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After you will have read up the whole cinematography of this cameraman, you will agree with me, that he is the real master in his branch.
“I belong to the generation of film workmen who would do anything for the success of the film
and they work hard with an enjoyment.” 

                                  
                                                              Miroslav Ondříček

■■■   The second story

I have never found any tabloid that would write a slender on Miroslav Ondříčekk. It is because of his natural human and work authority, so even “somewhere” where they are forced to come up with new topics every day, full of unbelievable events, they still have some borders where they say: “You can’t do a thing like that”

Miroslav Ondříčekk had done a huge amount of work, he doesn’t change his opinions, he knows the value of money earned abroad, and he hands over his experience at the film schools. He is natural, modest, and normal – as most of the people who proved their skills. He never stopped loving his near and dear people, his Žižkov, his football, his friends, his free time, his delicious meals, pleasant gathering and most of all his great love – film. Love is really a toil.

The shooting of the film is sometimes nearly a fight for life that proves the Ondříčekk´s memory of the film A League of Their Own.
"The shooting was really very difficult. We were shooting this film in Indiana in the temperature higher than 40 degrees and the humidity of the air was hundred percent. Stress, tiring weather, permanent dehydratation, I didn’t eat at all, just the medicaments for many different symptoms. Apparently I had sunstroke and then I woke up connected with dropping funnel… Of course I returned to the film ground, I discussed with my colleague the recent scenes, but for a while I watched the shooting from behind. But he director insisted on my presents. My best relax is the time spent after finishing the film. I sleep for four days, because I am really exhausted. A few days later I spend the time with my friends, I visit the places I couldn’t visit during the shooting, I go to local restaurants. Then I move to Prague and if it’s possible I leave for my cottage, where I feel the best."   

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Miroslav Ondříček learned a lot in the laboratories of Československý film in Barrandov. He likes to think back on it. When they were shooting the documentary film, that was complete before the year 1989 “Dobrý den pane Ondříčku” (Hello Mr. Ondříček) of the director Jan Soukupa, I was surrounded not just by his colleague cameramen, but he also suggested shooting in barrandov´s laboratories.

He started his film career as the documentalist at the news service film, he graduated from the evening school of the film production at Prague FAMU and in the year 1956 he cooperated on the first full-length picture as an assistant of the cameraman. The film of the director Ivo Toman Váhavý střelec had a premier 7.6.1957.  At the film he first worked with the cameraman Jan Čuřík and architect Karel Černý. It was the first film role for Jan Tříska who played the main character. Co-author of the theme was director Vojtěch Jasný.

 

“Present short satiric grotesque” that was the slogan of  Konec jasnovidce – about the problems of nationalized traders. The hero was a visionary Mathias Scibolini – Matěj Šibolín played by Miloš Kopecký. The film in the year 1957 was another opportunity for Ondříček as an assistant and the directors were Vladimír Svitáček and Ján Roháč. He met many famous actors there : Jiřina Bohdalová, Josef Kemr, Miroslav Horníček, Vladimír Menšík, František Filipovský, Josef Hlinomaz, Stella Zázvorková, Marie Rosolková and Věra Chytilová – future director played the episode role. The architect was Jan Zázvorka, cameraman Jaroslav Tuzar and the author of the music was Jiří Šlitr.

 

Miroslav Ondříček was then an assistant of the cameraman in a film Snadný život by director Miloš Makovec. The film premiere was 18.10.1957. Jiří Suchý played an episode role and Jiří Brdečka cooperated on the screenplay.  

In 1958 he worked as an assistant of the cameraman on the films Cesta zpátky by the director Václav Krška – the lead role was played by Eduard Cupák (premiere 17.04.1959), Dneska naposled by the director Martin Frič, the lead role was played by Zdeněk Štěpánek (premiere 13.12.1958) and once again Krška´s film Zde jsou lvi (premiere 08.08.1958) The lead roles played by Karel Höger and Dana Medřická.

He celebrated his 26^th birthday 4.11.1960 at the premiere of the film by František Vláčil Holubice, where he participated once again as the assistant of the camera. The architect and designer of the film was Theodor Pištěk and the editor Miroslav Hájek. The second film in this year, where he participated in the same function, was the film for children by director Jan Valášek Kouzelný den, which had premiere 24.3.1961.

The first time he worked as the second cameraman was in 1961 on the film Králíci ve vysoké trávě shot by director Václav Gajer according to the screenplay by Ota Hofman. The picture’s premiere was 23.2.1962. He had the same function in 1962 while shooting the frame for television Střevíčky in the lead role with Jiřina Jirásková. In 1962 he had shot as the asistent of the camera the film Deštivý den – director Jiří Bělka, in the lead role with Vlasta Chramostová.

