Jaromil Jireš facts for kids

Jaromil Jireš (born December 10, 1935 – died October 24, 2001) was a well-known film director and writer from Czechoslovakia. He was an important part of a special time in filmmaking called the Czechoslovak New Wave. This was a period when many talented young directors made unique and artistic films.

His 1963 film, The Cry, was shown at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival. Many people consider it the very first film of the Czechoslovak New Wave. This film movement was famous for its dark humor, using regular people instead of professional actors, and showing life in a very real way.

A Film About Freedom: The Joke

Another important film by Jireš was The Joke (1969). It was based on a book by Milan Kundera. The story is about a man named Ludvik Jahn. He was kicked out of the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia because of a simple joke he made to his girlfriend. The film shows how he later tries to get revenge.

This movie was made during a time of political change in 1968, known as the Prague Spring. It includes many scenes that make fun of and criticize the country's communist leaders. After the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia (when the Soviet Union and its allies took control), the film was popular at first. However, the government then banned it for the next twenty years. A film critic named Amos Vogel said it was a very powerful criticism of a government that controls everything.

Later Works and Documentaries

After the Soviet Union took control of Czechoslovakia, Jaromil Jireš kept working as a director. In 1971, he directed My Love to the Swallows. This was a World War II film about a Czech fighter who resisted the occupation.

His 1979 film The Young Man and Moby Dick was shown at the 11th Moscow International Film Festival. Later, his 1982 film Incomplete Eclipse was part of the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival. Jireš continued to make films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He also created many documentaries for television, including ones about ballet and opera.

Filmography

Here is a list of some of the films Jaromil Jireš directed:

Feature Films

• Uncle (Short, 1959)
• Footprints (Short, 1960)
• The Cry (1964)
• The Log Cabin (Short, 1965)
• Pearls of the Deep (segment "Romance", 1966)
• Don Juan 68 (Short, 1968)
• The Joke (1969)
• Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)
• And Give My Love to the Swallows (1972)
• People from the Subway (1974)
• Talíře nad Velkým Malíkovem (1977)
• The Young Man and Moby Dick (1979)
• Payment in Kind (1980)
• Útěky domů (1980)
• Opera ve vinici (1981)
• Incomplete Eclipse (1983)
• Katapult (1984)
• Prodloužený čas (1984)
• Lev s bílou hřívou (1986)
• Labyrinth (1991)
• Helimadoe (1994)
• The Dance Teacher (1995)
• Double Role (1999)

Television Films

• Island of the Silver Herons (TV Movie, 1976)
• The Diary of One Who Disappeared (TV Movie, 1979)
• O Háderunovi a víle Elóře (TV Movie, 1987)
• Naděje má hluboké dno (TV Movie, 1988)
• And If There Are Angels Here (TV Movie, 1992)

Documentaries

• Fever (Documentary short, 1958)
• The Hall of Lost Steps (Short, 1960)
• Don Špagát (Short, 1962)
• Citizen Karel Havlíček (Short, 1966)
• The King Game (Short, 1967)
• The Journey of Vincence Mostek and Simon Pesl of Vlcnov to Prague A.D. 1969 (short, 1969)
• Grandpa (Documentary short, 1969)
• Court of Justice (Short documentary, 1969)
• Leoš Janáček (TV Movie, 1973)
• The Safe Cracker (Short, 1974)
• Il divino Boemo (Short, 1974)
• Svět Alfonse muchy (1980)
• Bohuslav Martinů (TV Movie, 1980)
• Kouzelná Praha Rudolfa II (TV Movie, 1982)
• Milos Forman - Das Kuckucksei (TV Movie documentary, 1985)
• Sidney Lumet: I Love New York (TV Movie documentary, 1987)
• Po zarostlem chodnícku (Documentary, 1987)
• Antonín Dvorák (TV Mini-Series, 1990)
• F. Murray Abraham (TV Movie documentary, 1991)
• Beschreibung eines Kampfes (1991)
• Rekviem za ty, kteři přežili (Documentary, 1992)
• Hudba a víra (TV Movie documentary, 1992)
• Hudba a bolest (TV Movie documentary, 1992)