Czech Film Center

Synopsis

Our lives can be unique, if lived in a unique way. Private films testify to the unique intensity of our lives. They capture private stories of our shared history. The Private Century series shows the history as a set of intimate human stories. It brings a testimony of spontaneous private life in the 20th century. The Private Century series consists of 6 films, each 52 minutes long. Small Russian Clouds of Smoke – the story of Popov family, one of prominent families of the pre-war Russian emigration in Czechoslovakia. Popov constructed a cigarette making machine. The personalities of his two daughters – Gali and Marusja were as different as were their lives. King of Velichovky – the story of the farmer Karel Saisser who lived in Velichovky on Czech-German boundary. His wife and three daughters lived happy lives. Lila married a Czech doctor, Ria a German clerk, and Edita a German general. The peaceful life at their farmstead came to an end when the war ended. Daddy and Lili Marlene is a lose sequel to the King of Velichovky. Little Eva recollects her memories of Velichovky and her parents: daddy and Lili. Little Eva became very fond of wartime hit "Lili Marlene" which she associated with her mother. She took hard the the time of her parents' separation. Statuary of Granddad Vinda – a story of sculptor Havel who lived in the north-Moravia in the 1950's. Havel was a nonconformist and eccentric who could not get along with anybody. He struggled with both his family and surroundin g. For his whole life he was waiting for appreciation, but it would not come. A stroke of Butterfly Wings – a story of composer Felix, who fully identified with the ideology of the Communist party in 1948. His sympaties with the party determined also the decisions in his private life. A Low Level Flight – a story of relationship of Tana and Vaclav in 60's and 70's. He was an ace fighter pilot in the Czechoslovak army. They start to alienate because of alcohol and the marriage gets ruined.