He was shooting as the second cameraman The director Vojtěch Janý´s film Až příjde kocour with Jan Werich  in 1963 - premiere was 20.9.1963. The assistant of the director was Ivan Passer. He was also the second cameraman in Jaromil Jireš´s film Křik according to the theme of Ludík Aškenazy. The premiere was 14.2.1964.

He introduced himself to an audience as an independent cameraman for the first time 14 days later – 28.02.1964 – at the premier of the film Konkurs – the debut film of the director Miloš Forman. The film lasted 82 minutes, the assistant of the director was Ivan Passer. The film is composed of two short musical essays.  The first one tells the story about brass bands (Kdyby ty muziky nebyly) who lack young musicians. The second part of the film shows the authentic scenes from the singers´ concurs of the theatre Semafor.

In the same year he held the second camera again in Jan Nemec´s film Démanty noci. The permiere was 25.09.1964. The film was shot according to the theme by Arnošt Lustig. The cameraman was Jaroslav Kučera, the assistant of the director was Hynek Bočan.

He worked as the second cameraman on the narrative film in 1965. The film was shot according to the tales of Bohumil Hrabal Perličky na dně. The first cameraman was Jaroslav Kučera and there were five directors: Jiří Menzel with the tale Smrt pana Balthazara, Jan Němac with Podvodníci, Evald Schorm with Dům radosti, Věra Chytilová with Automat svět and Jaromil Jireš with Romance. The premiere was on 7.1. 1966.

Miroslav Ondříček began to shoot as an independent cameraman and there is plenty of films, where his craft is remarkable. I will remind you of them:

In 1965 he was shooting the second film with Miloš Forman – Lásky jedné plavovlásky. The premiere was on 12.11.1965. It was the cooperation of friends of the two filmmakers. The screenplay was written by Miloš Forman with participation of Jaroslav Papoušek and Ivan Passer (he was also a co-director) Karel Černý was the architect and Miroslav Hájek was the editor. The main characters were played by Vladimír Pucholt and the sister of Forman´s first wife Jana – Hana Brejchová. The film was nominated for Oscar for the best foreign film in 1967.

     

Intimní osvětlení – the film debut of Ivan Passer had a premiere before Intimní osvětlení on 8.4. 1965. In this case Jaroslav Papoušek had also participated on the screen play (another co-authors of the script were the director of the film and the dramaturge Václav Šašek) Karel Černý was the architect. One of the lead roles was given to Miloš Forman´s wife Věra Křesadlová. Miroslav Ondříček is not the only cameraman of Intimní osvětlení. He tells us about it:
“When the Barrandov studio agreed with Ivan´s debut, he wanted to shoot the film with me, in fact we had planned collective film long time ago. But the assembly of Barrandov cameramans gave me permission to shoot a film only with someone more experienced. Sombody argumented that I was using static video camera but it was nonsense. The debate took place behind closed door; I wasn’t allowed to go there. The cameraman Josef Střecha took care of this project. We met for the first time when I he was shooting Daleká cesta with Alfred Radok. He really acted like a gentleman and more or less he confided the shooting to me. At the end I was glad that both of us could work on this film, because I could travel to England for couple of days. We had been preparing Bílý autobus there."

British film and theatre director and novelist, leader of the wave of free cinema, Lindsay Anderson debuted with the short film Meet the Pioneers (1948). Five years later he won Oscar for the documentary about the deaf and dumb children Thursday Children, where Richard Burton participated as a narrator. Anderson´s first full-length film Ten sportovní život (1963) was very successful at the Karlovy Vary´s festival and short time after Anderson in person arrived at Prague. He visited the shooting of the film Lásky jedné plavovlásky and offered to Miroslav Ondříček the participation on the film Bílý autobus. ( premiere was in 1967) It was the first film experience for Anthony Hopkins who is now a famous Hollywood actor. Lindsay Anderson by chance directed also Hopkinś first grand theatre role Julius Caesar.
  

After Miroslav Ondříček returned from England, he shot the narrative film Mučedníci lásky with the director Jan Němec. The film premiere was on 21.4.1967. Ester Krumbachová participated on the screenplay with the director. Some sources tell that British director Lindsay Anderson played a back role in this film

In 1967 he met Miloš Forman to shoot another film. Hoří má panenko had a premiere on 15.12.1967. The screenplay was once again the work of Jaroslav Papoušek, Miloš Forman and Ivan Passer. Karel Černý was the architect and Miroslav Hájek was the editor. The film was nominated for Oscar in 1969. If was “defeated” by the soviet film Vojna a mír.

