography

y2karl — Sun, 09 Feb 2003 01:39:34 -0800

Chasmosaurus, Giant Stag and Dire Wolf, Diatryma, Albertosaurus and an early Portuguese blogger--allow me to get a little Mesozoic, Creataceous and Pleistocene upon your ass with this cool archive of vintage Czechoslovakian prehistoric art: I found 11 pages of thumbnails for 258 large scan jpegs of Znedek Burian's work on the websites of the Petrs Hejna of Prague, the Czech Republic. Znedek Burian, as you will remember from my previous Vintage Dinosaur Art Archives thread, was state of the art in the 1950s. 258 scans of Znedek Burian is find enough to merit a post--But Wait! There's More! → → →

gimonca — Sun, 09 Jun 2002 18:52:12 -0800

Kashmir...Palestine...Sudetenland?? If you've been suspecting that old territorial squabbles never go away, you're probably right.

aflakete — Sat, 13 Jan 2001 13:34:58 -0800

"You must be the author of your own life." Milan Hlavsa has passed. I never listened to their (Czecheslovakia's Plastic People of the Universe) music, but I found their strength, authenticity and persistence in the face of oppression inspiring. I found this link on Google, looking for an alternative to the NYT link in Daily Media News (scroll down). It seems a fitting obit. R.I.P. Milan.