Jaroslav Anděl – Petr Szczepanik (eds.)

Cinema All the Time:

An Athology of Czech Film Theory and Criticism, 1908 – 1939 

This anthology documents in English translation changes of The Czech thinking on film in the period between 1908 and1939, i.e. until the time when the featured films became the main attractions in cinemas and when a public debate about their cultural meaning was started. At this time, writing about film was not yet a natural part of cultural running neither an academic research field, yet, throughout various disciplines it has actively co-determinate the way how this new medium would be understood and evaluated by the society.

NFA 2008, paperback, 432 pages, price CZK 350, Knihovna Iluminace 25, ISBN 978-80-7004-136-9.

Petr Szczepanik – Jaroslav Anděl (eds.)

Stále kinema

Antologie českého myšlení o filmu 1904 – 1950

This anthology documents changes of The Czech thinking on film in the period 1904 - 1950, i.e.  from the time when the featured films became main cinema attraction and a public debate about their cultural meaning was started until the cancelling of the post-war Czechoslovakia Film Institute, being the last outpost of relatively free filmologic research in the Stalin’s time. At this time, writing about film was not yet a natural part of cultural running neither an academic research field, yet, throughout various disciplines it has actively co-determinated the way how this new medium would be understood and evaluated by the society.

NFA 2008, paperback, 432 pages, price CZK 350, Knihovna Iluminace 25, ISBN 978-80-7004-136-9.

Svatopluk Malý

V zajetí filmu

Vzpomínky kameramana

Memoirs describing three quarters of century of work of a longstanding historian of the Krátký film, documentarist, cameraman of animated films, an excellent special effects specialist and collaborator of film director Jana Švankmajer. Svatopluk Malý (* 1923) gives a testimony not only on his personal film carrier but in a nutshell also on the history of the "short film" genre and a number of special technical methods being hidden to the eye of a laic audience. The preface is written by Jan Švankmajer, the postface by Eva Strusková and Rudolf Krejčík, editorially prepared by Václav Kofroň. Supplemented by Svatopluk Malý filmography and over one hundred photographs, both black-and-white and coloured, name and film index.

NFA 2008, hardback, 388 pages, price CZK 399, Knihovna Iluminace 24, ISBN 978-80-7004-135-2.

Jan Svoboda

Skladba a řád

Český teoretik filmu a televize Jan Kučera

An extensive monography of Jan Kučera (1908 - 1977), the critic, theoretic, editor, cameraman, director, film organizer and pedagogue. Based on an extent archive and source study, the author analyses not only Kučera´s personal thought development in a unique half –century continuity (1927 - 1977) but at the same time he touches also on a wider problematic of the Czech film and television culture and peripetias and maturing of The Czech filmology as a field. The volume is equipped with a standard scientific apparatus (notes, sources and used literature, a list of cited films and television series, the text and black- and- white photography enclosure) however, also a complete biography and bibliography documentation related to Jan Svoboda himself (* 1940) is added. The book is also an overview of his own life research work.

NFA 2007,paperback, 405 pages, price CZK 349, Knihovna Iluminace 23, ISBN 978-80-7004-132-1.

Gilles Deleuze

Film 2. Obraz-čas

The second and concluding part of a unique sample of French film thinking. „Cinematography itself is a new practice of pictures and signs, to which philosophy has to add a theory in a form of conceptual practice," Deleuze gives reason for his attitude. Vlastimil Zuska adds to it in the analytical postface that the Deleuz´s dilogy is "an intersection of two parallel movements of thinking- a philosophical one and a thinking provoking changes of film picture (including sound)". The author of the translation and the translation note is Čestmír Pelikán, translation revised by Jiří Našinec, filmography revision done by Milan Klepikov, Miloš Fikejz and Jan Lukeš. The volume is supplemented by a name and film index.

NFA 2006, paperback, 371 pages, price CZK 349, Knihovna Iluminace 22, ISBN 80-7004-127-7.

Film theory Miscellany 3

Tvořivé zrady

Současné polské myšlení o filmu a audiovizuální kultuře

The miscellany offers a summary of the most important current attitudes in Polish theory and film history and audio-visual culture It includes studies from the sixties of the last century (Alicja Helmanová) up to works from the recent time that already turn away from film to other audio-visual medium and cultural forms(for instance Andrzej Pitrus about TV commercials). Total of seventeen texts of fifteen authors were selected, translated and put into four sections by  the editors Petr Mareš (* 1954) and Petr Szczepanik (* 1974). By this work they preceded an extensive analytical study about historical development of the film’s problematic in Poland, which is equipped in the same way as the selected texts by an extensive list of cited literature. The book is also supplemented by a list of cited film titles.

