Film Adventurer Karel Zeman

Karel Zeman: Adventurer in Film is a precisely rendered popularisation documentary that smoothly and effectively fulfils the objectives set by the filmmakers, namely to commemorate the work of Karel Zeman, to present his filmmaking career and the techniques that he used to create his distinctive works, and to highlight his importance and renown on the level of both domestic and global cinema. It would perhaps be possible to criticise the film for not including more archival material or for the fact that the passages with Tim Burton are merely idle chatter that says nothing about Zeman and his films, instead only adding a popular talking head to the documentary. However, such criticisms would essentially involve how differently the documentary could have been conceived if it had been focused on different goals, which in turn would have negated its purpose of popularisation. In this respect, it is worth highlighting the tactic of outlining the significance and international reputation of Karel Zeman by including the statements of renowned popular filmmakers, critics and educators from abroad, who in most cases speak of Zeman’s work not only with obvious enthusiasm and respect, but mainly with knowledge and insight. The imaginative nature of Zeman’s vision and the brilliance and difficulty of its practical realisation are clearly illustrated in the passages where contemporary film students try to imitate Zeman’s iconic tricks in their training. The combination of statements from people who were there, his daughter, film critics and historians ensures an optimum balance of biographical information, recollections, critical detachment and the placing of Zeman’s work in a broader context. (18.08.2015)

I was born in 1989 and still even for me Karel Zeman created a childhood full of experiences I will never forget. Anytime there was a movie by Karel Zeman on TV, I immediately ran to it and without a beep sat in front of it and stared with gaping mouth until the moment there was a big title saying “the end”. I am incredibly happy that a director like Karel Zeman got this beautiful documentary, where he is praised not only by the Czechs, but also by world-renowned directors like Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam. I am even more happy that this persona of the Czech cinematography has a beautiful museum on the Kampa Island in Prague, which was already visited by the celebrities of the filmmaking world like Steven Spielberg or Gwyneth Paltrow. We are lucky that this man was born in our country. The man who wanted to shoot films for children to increase their imagination. In any age, time, but also regime. (03.01.2016)

A worthy tribute to our master of fantasy. The documentary clearly did not want (and could not) encompass everything, so it focuses mainly on Zeman's love of storytelling, and on the love of audiences and colleagues alike for his work. I fully trusted Terry Gilliam’s enthusiasm, Tim Burton not so much - not that I doubt him (maybe in Batman there is one scene in which the protagonist is classically animated and it's typically in the Zeman style), but rather due to the fact that his three or four concise sentences are taken from the show Na plovárně, and they say almost nothing. On the other hand, I would completely get rid of the uninteresting Kamil Fila and give his space to Karl Zeman, who perhaps could say more than the final sentence from the recording. (27.03.2019)

A nice documentary matching the reputation of the activities around the Karel Zeman Museum. Here and there we get an interesting observation, a conveyed love of the subject, and interesting period material. The attempt to repeat some of the special effects sequences also works as a distraction. The only major mistake is the classic performance of the arrogant Kamil, who sometimes says inappropriate things. (29.05.2016)

A beautiful documentary that shows that we have - or at least had - personalities who truly had a significant impact on how world cinema should look like. It is incredible who Zeman was able to influence, but it is even more beautiful that there are still creators today who follow in his footsteps. Hopefully, this documentary will pave the way for Karel Zeman for future generations. (04.01.2016)