Invention for Destruction - Vynález zkázy (1958)

The Painted Cinema of Karel Zeman Screening

Thursday, October 5, 2023 - 8:00pm

 

Vynález zkázy (Invention for Destruction)

Czechoslovakia, 1958, 78 min. Digitally restored, digital projection.

Directed by Karel Zeman, Written by Karel Zeman, František Hrubín (based on the book Facing the Flag by Jules Verne), Camera by Jiří Tarantík

In Czech language with English subtitles.

 

Thursday October 5, 2023

Doors 7:30pm

Film Starts 8:00pm

Tickets $14 / VPES Members $12

** Special introduction & screening of Middle Watch by John Stevenson! **

 

The most successful Czech film in history, Invention for Destruction (1958) became a global phenomenon in 1958. Based on the novel Facing the Flag by Jules Verne, the black and white narrative is deeply influenced by the classic engravings of Édouard Riou and Léon Bennett - the original illustrators of Verne’s novels. The story-book sets, striking design and innovative music of Zdeněk Liška – all contribute to the unique feel of this exquisite story with its antiwar subtext. The film follows lead character Simon Hart, an inventor and engineer, and his mentor Professor Roch who is studying the “nature of pure matter” and tricked into building a futuristic weapon with explosive consequences.

 

 

THIS EVENT FEATURES A SPECIAL INTRODUCTION & SCREENING OF

MIDDLE WATCH

*** BY DIRECTOR JOHN STEVENSON (in person!) ***

 

Director & Zeman enthusiast John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda, Sherlock Gnomes) will give a special introduction to Invention for Destruction and screen his new BAFTA nominated animated short film Middle Watch, inspired by the films of Karl Zeman and based on a real maritime mythical encounter of a World War Two sailor aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean.

John Stevenson is a BAFTA and AMPAS nominated filmmaker with almost fifty years of experience. He is best known for directing Kung Fu Panda with Mark Osborne in 2008, and got his start working with Jim Henson on the original Muppet Show back in the '70's. His short film Middle Watch from 2022 has been nominated and won awards at multiple film festivals.

Invention for Destruction has been restored thanks to the project Čistíme svět fantazie / Restoring the World of Fantasy, a joint project of the Czech Film Foundation, the Karel Zeman Museum and Czech Television in cooperation with Universal Production Partners (UPP) and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the State Fund for Cinematography of the Czech Republic.

 

The Painted Cinema of Karel Zeman

Live action, special effects, painted backdrops, puppets and animation are all ingeniously combined in the fantastic films of Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman. 50 years after the earliest days of cinema, Karel Zeman returned to the magical techniques of Georges Mélies to create films of unmatched beauty. 

In collaboration with the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles, the Velaslavasay Panorama hosts three screenings of Zeman’s films exploring a deep sea voyage, the perils of prehistoric life, and the airborne adventures of Jules Vernes.

 

Karel Zeman on the set of A Journey To The Beginning Of Time

 

Other Screenings in the series The Painted Cinema of Karel Zeman include:

Sunday October 8, 2023 - Cesta do pravěku (Journey to the Beginning of Time)

Thursday October 12, 2023 - Ukradená vzducholod' (The Stolen Airship)

 

 

Sponsored by Velaslavasay Panorama Enthusiast Society, Czech Consulate LA, Artinii, R Jelinek Distillery and Czechoslovak Society of Arts & Sciences – Los Angeles Chapter