Karel Zeman

Biography

Karel Zeman was a brilliant pioneer of special effects in film. Despite his artistic talent, his parents insisted he study business. At the age of 17, he went to Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, where he studied advertising design. In 1943, the film director Elmar Klos offered him a job at the Bata Film Studios. Zeman often had to struggle against difficult conditions in the technically ill-equipped Kudlov Studios. Many of the workers with whom he started had no particular experience of filming. They, like Zeman himself, had to learn everything on the job. Journey to the Beginning of Time, released in 1955, became Zeman's breakthrough film, his first to combine live action, animation and puppetry. Four years later, Invention for Destruction saw him shoot to world-wide success. Zeman continued to develop his highly successful use of special effects in The Fabulous Baron Munchausen and the two Jules Verne adaptations that followed. In the 70's, Zeman returned to making strictly animated films. In the late 70's Zeman was threatened with the loss of his sight, but he overcame the disease and continued working. In the final stages of his life he suffered from heart problems.

Directed

1. The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962) — Director
2. The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958) — Director
3. Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955) — Director
4. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1978) — Director
5. Inspiration (1949) — Director
6. On the Comet (1970) — Director
7. The Stolen Airship (1967) — Director
8. A Christmas Dream (1945) — Director
9. The Jester's Tale (1964) — Director
10. A Thousand and One Nights (1974) — Director
11. Mr. Prokouk: A Horseshoe for Luck (1946) — Director
12. The Tale of John and Mary (1980) — Director
13. King Lavra (1951) — Director
14. Mr. Prokouk, The Filmmaker (1948) — Director
15. Mr. Prokouk, The Inventor (1949) — Director
16. Mr. Prokouk, The Office Clerk (1947) — Director
17. Mr. Prokouk in Temptation (1947) — Director
18. The Treasure of Bird Island (1953) — Director
19. Karel Zeman for Children (1980) — Director
20. Mr. Prokouk, The Volunteer (1947) — Director
21. Laterna magika II (1960) — Director
22. The Hamster (1946) — Director
23. Mr. Prokouk, The Animal Lover (1955) — Director
24. 110 Years of the Pilsen Brewery (1952) — Director
25. La magie Karel Zeman (2015) — Director
26. One Hundred and Ten Years of the Pilsen Brewery (1952) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Inspiration (1949) — Glass Blower
2. Film Adventurer Karel Zeman (2015) — Self (archive footage)
3. Karel Zeman for Children (1980) — Self
4. The Magic World of Karel Zeman (1962) — Himself