Women Who Make Movies - (By Sharon Smith - 1975) - Movies - http://maxpages.com/czechcinema/Women_Who_Make

Women have been involved in filmmaking for many decades in Czechoslovakia. Hedvika Raabeova directed a short, "Ada", in 1919, and also "Prague in 1549". Thea Cervenkova directed "Babicka" (1920), "Bludicka" (1921), "The Thief" (1921), and "It Was the First of May" (1922), all adaptations of well-known Czech novels and plays. In 1927, Zet Molas was working as producer, director, writer, and actress in the Czech avant-garde. Her films included the experimental "Zavet Podivinova" (1923), "Old House" (1927), "The Miller and His Son" (c. 1930), and "Karel Hynek Macha" (1937), her last film.
Lenka Weissova directed "A Study for Two Hands", about a young beautician who devotes her spare time to the piano and becomes a virtuoso. Ludmilla Chichkova depicted the hard work involved in ballet in her film "Vera Kirova". With Karel Zeman, Hermina Tyrlova was one of the pioneers of Czech animation. She began her film career in the 1920s with trick films and animated commercials. After World War II, she concentrated on puppet films for children. Her films include "Ferda the Ant" (1944), "Revolt of the Toys" (1947), "Lullaby" (1948), "The Taming of the Dragon" (1953), "Goldilocks" (1956), "The Inquisitive Letter" (1961), "The Wooly Tale" (1964), "The Snowman" (1966), and "The Glass Whistle" (1970). In her most recent films she has used child actors along with the puppets.
Bozena Mozisova invented the character Dorotka for "Dorothy and the Dragon" and "Dorothy and the Ostrich".
Vera Chytilova, a leading director in the New Wave in Czechoslovakia, studied directing at the Prague Film School (FAMU). There she directed several shorts: "Villa in the Suburbs" (1959), "Mr. K - Green Street" (1960), "Academy Newsreel" (1961), and "The Ceiling" (1961). Her documentary "A Bagful of Fleas" (1962), about young women apprentices in a textile factory, received a bronze medal at Venice. Her next production, "O Necem Jinem" ("Something Different", 1963), was a dramatic film in documentary style. The film compares the lives of a gymnast (played by Olympic gold medalist Eva Bosakova) and a housewife (played by Vera Vzelacova). Each conforms to what is expected of her. The gymnast wins a gold medal, and the housewife yields to an unhappy marriage. in 1965, Chytilova contributed one episode to the film "Pearls of the Deep" (each of the five episodes was directed by a different New Wave director). In 1966, she directed her second feature, "Sedmikrasky" ("Daisies"). This is a satire in which two women decide the world is ugly and evil, and rather than fight it, they join it. A later film was the allegory, "Fruit of Paradise" (1969, also known as "We May Eat of the Fruit of the Trees of the Garden"). Chytilova's husband, Jaroslav Kucera, does the camera work for most of her films, and Ester Krumbachova is co-author of the scripts.
Krumbachova is also a director in her own right. Her films include "The Murder of the Engineer Cert, "Valerie", and "A Week of Wonders".
(Copyright - Sharon Smith)

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