July thirty first, I am now a bit familiar with the city, so getting around is simple. The public transportation is great, well besides the occasional long wait for night trams, another story altogether. So, here I go Metro A to Staromestska, the daily track, then FAMU an old historical building facing the river, our place of study. Today my task is to finish the research on Gene Deitch, an old, very well known, respected animator from America, who has been living in Prague for over forty years. He likes to refer to himself as the only free American living in Prague during Communism. Tomorrow I will go to Barrandov Studios to interview him and his wife. Gene is a director of 2d children animations and has been doing it for over fifty years. He has directed cartoons such as Tom and Jerry and Popeye. His wife Zdenka Deitchova is the production manager at Barrandov Studios and has worked there for over sixty years! I am excited about meeting them tomorrow, even more excited about seeing them work. Tonight we are watching a documentary, Cesky sen movie, with director Filip Remunda attending. I have been trying to take advantage of my time here by reading and watching as much work from Czech people as possible. It is great that we get to see a documentary and have the director in attendance. Interpretation is fun, but there is insight in hearing someone explain their work.
Prauge’s surprises are abundant, and whatever I seem to find it seems to say something about life here. While looking for some solace in the nonstop city, I happened to stumble upon the back edges of a park filled with vegetation, bees, butterflies and ladybugs. There hanging from a tree I spotted two cut out plastic bottles. Not knowing their contents I got closer for a better view. Then I realized these were not made for omens but that these bottles were birdfeeders, empty ones. I started to search for nearby birds, seemingly there had to be some nearby. But to my shock, none were in sight and these two homemade feeders lay empty and desolate. At this time even though silence was all around, I could hear the full force noise of destruction nearby, synonymous somehow with the way our connections with animals has been nearly lost in our modern age. Next, I kept on walking and ran into a neighborhood that I was not familiar with. Streaming from a window, the sound of classical music emanated. Looking around here I am always amazed, every building has a history, a story of its own captured in time. Often in my home, sometimes it seems people do not want to preserve these stories. Yet, in Prague restoration is revered and along with the music from nearby, I felt as if I had entered another world. And it is in this world, that I feel freedom that is indescribable.
Today was filled with exploration in the Žižkov and Karlín districts. On a quiet Sunday afternoon, theses areas were calm with many stores and businesses closed for the day. People strolled the streets casually under the warm sun, going about their own business. I ventured there to visit an old Jewish cemetery named Židovské hřbitovy. It opened in 1890, and it encompasses a very large plot of land in the area. Walking into it, I was overcome by its size, the towering trees, and the impressive tombstones and wrought iron work. Some of these graves dated back to the 1800’s, others to the present day. An attraction for the cemetery is Franz Kafka’s tombstone. Passing it by, I noticed that the ground over his grave was covered in personalized notes and gifts from fans of his. Leaving the cemetery, I was revitalized by the quiet solitude the atmosphere provided, enough to help me get through the crowded Old Town, which was where I headed to next.
Right now the city of Prague is sponsoring an art program called Sculpture Grande. In Wenceslas Square, sculptures and other large structures have been set up for public viewing. One artist from the U.S. has suspended in the air sink basins, bathtubs, and toilets attached to metal rods. They’re interesting to see yet I’m a little baffled by them at the same time. One thing, though, I think it’s great that the city puts together these annual public art displays.
Why is there a statue of a Roman goddess at the entrance to the escalator on the subway? Why in a metro stop full of steel and machines is there a towering granite woman greeting everyone as they leave Lesser Town? Why as her robes fall around her shoulders exposing a breast does a man blows his nose while sitting on her pedestal? Why as she grips a large anchor and looks up to the fluorescent-lighted ceiling do people pass by without noticing her?
Think Woodstock but for Tekno lovers. And that’s tekno with a “K,” as the real partygoers spell it to demonstrate the true “Free” spirit of the music and of Czech Tek, one of the biggest open-air teknivals in the Czech Republic. Approximately 40,000 people, maybe more, are gathering from all over Europe for the weeklong celebration being held for the second consecutive year in the woods of Hradiste military fields. Think about 30 huge raves going on simultaneously. Think a bombardment of hard, jungle, industrial, drum and base, and any other kind of tekno imaginable. Think massive underground party all in the open, fresh air.
I am working on a documentary about underground Czech Tekno music, and many of the people I spoke with urged me to go to Czech Tek. Two days later, we (Brian and I) find ourselves here. It’s in an amalgamation of cars and tents and sound systems all parked and set up randomly, wherever they wish, wherever there is space. Cars weave their way through the muddy roads filled with crowds and crowds of people, many carrying backpacks and blankets. Giant black speakers, TVs and other video screens are piled up high and wide to form stages and dance areas throughout the grassy fields. People dance in front of them all day and into the night. And of course, there’s an abundance of pivo (beer) and drugs. But it’s not about the alcohol and the drugs, as all the people we met said; it’s about the music, about being surrounded by good people. Standing on one of the faraway hills overlooking the area, I try to capture with my small video camera the wide expanse of fields buzzing with so many different beats.
Later at night, some people are still arriving and a stream a headlights wraps around one of the hills. Brightly colored beams and rays flash everywhere projected from the huge video screens, strobe lights and lasers set up on speakers and in tents all over the grounds. Many of the beer and food tent-stands have their own strobe lights and illuminated displays of art, such as scraps of metal formed into robotic bodies. Thin rays of white light cut across the night sky and across hundreds of bright, white stars. It’s amazing.