NFA 2005, paperback, 500 pages, price CZK 349, Knihovna Iluminace 21, ISBN 80-7004-119-6.

Žánr ve filmu

The miscellany of contributions from the VI. Czech-Slovak Filmology Conference held in Olomouc in the date 14. - 16. 11. 2002. There are contributions of almost two dozen Czech and Slovak theorists and film historians, according to the editor Brigita Ptáčková, offering a wide range of attitudes to the chosen subject "starting as of the efforts to abstract the pure skeleton of a genre work which can be applied further onto another work, going on to an effort to grasp this abstraction or its purpose theoretically up to a particular analysis". Among the authors of the contributions we find filmologists of several generations, starting from Jan Svoboda to Vlastimil Zuska, Peter Michalovič, Stanislava Přádná, Martina Ciela, Petr Mareš, Ivana Klimeš, Jaromíra Blažejovský up to Luboše Ptáček or Jiří Horníček.

NFA 2004, paperback, accompanied by black -and white- pictures 180 pages, price CZK 180, Knihovna Iluminace 20, ISBN 8-7004-116-1.

Juraj Šajmovič

Duch času

Mezi fotografií a filmem

The monography of  the cameraman ad photographer Juraj Šajmovič (* 1932) combines the top aesthetic experience from the not much known photography work from the fifties up until today with a rich factography of a film-maker and personal confession of an artist. The publication contains the author´ text “Strach z fotografování“,  Jaroslav Boček´s and Václav Macek´s critical essays, an interview of editor Jana Lukeš with  Juraj Šajmovič “ How do I do it actually”, a list of Juraj Šajmovič´s exhibitions, publications and photographs and his complete film and television filmography.

NFA 2004, hardcover, 130 black- and- white photograph, 172 pages, price CZK 299, Knihovna Iluminace 19, ISBN 80-7004-115-5.

Pavel Juráček

Deník (1959 – 1974)

The diary records of screenwriter and producer Pavel Juráček (1935 - 1989) are encompassing continually the period from his grammar school in the beginning of the fifties up to the first normalization years. They constitute several thousand pages of testimony about the time, people and in particular the author himself, where there was an artistic rise in his life in the beginning of the young cinematography in the sixties, followed by the disillusion after the occupation and a steep humane failure. It is exactly this culminating phase of Juráček´s life on which focuses the volume involving the concluding third from a series of thirty three diaries editorially prepared by Jan Lukeš. The volume contains five picture and text enclosures, accompanied by black- and- white photographs in the text and in a separated enclosure on the coated paper with a commented list, Pavel Juráček´s filmography, a list of abbreviations, signs and names, editor’s biographical postface and editing commentary, name and film index. The Deník was announced to be the “Book of the year 2003” in a poll arranged by the newspaper Lidové noviny and has won the Magnesia Litera 2004 award for publishing achievement.

NFA 2003, hardback, 1 078 pages, price CZK 499, Knihovna Iluminace č. 18, ISBN 80-7004-110-2.

Obrazy času / Bilder der Zeit

Český a rakouský film 30. let / Tschechischer und österreichischer Film der 30er Jahre

A bilingual miscellany of Czech and Austrian film historians (Michal Bregant, Jiří Voráč, Ivan Klimeš, Václav Kofroň, Karl Sierek, Gernot Heiss, Robert Buchschwenter, Sylvia Szely, Franz Marksteiner) containing analysis of four Czech and four Austrian films from the production in the period 1932 - 1936. The second part of the publication consists of an extensive study of its editors Gernot Heisse and Ivana Klimeš (* 1957) about the internal situation and the relationships of both national cinematographies in the overall dramatic time. The volume contains a list of abbreviations, name and film index and film companies associations and offices. Published along with Österreichisches Ost- und Südosteuropa-Institut - Aussenstelle Brünn in cooperation with PVS Verleger.

NFA 2003, paperback, 110 black and white photographs, 511 pages, price CZK 363, Knihovna Iluminace 17, ISBN 80-7004-107-2.

Antonín J. Liehm

Ostře sledované filmy

Československá zkušenost

A set of interviews with thirty five Czech film makers being published in the period 1964 – 1969, especially in the series called Filmové a televizní noviny. After the author emigrated, it was published in English in New York in 1974. Its completed edition is a part-payment of a long-standing debt to A. J. Liehem (* 1924) and to a number of Czech makers of the Czech and Slovak film top period (starting by Frič, Vávra, Radok, Jasný, Kachyňa, Kadár and Klos and ending by Forman, Chytilová, Schorm, Juráček, Jakubisko, Havetta and Hanák) and at the same time being a still living testimony about the status of an artist in the modern society. The hardback volume is equipped with filmographical medallions, a list of A. J. Liehma´s book works, Jan Lukeš´s editorial note, name and film index and over seventy black- and- white photographs.

