An Alternate History of Special Effects

An Alternate History of Special Effects

Hollywood has come to dominate the cultural landscape, especially in terms of visuals and storytelling. Disney gobbles up all public domain properties and expertly crafts their versions, from Aladdin to the Little Mermaid. Most audiences forget the magnificent 1947 version of 'The Beauty and the Beast' that was borrowed from so thoroughly by the American studio. Jean Cocteau is now but a intellectual footnote, not the trailblazer whose work was appropriated by a huge corporate entity.

With the absorption of Marvel and the Star Wars franchises, Disney is even more poised for world cultural domination. It would seem to the casual viewer that only James Bond or Steven Spielberg stand in opposition, and they're both working in the same factory. If we think outside the box, however, and do a little research, we can find true alternatives to the entertainment behemoth that perches over the world today. And the best place to start is with Karel Zeman.

Zeman was born in the Old World, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, before World War One. Between the Great Wars, he worked in France, learning advertising graphics and getting into filming commercials, back when they were really done on film, totally old school. The Second World War interrupted his life, just like it did everyone else in Europe, and when the dust settled, he found himself behind the Iron Curtain. He brushed himself off and decided to start his own studio in the Czech Republic.

It is important to remember than Zeman was completely cut off from the West, under the sphere of Soviet influence. Every single aspect of his film studio, from film stock to cameras to audio recording, was different than Hollywood or had to be developed independently. Politically, things were only to get worse as the Cold War heated up for the next twenty years. Despite these seemingly insurmountable odds, Karel Zeman thrived.

He started with puppets and short films, but the really important work began when he decided to tackle full length features. Getting no financial backers, he simply figured out how to do it on his own. Zeman developed special effect driven films, and he came up with consistently innovative ways to capture the images that he needed. Frankly, while perhaps not the technician that the great Ray Harryhausen was, conceptually Zeman was far beyond anything that the Western film industry could do, especially at the budget he was working on.

I will confess that I have a faint childhood memory of seeing some of Karel Zeman's amazing work during Saturday matinees in Queens, NYC back in the early 1960s. Mr. Zeman's work is so visual that it burned a hole into both my retinas and my psyche. I can remember the images from over 50 years ago because they were so unlike anything I had ever seen or would see. They are dynamic, graphically startling, and consistent. Here's a frame from 'The Fabulous World of Jules Verne';

Keep in mind that the Disney studio had already done a live action version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea', and it was a pretty damn fine version, no matter how much I may have a problem with the politics of the studio. It had technicolor, big name stars, and top notch innovative special effects. How could Zeman compete? Simple; reduce everything to Gustave Dore inspired line drawings and turn that into a film. From a design standpoint, it is amazing and consistently done for the duration of the movie, a tremendous effect. He makes black and white work for him because it is crucial to the concept of the film.

If special effects were needed, and they were in nearly every frame, Karel found a way around it with the most astounding series of in-camera trickery ever displayed. He used two dimensional cut-outs next to puppetry, flat sets next to forced perspective. The imagination on display is breathtaking, and the story line is free to go where ever it needs to. And this was all done on the cheap, using intelligence instead of money to achieve the results.

Ten years ago, I found a version of 'The Fabulous World of Jules Verne' in the grey market on DVD, and remembered the unique graphic style immediately. It's not the best transfer, but good enough that you can get a general idea of the quality of the film. I can't really recommend it as the image quality isn't there, and it didn't spur me to research Karel Zeman. Imagine my shock and delight when an all region Blu Ray showed up of 'The Fabulous Baron Munchhausen', a little pricey but well worth every penny.

'The Fabulous Baron Munchhausen' is Zeman's masterpiece, and it is one of the greatest fantasy films ever made. It is so cleverly done that it took three viewing for me to realize that is was actually a black and white film that had been colorized with filters and other means after the fact. It is as audacious as the stories told by the Baron, and virtually every frame is a piece of art worthy to be hanging in a museum.

The story goes well beyond the original farcical tall tale, turning into a space-age parable about both peace as well as the value of imagination and gentility. How Zeman was able to craft a narrative under the scrupulous censorship of the Soviets is a miracle, but not only were his graphic concepts amazing, he managed a story with universal themes well beyond the 'apple pie and Mom' clichés of Disney. The film is witty and sophisticated, but the visual style is so powerful that you can watch it without subtitles (it is a foreign film, after all) and still know exactly what is happening.

Most importantly, the restoration and Blu Ray presentation is done by the Karel Zeman Museum in Prague. The Czech government rightly considers Karel Zeman a national treasure, and the presentation is stunning. I have dragged every one of my family and friends into see at least a sampling of this masterpiece, and to a person they have floored. Yet the fact that this man, who with a small group of helpers in an unhelpful environment was able to craft movies of such high quality, remains a well-kept secret in the West is a crime. Flat out, Karel Zeman was a genius.

Here are some specs on the Blu Ray: first up, the image is brilliantly clear and colorful, utilizing all the high resolution available in this format. That goes for the fabulous music score as well. The movie is funny and amazing, so well told that you don't really need the subtitles. Better still, there is a nearly two hour documentary that covers the career and craft of Karel Zeman. This is seriously amazing and a must-see. The amount of information about his life and techniques is astounding.

There are plenty of other featurettes, as well as a thirty minute discussion about the history of Baron Munchhausen, a good reference point for us Americans who don't know the origins of the character. The overall quality and value of the disc is equal to anything in the Criterion Collection, and that is the highest praise available. You can also view it through iTunes. The film is supposed to the beginning of a series of restoration, and they advertise 'The Invention of Destruction' as well. Unfortunately, the link wasn't working, so you'll need to check that out yourself. 

Zeman did amazing visual things with no money or resources. His ability to put production value on the screen while creating wonderful entertainment. If you think that Ray Harryhausen was the great special effects pioneer of the post-war period, rethink your assumption. Zeman was at least his equal. There are great lessons to be learned by today's young digital film makers, who should be thinking epic instead of always shoe gazing. Remember; we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars, to quote Oscar Wilde.