Today I learned the potential frustration that exists when trying to create media. We were filming for our second project and trying to capture a leaf (or leaves) falling, which sounds rather simple. Logistically speaking, however, it is very difficult to capture the fall of a single leaf on film since predicting which leaf (out of the thousands on the tree) will fall is nearly impossible. Additionally, what I saw in front of me and what I was able to capture and convey on film became two very different things. At one point, with the wind blowing through the trees, the scene before me was very beautiful. Yet I did not feel I was able to accurately capture that moment on film. But why? Is it because I experience things with all of my senses while film uses only two? Or is it that the emotions I am feeling at the time that help to make the scene meaningful are not present when I view the scene later? I also wonder if some of the things I am experiencing are made more beautiful in my mind because they occur with Prague as a backdrop. Because there are times when the city is not necessarily in my periphery, yet I know it is there. And perhaps that evokes certain emotions that then add to what I see around me. I cannot be sure, and I don’t feel I have drawn any conclusions from my musings. Perhaps I should simply remind myself that my goal is not simply to make meaningful films, but to make films that are just as meaningful as my real life experiences.
Today and yesterday were a complete adventure. Molly and I took a bus five plus hours to the Moravian spa town of Luhacovice, where some of my family still lives. Once we arrived at the Luhacovice bus stop, Jitka and her daughter, little Jitka, were sitting on a bench, waving and smiling. It had been four years since I had seen them. What to do you know, though; they still looked the same. It was great to see them; however, the greater challenge was just about to begin. None of my family in Moravia speaks ANY English! I couldn’t believe it, but I could actually converse pretty well with them… the Czech classes at UT along with my grandmother always speaking in Czech must have paid off.
The next morning, Jitka took Molly and I to the Holy Farm. My family and I lovingly call it this because it was my great-grandmother’s maiden name, and her father was born and raised here. Once at the farm, I chatted with Frank (in Czech!), who still lives and works on the farm. He walked us through a typical day on the farm. We fed the rabbits, saw the cows from a distance because they were out to pasture, and saw where he makes honey from many ferocious bumblebees. The bumblebee part was the most interesting thing on the farm for Molly and me because thousands of bees were flying in and out of honeycombs that were behind these sort-of boxed bee houses. It’s difficult to explain; that is why there is a picture included. The farm was all in all a great experience because I have never been there without my Czech-speaking American family before. I have always had my grandmother to rely on to communicate with my family. This time, I had to rely on myself, and I think that it was a great experience that I will always remember!
It is a failure of the human intellect to become adapted to a place so much so as to begin ignoring it. Even in a city as fascinating as Prague, mundane appearances still occur. Today regrettably began as one of those days, a lazy breakfast, a metro ride to school and a quick visit to the coffee machine outside of class. We are in the middle of planning our second documentary; we sit in the classroom looking through the names and numbers of local animators that George had compiled a few days prior. The list ranged from world famous surrealists to students working a few floors above us. I was a little lost.
CHASE
So what are we going for here? Who
do we want to speak to the most?
GEORGE
We’ll speak to anyone who will speak
to us.
CHASE
Lesson learned. Never count anyone
out.
Even in the most uneventful days lessons can be learned, people can be explored and small occurrences suddenly become huge. A Slavic woman was singing at the top of her lungs at the usually hushed metro station; although she sang with authority and a decent alto voice, no one offered her a second glance. I had no idea what she was singing about, whether it was praise or slander, but her passion was worth a second glance. Maybe these days that seem uneventful are actually messages to pay closer attention to the world around you.
Today I went to see the movie “Match Point” by Woody Allen at Kino Svetozor. Svetozor is this independent movie theatre in the center of Prague. I had gone to see “Night of the Living Dead” and wanted to see “Match Point” anyway, so I figured no better place then this. In El Paso we do not have an independent movie theatre, besides the UTEP Union Cinema, where once a week film chosen by the Student Film Coordinator and Professors are shown. (These films tend to be independent/foreign most of the time.) I loved the environment of Svetozor though, an actual movie screen, cozy bar areas and everyone who works there is real young. After the movie was over I felt like just sitting somewhere and thinking about it. I ordered a glass of wine and looked at my surroundings. I began to talk to the bartender girl that was there and we began chatting about films and texas. Her boyfriend and her friend showed up and we began to try to guess what movies we liked because titles get lost in translation (no pun intended). They introduced me to the other bartender, a real young guy, and to the main head bosses of Kino Aero, Kino Svetozor and Aero Films. I had such a good time and I asked them permission to do a film on the place. Needless to say, I stayed 4 hours after the movie was over just talking and making great friends.
The second course that I am taking here in Prague is centered on Czech Film History. Today, Professor Michal Bregant screened for us a 1966 film called Daisies. Directed by Vera Chytilová, the film was made and released in a time considered to be the second New Wave of Czech cinema. To say the least, the film was a trip! It focused on two young girls (feminist anarchists?) who viewed themselves as outcasts unseen by society. To encourage this mentality, their lifestyle overflowed with self-indulgence and reckless, irresponsible behavior. After its release, the film was banned, with many parliament members objecting the large waste of food in the film (one specific food fight is of epic proportions). Bottom line though, I was exhausted by the end of it, especially since it was an early morning class. A great way to start the day…
The rest of my day was an adventure. Since living in Prague, I have comfortably found routes on the tram and metro lines that I most rely on to get to the places I most often need to be. Finally today, though, I ventured on one of the metro lines to take me as far as it would allow. This was the red line I traveled on, and it headed south. The purpose of this excursion was to discover a part of Prague I had not yet discovered. Also, it was to serve as inspiration, to find a subject for the next documentary project. What I ended up finding were malls and suburban home complexes and buildings. Many of the areas were rather deserted, a result, I assume, from people being at work. I’m glad to have gone out there. Though I did not find my next topic or theme, it was nice to get away from the bustling center city that is usually thriving with people and tourists.
Prague Suburbs
