Mailbox
Today in Mailbox: Results of the My Czech Story photo competition; listeners’ comments on Radio Prague’s programmes; answers to last month’s mystery Czech quiz. Listeners/readers quoted: Jonathan Murphy, Frank Miata, Stephen Hrebenach, Colin Law, Juan Carlos Gil Mongio, Charles Konecny.
Jonathan Murphy from Ireland sent us a comment on the competition:
“Thanks to all for running the photo competition – I can only guess that many were involved from judges to software technicians. It was very interesting to see how others see the Czech Republic and it sparked off many conversations with my Czech friends. I hope that you can run something similar in the future... For me, Audrey Le Mercier's photo of the pomlázka was a winner for originality and its humourous understanding/reinterpretation of Czech customs. But there were many thought-provoking images and the short descriptions were lovely to read. Unfortunately, it was not possible to vote online, perhaps something to consider for next time? (Or perhaps it is better to have Czechs voting on how non-Czechs see Czechs – this also has a unique quality!)”
Onto other mail, Frank Miata from NYC sent us this comment:
“Having lived in the Czech lands for a couple years, I know the passion of the Czech people for their sports teams. The current situation with the National Hockey Team is shocking and I feel for the fans. We in New York City have a dismal sports picture with our beloved NY Giants football team. Of course, our team is not a national representative of our country. Still, we look for signs of greatness in our sports figures because we find few signs of greatness in our politicians. When both politicians and teams are doing badly, it makes for a long winter. Best of luck at the winter games in Sochi!”
“This comment is a bit late, but I had wanted to compliment Dominik Jůn and the team for the outstanding special on the Meaning of Czech Independence Day that aired on October 28. It was a really well done program. I must admit that I learned quite a bit, filling in the gaps of my knowledge of Czech and Czechoslovak history that I have picked up over the years of listening to Radio Prague. (And as someone with Rusyn ancestry, any program that mentions Ruthenia receives extra attention.)
“I also really enjoyed the Soundtrack to the Velvet Revolution that aired as the Sunday music program on November 17. The chosen selections did a fine job remembering that time, at least from my point of view.”
And now let’s hear some of your answers to our monthly quiz:
Hans Verner Lollike from Denmark wrote:
“1968 is a very, very important year in Czech history, not only on the political scene, but with so many important cultural persons leaving and making a career in other countries. Vojtěch Jasný (born in Kelč in Moravia November 30, 1925) is a Czech film director, who was one of them. He won a Cannes Special Jury Prize for The Cassandra Cat (1963). After leaving his homeland he worked in different Western European Countries. In the early 1980s he became a professor of film direction at Columbia University in New York, where he still lives and works.”
Colin Law from New Zealand writes:
“Vojtěch was almost 13 when the Munich Pact was signed, marking the beginning of a long disturbed period for the whole of Europe. His father became involved with the resistance after the Nazi occupation, was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz where he was put to death in 1942. Vojtěch was then 16 years old. He joined Communist and anti-Nazi groups and at the age of 18 he was even recruited to assist the British Intelligence Service.
“The Jasný 1960 film ‘Přežil jsem svou smrt’ (I survived his death also known as I survived certain death), a story of a concentration camp, was Vojtěch’s personal testimony concerning his father’s arrest by the Gestapo and death in Auschwitz.
“Jasný described in an interview how he once met with Khrushchev for a screening of the film ‘When the Cat Comes” at the Soviet embassy. Khrushchev had been meeting with miners and came carrying a miner’s lamp which they gave him. Khrushchev crawled under the table with the lamp and Jasný crawled under the table from the other side and walked on all fours against him. Their meeting began face to face under the table.
“When the Soviets came to Czechoslovakia 1968, Vojtěch planned for a quick escape with his wife, son, and dog. However, he first took the chance to film ‘All My Good Countrymen” (Všichni dobří rodáci), which he had planned years earlier. It was set in Moravia and covers 15 years of village life as they moved from Nazi rule to Communist collectives. The film won Best Director award at Cannes in 1969. On June 4th 1970 they left for Yugoslavia and Vojtěch continued to make films in Austria, West Germany, and Yugoslavia.
Actually, it is on this very day, so let me wish a happy birthday to Mr Jasný on behalf of Radio Prague.
Juan Carlos Gil Mongio writes from Spain:
“I had never heard of Vojtěch Jasný before. Seeking information on the internet I read about his latest film ‘Broken Silence’, a set of five documentaries produced by the Visual History Foundation Survivors of the Shoah, created in 1994 by Steven Spielberg as a derivation of his experience during the filming of Schindler's List. I found it very interesting and I will try to watch it in the future.”
And finally, Charles Konecny from Ohio:
Thank you for all your answers and this time the winner is Jeff Tomecek. Congratulations and your prize is the post.
And of course we won’t leave you without a new mystery person to search for.
Our December mystery man was born in 1874 in the east Bohemian town of Jičín and died in Vienna in 1936. He was an Austrian writer and journalist, best known for his satirical works.
Please send us his name by the end of the month to [email protected]. That is also the address for your questions, comments and reception reports. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Until next time thanks for listening and take care.
