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"Muoj Bože" - Song from the Film "Bathory"

Posted by Margarete on May 03

These last few years there’s been a lot of chatter about the film Bathory, the story of Elizabeth Bathory (1560-1641), “the Blood Countess”, infamous for torturing and killing hundreds of girls. She lived most of her life and died in her dungeon at Čachtice Castle, in present-day Slovakia

Information about the release of the film is still confusing. At one point it was to be released in 2007 but that didn’t happen. In the film database website IMDB it states that the film will be debuted in Czechia and Slovakia in June and July of 2008. Over the last several months I’ve read some different interesting facts about Bathory including that the film will be in English, it’s written and directed by a Slovak, it’s apparently the most expensive Czech and Slovak film ever made, and among its many sources of funding includes the Slovak Ministry of Culture.

The Animated Series "Pat & Mat"

Posted by Margarete on Apr 14

Sometimes you have to be a kid to find cartoons and animation amusing. And sometimes, creators have the ability to make something that entertains both children and adults. To me this is a rare talent.

I haven’t seen too many Slovak and Czech cartoons but I have seen some animated shorts from a popular series made for children called “Pat & Mat”, originally called ”...A je to!” meaning ”...And that’s it!” Pat and Mat are two neighbors who are short on wits but long on determination to fix their self-made home-improvement problems. These guys try to solve problems created in their clumsiness while trying to get the job done. What’s amusing is how they do this, of course.

Oscar - Best Foreign Film 1965

Posted by Margarete on Feb 22

Since this weekend is the Academy Awards in the US, I thought I’d make mention of the Slovak film that won the Oscar for best foreign film in 1965 – Obchod na korze – The Shop on Main Street.

Though I say it is a “Slovak” film, I mean that the film was produced by a Czechoslovak film studio, but the film takes place in Slovakia, the movie is in Slovak, and stars Jozef Króner, one of Slovakia’s most famous and important actors.

Czechoslovak Films over the Holidays

Posted by Margarete on Dec 30

Over the Christmas holiday there are always a slew of classic films to watch on TV. These movies are shown year after year, and it’s really just a matter of having a TV schedule on hand to make sure you catch the ones you want to see.

When I first moved to Slovakia, students would tell me what I shouldn’t miss. Over the years of spending Christmas holidays in Slovakia, the list has grown. Here’s a basic run down of the most popular film classics that are shown on Slovak TV through the Christmas season (fairytales are marked with a *):