 

In 1968 he traveled again to England in order to cooperate with the director Lindsay Anderson for the second time. It was a film that became one of the British classics. The name was given according to Kipling´s  poem If…. The main character was played by Malcolm McDowel. The film was laureate with the Great prize at the  XXII. International film festival in Canes in 1969. Its premiere in the Czech republic was on 29.12. 1972.

In this period Miroslav Ondříček shot two musical films. Their director was Ján Roháč. The premiere of the TV film Co nikdy nepochopím with Hana Hegerová  was on 5.1. 1969. The second the second movie was the recital Pět písní pro Zoru Kolínskou. Zora was the wife of Milan Lasica then.

He shot the film in French-Czech co production called Tělo Diany with the French director Jean Luis Richard in 1969. (the Czech premiere was on 14.9.1969) The lead role of the jealous actress was played by famous French actress Jeanne Moreau. 

At the beginning of august 1970 he flew to the USA in order to shoot a film Taking off with the director Miloš Forman. This bitter comedy was Forman´s American debut. The main theme was the same as in the previous Forman´s Czech films (Černý Petr and Lásky jedné plavovlásky): generation gab with timeless solidity.
“We arrived two month before the start of shooting. The town was covered with snow and we were looking for motives, locations and bean the survey. It took pretty long time to find a house where most of the film scenes should take place. We had seen about 500 houses and in the end we had chosen the church rebuilt into a flat. Girl´s dormitory was originally a bell tower. The scenes in the pub were shot in the restaurant of Ája Vrzáňová”  tells Miroslav Ondříček.

In 1972 he was once again in the Czech Republic to shoot the last part of the trilogy Homolka a Tobolka – the film about highs and lows of the Homolka´s family. Jaroslav Papoušek was the director. The premiere was on 1.10.1972 and as well as in the previous parts of the trilogy, the lead children roles were played by Miloš Forman´s and Věra Křesadlová´s  twins Pert and Matěj Forman. Iva Janžurová, Jiří Hrzán and the director Ladislav Smoljak in the back role starred also starred in this film.

In the same year, 1972 the cameraman was for the first time a partner of the American director George Roy Hill (1921 – 2002). He became famous especially thanks to the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The lead roles were created by Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
The director shot the film Jatka č.5 (Slaughterhouse – five) according to the book by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, JR. He was forced to work at the slaughterhouse in Dresden during the Second World War. He experienced the ally bomb attacks there. He told about his experience in the book Jatka č.5. Thanks to this film the director G.R.Hill was nominated for the Golden palm at the film festival in Canes, but in the end he won the prize of the jury.

The compatriot of Miroslav Ondříček, actor Friedrich von Ledebur (1900-1986) also starred in this film. I don’t know whether Mr. Ondříček knew about it, but count Ledebur had very interesting ancestors. The famous garden under the Prague castle was named after descent.. Actor’s grandgather was the Austrian-Hungarian minister of agriculture in the years 1895 -1897 and he owned the estates Kostomlaty, Kremýž and Milešov. Thanks to his wife (grandmother of Friedrich von Ladebur) Karolína Czeninová, the architect of the Černín´s palace Huprecht Jan Czernin belongs to the actor’s ancestors.  Duke Albrecht from Waldstein or even emperor and Czech king Karel IV. are another interesting ancestors of Friedrich. Thanks to Karel IV.´s mother all of the přemyslovci kings are related with von Ladebur.
In the end of his actor carrier Friedrich von Ladebur starred also in the Federtico Fellini´s film Ginger and Fred. He played the role of  Admiral Aulenti there.

In1973 Miroslav Ondříček shot his third film with Lindsay Anderson. It was called O Lucky Man! The main role was played by British actor Malcolm McDowell. This actor was born in 1943 and his most famous films were Caligula, Royal flash or Mechanický pomeranč. He is Miroslav Ondříček´s friend for more than 30 years. He participated on the film O lucky Man as a producer too.

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At the early 70´s Miroslav Ondříček got an offer to cooperate on the film with George Roy Hill as well as with Miloš Forman. But the era of normalization hed begun in Czechoslovakia and Ondříček wasn’t allowed to travel abroad. So Hill shot his legendary film The Sting with the cameraman Surteese in 1973 and Forman´ Oscar winning film One flew over the cockoo´s nest was shot by Haskell Wexler in 1975.

           

Miroslav Ondříček shot two Czech films in 1974. Televize v Bublicích aneb Bublice v  televizi. It´s premiere was on 1.9. 1974 and the premiere of Drahé tety a já  was on 1.5.1975. The directors of the films were Jaroslav Papoušek and Zdeněk Podskalský.