NFA 2001, hardcover, 474 pages, price CZK 299, Knihovna Iluminace 16, ISBN 80-7004-100-5.

 V & W neznámí II

1929 – 1938

Jiří Voskovec - Jan Werich

Nikdy nic nikdo nemá...

Edition of a Jiří Voskovec´s and Jan Werich´s work outside of theatre, which usually has not been published, introduces a separated series since 1997, being fulfilled in accordance with the procedure of processing of often quite unknown material. The first and the second volume encompassing the period 1922 - 1929 and 1929 – 1938 will be followed by the sets of texts from the years 1938 - 1945, 1945 - 1948, 1948 - 1981. The content of the second volume accompanied by a number of black- and- white photographs and other illustration material consists of newspaper and magazine articles, interviews and V & W radio series texts .Edited by Václav Kofroň, preface by Vladimír Just, editorial commentary by Václav Kofroň and Radan Dolejš.

NFA 2001, hardback, 466 pages, price CZK 270, Knihovna Iluminace 15, ISBN 80-7004-089-0.

Od Oidipa k Francouzově milence

Světová literatura ve filmu. Interpretace z let 1982 – 1998

A set of literal and film theorist Marie Mravcová (* 1947) brings in total of fifteen interpretation studies on the subject of the relationship of a literal work and its film adaptation. Analyses of top literary and film works of world literature and cinematography in which dominate names as Pasolini, Forman, Michalkov, Wajda, Szabó, Bertolucci or Reisz, are introduced by a current preface, editorial note, complete author´s bibliography in the film and literature field and name and film index are added.

NFA 2001, paperback, 371 pages, price CZK 270, Knihovna Iluminace 14, ISBN 80-7004-099-8.

Film 1. Obraz-pohyb

The first part of the basic work of French film theory published in the period 1983 - 1985 and based on classification of types of pictures and corresponding signs, a "natural history" of cinematography according to the author "What I am interested in are the relationships between art, science and philosophy. There is no privilege that would promote one of the discipline above the other ones" Deleuze (1925 - 1995) defined himself the general basics Translated by Jiří Dědeček, translation revised by Přemysl Maydl a Čestmír Pelikán, postface by Přemysl Maydl, translation note by Čestmír Pelikán, filmographical data verified by and editorial note written by Jan Lukeš. The volume is supplemented by name and film index.

NFA 2000, paperback, 298 pages, price CZK 300 Knihovna Iluminace 13, ISBN 80-7004-098-X.

Ivo Pondělíček

Svět k obrazu svému

Příspěvky k filmovému vědomí a videokultuře 1962 – 1998

A set of articles by Ivo Pondělíček (* 1928) balances more than quarter century research work of a known psychologist and filmolologist in one person. The mass media communication influence, sex and violence in film are the basic themes of the volume which is dominated not only by names as Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock a Orson Welles, but also Marshall MacLuhan, Brigitt Bardotová or Madonna. The author´s selection is supplemented by Ivo Pondělíček´s completed bibliography, the book is equipped with name and film index.

NFA 1999, paperback, 356 pages, price CZK 210, Knihovna Iluminace 12, ISBN 80-7004-097-0.

Vojtěch Jasný

Život a film

The book of remembrances and lections about film from teaching at several American universities is a summary of life wisdom and learning of Czech cinematography legend Vojtěch Jasný, (* 1925). The text collage of aphoristic thoughts, practical advices and personal reminiscences summarizes a unique artistic path being unfolded in the conditions of contradictory social systems both at home and abroad, basking in glory and also in the curse of exile. The work composed of a biographical prologue and twelve chapters devoted to particular aspects of the film work is supplemented by Jan Lukeš´s preface, the editor and literary adjuster, a current interview with Vojtěch Jasný, a list of his works, an editorial note, name and film index and almost eighty photographs, both black- and- white and coloured photographs, including Jasný´s free photography work.

NFA 1999, hardback, 280 pages, price CZK 270, Knihovna Iluminace 11, ISBN 80-7004-094-7.

Petr Král

Groteska čili Morálka šlehačkového dortu

The first part of a two-volume work devoted to American film grotesque, published in French in 1984 and 1986. It arose originally as a dissertation during Petr Král´s studies (* 1941) in Prague and then after he emigrated in August 1968 at the Nanterre University. Grotesque is researched here both from a film-aesthetical and psychological, sociological and metaphysical points of view. The text is concerned also with an aspect which is usually neglected: erotism. At this, it bears on an analysis of particular sequences and gags chosen from key personalities films (Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton, Langdon, Laurel a Hardy, Marx brothers) and also from many "ordinary" series typical for grotesques as a collective event.

