I’m here in wintry Prague with filmmaker Charlie Stuart and
cameraman Tom Astbury to catch up with elusive octogenarian, and animator
extraordinaire Gene Deitch. Who he? Well three years ago Chris (hubby and
webmeister) and I came to Prague
and stayed at the fab Hotel Alcron. Even though I was “off duty” on
holiday, I was firing loads of questions at the hotel manager who left me a
book with the message, “this should answer everything for you!”
The book was “For the Love of Prague” by Gene
Deitch. And though I often find it hard to start books, I had to drag my nose out
of this one to get through customs!
Gene came to Czechslovakia in 1959 on a ten day contract. He
never left – and became the “longest serving” American behind
the Iron Curtain with the most amazing story to tell about life in a communist
state from a western point of view. Gene accepted an offer from American filmmaker
Bill Snyder. If Gene travelled east to add pace and pizzazz to his cartoons
being made in Prague,
Snyder would fund the production of some of Gene’s own work. What they
all reckoned without was a 4’ 11” human dynamo called Zdenka. She
was the production manager of the Czech animation studio, and although both
were married with kids at the time, Gene and Zdenka fell head over heels in
love within days of meeting. After winning an Oscar for their animated film,
Munro in 1961 they lived through the hope of the Prague Spring, the terrible “normalisation”
that followed and the Velvet Revolution of 1989. They’re still together –
working so hard we could hardly grab more than a few hours of their time! The
aim is to make a film of Gene’s amazing life – and glimpse the
reality of life behind the Iron Curtain, and the transition to democracy. We’ve
had great meals and coffees at the Café Savoy, sent emails from the Downtown
Café here in the Malostrana part of Prague (free wireless connection –
great lads!) and appreciated Scotland’s smoking ban all over again as we sneeze
and cough in the smoke-laden fug that was normal in Scotia just a few years ago.
I’ve been in the background most of the time, carrying bags, trying not
to drift into shot and leaving my own radio recording equipment in the case. Filming
works at a very different pace to radio – but I think we’ve got
some wee gems from Gene who’s as great a talker and TV performer as he is
a writer! If you want his book, we hope his publisher is about to put some more
books onto Amazon (hint!).