He was working on two films every year during the next two years. In 1975 it was Hřiště (director Štěpán Skalský, the premiere was on 1.2.1975, Karel Steigerwald participated on the screenplay and Martin Kratochvíl composed the music) and film Dvojí svět hotelu Pacifik in Polish co production (director Janusz Majewskij, premiere 1.1.1976); in 1976 it was the film Konečně si rozumíme (by the director Jaroslav Papoušek, the premiere was on 1.2.1977) and Jakub from the directors Ota Koval and Jaroslava Vošmiková (premiere 1.3.1977) The lead children’s role was played by future director Filip Renč and Eva Olmerová was singing there.

In 1977 he shot the film with doyen of the Czech directors Otakar Vávra. The story was about love and honor (premiere 1.1.1978) It talks about short gust of feelings of the poet Jan Neruda with the writer Karolína Světlá. The audience could see Božidara Turzonová and Jiří Bartoška in the lead roles.

He and his friend director Vlasimír Sís shot only one film. It was TV musical film Novosvětská in the year 1977.

In 1978 he cooperated again with the director Ota Koval. This tima it was the film Nechci nic slyšet. It´s premiere was on 1.6.1978. Filip Renč appeared again in the lead children’s role. The music was composed by Jiří Stivín. Miroslav Ondříček met Karel Smyzcek at this film after many years. Karel worked as the assistant of the director on this film. In 1960 Karel who later became a director, played the lead children’s role in the film by František Vláčil called Holubice.

              

In 1979 he was shooting two films. Both were musical by chance. The first was about the  Czech opera singer Ema Destinová called Božská Ema with the director Jiří Krejčík (premiere 10.12.1979). He cooperated with the editor Miroslav Hájek. The theme and screenplay of the film were written by Zdeněk Mahler. “The film was very well accepted by the audience” Miroslav Ondříček sais. “after a long time I witnessed that the spectators were sitting till the end of the final titles  and then they were clapping for a long time.”

The shooting of the film Hair was a meeting of the cameraman Miroslav Ondříček and director Miloš Forman after a long time. They both visited Cannes with the film version of the famous American musical from Broadway. This film started the international festival.
“We were leaving the hall on the red carpet, the music was playing, the reporters and photographers were everywhere and we were marching in the parade of hippies – the actors dressed in the costumes form the film. Miloš, the producer and actors – they all entred the stage of the festival, where the suits by Armani dominated for years… That day I saw Miloš make the world´s record when he gave more than fifty interviews during one afternoon. Each interview at different table with different journalist form different countries.” These are the memories of Miroslav Ondříček. The Czechoslovak premiere was 1.5.1989 ten years after the world’s premiere.

The second film that Miroslav Ondříček shot with Otakar Vávra had a premiere on 1.9.1980. It was called Temné slunce and it arose according to the novel Krakatitby Karel Čapek. But Miroslav Ondříček didn’t finish the film because of the injury he sustained during the shooting.

In 1980 he was shooting again with Miloš Forman. This time it was the film according to the novel Ragtime by E.L.Doctorow. The lead role was played by American actor legend James Cagney (1899-1986). The episode roles in the film were given to Czech exile actors Pavel Landovský and Jan Tříska. During the shooting of the film Miroslav Ondříček was festively accepted as the member of American association of Cinematographers.

In1982 the film got 8 nominations for Oscar – among them Miroslav Ondříček was nominated for the camera. The festive enunciation took place 29.3.1982 in the pavilion of Dorothy Chandler in County Music Centre in Los Angeles, California. Henry Fonda received Oscar for the lead role, but Paul Newman and Burt Lancaster were nominated too. In the fight for the lead woman´s role Katherine Hepburn defeated Meryl Streep.

                

The novel Svět podle Garpa by John Irving is a famous novel today, in some circles it is evaluated and fashionable reading. It has a fascinating story as well. “I met my friend George Roy Hill again and I met also many great actors. The role of mother was played by Glenn Close, the lead male role was given to Robin Williams. “These were their first big roles and thans to this film they reached the success very fast.” Miroslav Ondříček says about the film The world according to Garp. He shot it with the director G.R. Hill in 1982.
In 1983 Miroslav Ondříček was shooting the film Silkwood with an experienced director Mike Nichols. Mike was in 1967 nominated for Oscar for the direction of the film Who´s afraid of Virginia Woolf? The film Silkwood was shot according to the real event. Maryl Streep played the lead role. Her partners were Kurt Russell and Cher. In 1984 Streep, Nichols and Cher were nominated for Oscar.

