Staré pověsti české

Jiří Trnka was a world-class filmmaker, as evidenced by the many international and festival awards this film has received. There is obvious inspiration from the work of Josef Mánes and Mikoláš Alš, but Trnka remains his own, full of pictorial imagination. By making the narrative very poetic, it may be a bit terse, but that didn't detract from the experience. At the same time, the film is free from excessive pathos, although the time and the theme might have tempted to go that way. As is Trnka's custom, the image is very dynamic – the camera frequently changes angles, circles, swims in any direction, zooms, and Trnka does not avoid mass scenes, which must have been very demanding in terms of realisation. In terms of imagination, Trnka was comparable only to Karel Zeman or Břetislav Poyar, and in this context I wonder when will we see DVD editions of his work in this country? As with Zeman until recently, our distributors have a large debt, or rather lack of interest. But what do I wonder, in a country where 600,000 people saw Babovřesky in a few weeks. (07.04.2013)

Some Czechs consider this film as a national duty, a national treasure, and a matter of national pride, but I don't have a love for duties and I'm only lukewarm about being a patriot, so now I notice again what I've already described in Trnka's film The Czech Year. It is solid work deserving recognition, but times have moved on and animation is different now. I really get the feeling that this is a classic that has become a term on its own, and giving it five stars is a social duty, rather than the stars being given for being enchanted while watching the film. Overall impression: 65%. (18.09.2011)

Serious commentary can only be delivered after the current case, which is suffocating, has blown over. It’s very strong and irreversible. However, it will work with the Trnka/Jirásek storyline. Finally. (13.08.2015)

Ein Zeichentrickfilmprachtstück, das mein patriotisches Herz vor allem aus zwei Gründen jubeln lässt: Erstens, weil die Tschechen eine so umfangreiche und schöne Mythologie haben, von der viele sog. "mächtigere“ Völker nur träumen können, und zweitens, weil die Tschechische Republik so außergewöhnliche Persönlichkeiten wie Jiří Trnka (und natürlich Jirásek) hatte. Wunderschön. (29.09.2012)

If someone wanted to get acquainted with the old Czech legends, this is probably not the best choice because the film is more artistic than descriptive and it is not possible to grasp much from those stories. However, the individual pictures are simply beautiful and Jiří Trnka allowed himself to be absorbed by the artist within him and presents a story that is a wonderful fusion with nature and history. (17.02.2015)