Events

13. 9. 2010

Czech Statehood Day 28 September 2010

The gala evening at the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum in Prague will be an outstanding event in the framework of celebration of the Czech Statehood Day.

 

In the presence of important representatives of cultural, political and social life the restored premiere of the Film Saint Wenceslas will be performed with live music accompaniment of the Czech Radio Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Jan Kučera.

Main speakers will be the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Nečas and Mons. Dominik Duka, the Prague Archbishop. The host of the gala evening, which will be broadcast by the Czech Television and by the Czech radio, will be Marek Eben.

The project was done in the participation of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, the Czech Radio, the National Film Archive and the Czech Television.

The Film Saint Wenceslas (1930)

Czech Statehood Day 28 September 2010In spite of the fact that the film Saint Wenceslas had been prepared as a part of the celebration of the Saint Wenceslas' Millennium in 1929 and its production costs had exceeded 4 million crowns (it was the most expensive film of the then Czech film industry), its premiere was held as late as in 1930 and what is more without the originally intended music accompaniment. The film was not very successful (the first sound films were released in this year) and in the following decades became only an object of film experts' attention. In 2009, the original musical film score was rediscovered and at the suggestion of the Czech Radio the project was started to reconstruct the score and to link it with the film.

Czech Statehood Day 28 September 2010Together with the preparation of the restored premiere of the film Saint Wenceslas, also a documentary film Saint Wenceslas (Saint – Duke – Legend) was shot. The objective of the film was to document the process of renovation of the film, to narrate the legend on Wenceslas and to become a "film on film Saint Wenceslas". Its purpose is to give to young generation a message about the fact that for each nation and each country is important to have its own patron saint, its legend. DVD with the film, which will be also broadcast by the Czech Television, will be used as a school aid – as an educational film for schools.

Czech Statehood Day 28 September 2010The restored premiere of the silent film Saint Wenceslas with the original music of composers Jaroslav Křička and Oskar Nedbal will be, 80 years after its premiere in 1930, not only an august celebration of the Czech Statehood Day, but in particular an opportunity to commemorate values presented by Saint Wenceslas – the patron saint of Czech lands.

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