NFA 1998, paperback, 317 pages, price CZK 210, Knihovna Iluminace 10, ISBN 809-7004-092-0. 

V + W neznámí I

1922 - 1929

Jiří Voskovec - Jan Werich

Faustovy skleněné hodiny

Edition of mostly unpublished non-theatre work of Jiří Voskovec (1905 - 1981 and Jan Werich (1905 - 1980) constitutes a separate series within the Iluminace Library, being fulfilled in accordance with the procedure of processing of often quite unknown material. After the first volume, there is going to be edition of the texts from the period 1929 – 1938, the third volume will encompass the period 1938 - 1945,  the forth one the period 1945 - 1948, the fifth one the period 1948 - 1981. The editors Radan Dolejš a Václav Kofroň have put to the ten section of the initial volume all available and relevant materials from the beginning of the V & W work, adding the time context to the enclosure, the book is equipped by a thorough editorial apparatus and black- and -white photographs and name index. The preface by Jiří Suchý.

NFA 1997, hardcover, 468 pages, CZK 150, Knihovna Iluminace 9, ISBN 80-7004-087-4.

Jiří Doležal

Česká kultura za protektorátu

Školství, písemnictví, kinematografie

A file of studies from the inheritance of historian Jiří Doležal(1925 - 1991) published originally in Samizdat from the end of the 70´s till the half of the 80´ s, analyzing cultural conditions in Bohemia during the German occupation. The book includes a study devoted generally to the relationship of the Nazis to the Czech culture and three studies dealing with a particular problematic of the protectorate education, literature and film. As a whole, the study represents the most thorough work on this subject at that time, despite heuristic difficulties under which the particular texts arose in the unfavourable normalization time. Editorially prepared by Pavel Zeman and Jan Lukeš, introduction by Jan Křen, editorial note by Jan Lukeš, the volume is equipped with a name, literature, theatre work and film index.

NFA 1996, paperback, 286 pages, price CZK 130,  Knihovna Iluminace 8, ISBN 80-7004-085-8.

Jiří Cieslar

Concettino ohlédnutí

Portréty, kritiky a eseje 1975 - 1995

A representative file of essays, portraits, studies and criticism of a leading representative of Czech film criticism and university pedagogue Jiří Cieslar (1951 - 2006). The first section includes portraits of personalities and world cinematography works criticism, the second one includes articles about Czech film, the third one "film notes" from the newspaper Literární noviny from 1994 and 1995, the forth one concludes the book with several essays of a not-specified genre. As a whole, the book represents along with the author´s introduction an annotated author´s bibliography with name and film index and a balance summary of the Cieslar´s twenty –years critical work (1975 - 1995).

NFA 1996, paperback, 312 pages, price CZK 130, Knihovna Iluminace 7, ISBN 80-7004-083-1.

Jean-Claude Carrière

Vyprávět příběh

The first Czech edition of two originally separated  reflections of screenwriter Jean- Claud Carrir (* 1931), collaborator of Luise Bu uel, Miloš Forman, Volker Schlöndorff and other world screenwriters about the nature of a film story and the construction of a screenplay. The first one called Scenárista aneb Cesta do Bruselu was published in 1986 in Revue Belge du Cinéma, summarizing  Carrir´s lectures on screenwriting at the Brussels’ film school INSAS. The second one, called Vyprávět příběh (FEMIS 1993) extents the author´s view on the construction of the story, putting the screenwriting work into wide cultural-.historical connections. Translated by: Tereza Brdečková and Jiří Dědeček, the introduction by Miloš Forman, the postface by Tereza Brdečková, the editorial note by Jan Lukeš.

NFA 1995, paperback, 216 pages, price CZK 69, Knihovna Iluminace 6, ISBN 80-7004-081-5.

Jan Bernard

Jazyk, kinematografie, komunikace

O mezeře mezi světy

A study of the Prague FAMU dean about the anthology of verbal language and the "language" of film and the genesis of human knowledge and modelling and the role of film in this connection " though not admitted in public, it is an attempt on philosophy of the field, thus the film science and film itself, an enterprise of almost Faust ambitions," writes Ivo Osolsobě in the introduction. Jan Bernard (* 1948) accompanied the text with black- and- white pictures, a list of literature and English resume.

NFA 1995, paperback, 187 pages, price CZK 49, Knihovna Iluminace 5, ISBN 80-7004-079-3.

Film theory miscellany 2

Tartuská škola

J. M. Lotman, V. V. Ivanov, J. G. Civjan, M. B. Jampolskij

A representative selection of key works of one of the centres of film semiotics, from the Jurij Michajlovič Lotman surroundings. The source was a series of works of the University of Tartu called “Učonyje zapisky” from the 70´s and the  80´s and the book of V. V. Ivanov “Očerki po istorii seniotiky v SSSR” (1976). Chosen, arranged and foreface made by Jan Bernard, translation from Russian originals and postface by Tomáš Glanc. The volume is equipped with black- and- white photographs and illustrations, editorial note by Eva Strusková, name and film index.

NFA 1995, paperback, 249 pages, price CZK 69, Knihovna Iluminace 4, ISBN 80-7004-077-7.

Mojmír Drvota

Základní složky filmu

A study of a film maker and actor Mojmír Drvota (1923 - 2006), since the 50´s exultant and pedagogue at several American universities, represents a late structuralist attempt to define basic features of the film language. "It is surprising that the author managed not to forget anything on a relatively small space, describing probably all important factors of the film work, its genesis and conception" wrote Vlastimil Zuska in the preface. The book was published originally in 1973 as lecture notes at the Ohio State University.

NFA 1994, paperback, 102 pages, price CZK 37,80,  Knihovna Iluminace 3, ISBN 80-7004-076-9.

Jan Lukeš

Orgie střídmosti

aneb Konec československé státní kinematografie (Kritický deník 1987 - 1993)

A file of studies and criticism of a literary and film critic from the turning point period 1987 - 1993. Jan Lukeš (* 1950) summarized analyses and reviews written for journals Iluminace, Dramatické umění, Kino, Záběr and Kino revue into a block describing almost as a diary the picture of the cinematography and society development at the end of the falling apart totality and in the beginning of the democracy, newly being formed. The volume is provided with a list of the author’s works about film, name and film index.

NFA 1993, paperback, 328 pages, price CZK 58,80, Knihovna Iluminace 2, ISBN 80-7004-006-8.

Jan Žalman

Umlčený film

Kapitoly z bojů o lidskou tvář československého filmu

A historical study and also a personal testimony of Jan Žalman, his own name Antonín Novák (1911 - 1990), the representative of film publicism from the 50´s and 60´ about films and makers of the “ Czechoslovakian film miracle” of the 6^th decade of the 20est century. The former editor in chief of the revue Film a doba wrote his text under difficult conditions as he was taken out of the public life after the beginning of the normalization process and he did not live to see his work published. Editorially prepared by Stanislava Přádná and Jan Svoboda, editorial notice by Eva Strusková, postface by Jan Svoboda. The text is accompanied by black- and- white photographs, name and film index

NFA 1993, paperback, 283 pages, price CZK 58,80  Knihovna Iluminace 1, ISBN 80-7004-030-0.

Hranice (ve) filmu

A miscellany of contributions from the conference held in the date October 16. – 18, 1998 in Poněšice. These contributions of half a dozen of Czech and Slovak philosophers and film theorists and practicians (Miroslav Petříček, Miroslav Marcelli, Vlastimil Zuska, Tomáš Petráň, Vít Janeček, Michal Bregant, Peter Michalovič, Ivan Klimeš etc) are altered by a record of three improvised discussions attended also by students of the fields: film science, aesthetics or philosophy at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University Prague, FAMU, (Film and TV school of academy of performing arts in Prague) Philosophical Faculty , Masaryk University Brno and Philosophical Faculty of Charles University and University of Performing Arts Bratislava. The basic focus of the particular contributions and discussions was determined by the themes Forms of borders, Movements of borders and Limitations of borders. Editorially prepared by Václav Kofroň.

NFA 1999, paperback, 121 pages, price CZK 60, ISBN 80-7004-096-3.

Nová nová vlna? / Nouvelle Nouvelle vague

Rozprava o české a francouzské kinmematografii / Débats sur le cinéma tcheque et français

A record of a debate between Czech and French historians from April 13, 2002 on the subject of parallels of a former new film wave in the 60´ s and the contemporary film. Preface Michael Wellner-Pospíšil, the initial studies by Jean- Pierre Jeancolas and Petr Král. The publication was prepared as a mirror Czech-French edition in cooperation with the Czech Centre in Paris for the cine meeting of the same name, held within the event Bohemia Magica, Czech season in France.

NFA 2002, paperback, 24 black- and- white photos, 80 + 88 pages, price CZK 99 , ISBN 80-7004-109-9.