           

Amadeus is probably the most famous that Miroslav Ondříček worked on. Director Miloš Forman was shooting mostly in the Czechoslovakia in 1984. The Vienna was shot in Prague. The film won 8 Oscars, Miroslav Ondříček was nominated for the second time, but in 1985 the Oscar was given to Chris Mengers… Miloš Forman was not the only Czech who got Oscar in his profession. There were the architect Karel Černý and the costume designer Teodor Pištěk who also got this prize. Miroslav Ondříček got the film prize from British film Academy (BAFTA). He was nominated there nine times in 1986.  

 

The other big name that attracted the interest of the designer Petr Sís after he had created picture books about Galileo and Darwin was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It wasn’t the first meeting with this personality. Mozart was present when the designer left his homeland and started to assert by his art in the USA. When Miloš Forman was shooting the film Amadeus, he had the poster created by Sís. This work was then one of the first steps to Sís´ American carrier. He earned for the poster enough money to be able to move from California  to New York where he finally found work.

Petr Sís was not the only Czech who somehow participated on the creation of the film Amadeus. Many Actors played in it. Miroslav Sekera played young Mozart, Karel Fiala “Limonádový joe” played Don Giovanni, there were also Hana Brejchová, Miriam Chytilová, Karel Effa, René Gabzdyl, Karel Hába, Aťka Janoušková, Jiří Krytinář, Jiří Lír, Jitka Molavcová, Pavel Nový, Jan Pohan, Tereza Pokorná, Dana Vávrová. The screenwriter Zdeněk Mahler played cardinal and the director Vladimír Svitáček played the pope Klement XIV.
Václav Rouha, Jan Balzer, Václav Eisenhamer were some of the producers. Directing cooperation was Jan Schmidt, Jan Kubišta, Petr Makovička, Tomáš Ťintěra or Mirek Lux.The assistents of Miroslav Ondříček were Miroslav Čvorsjuk, Jiří Krejčík, Michal Krob. Zdeněk Mahler was the history consultant. The piano solo was played by piano virtuoso Ivan Moravec. But we must not forget the electricians Luboše Šimečka, Jaroslava Sinkuleho  and many other professionals of the film profession.

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In 1985 young director Michaell Dinner asked Miroslav Ondříček to shoot his first film with him. He received a prize in Canes for the student film and then he wrote a screenplayabout the catholic education. Miroslav Ondříček accepted the offer and shot with Michaell the film Heaven Helps us. The lead role of brother Thadeus was played by the Canadian Donald Sutherland.

The other film he shot was the film F/X. Young director Bob Mandel shot it in 1986. An interesting fact is, that Dodi Al Fayed was one of the producers. He died in the car crash in Pariswith British princess Diana. He was planning a big project with Miroslav Ondříček.

The documentary film Distant Harmony was about the first stay of the Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti in China and it was shot by American director Sage de Witt and Miroslav Ondříček in 1987. The Czechoslovak premiere was on 1.1.1990.

        

During the shooting in China Miroslav Ondříček met the director Robert Mandel and they decided to shoot another film together. So in 1987 the film Big Shots was created, but it didn’t succeed as they dreamed and imagined. They wanted to entre the world of Mark Twain on Mississippi and tell the story about the friendship of black and white boys… But the idea of producers was different.

In 1988 Ondříček cooperated on the shooting of the third film with George Roy Hill. The film was called Funny Farm. Andy a man from big city and his wife Elisabeth move to the country, where they don’t belong at all. Everyday odds and ends of the life in the country bring them soon many problems and so they decide to get divorced and sell the house. The meeting of George Roy Hill and Chevy Chase meant a great experience for comedy fans.

    

In 1989 he was shooting with Miloš Forman sgain. This time it was the film Valmont. The free adaptation of the novel by Choderlose de Laclose Nebezpečné známosti was shot in French- British co production and the film was evaluated by the French Cesar. Theodor Pištěk participated on this film as a costume designer and the Czechoslovak premiere was on 1.3.1991

     

In 1990 cameraman Miroslav Ondříček cooperated for the first timaë with American diractor Penny Marshall. He met again the actor Robin Williams at the shooting of the film Awakenings. Williams performed the role of Dr. Malcolm Sayer. The impersonator of the main character Robert de Niro was nominated for Oscar for the best actor. The plot of the film is clear from the slogan: Robert de Niro in the mainrole of American film about people who were woken to life after many years of sleeping.

             
         

In 1995 the cameraman was asked by the debuting director Eleanor Bergstein to shoot musical and dance film. It was called Let it be me.

A year later (1996) Miroslav Ondříček shoots the third film with Penny Marshall called The Preacher’s wife. In fact it was the remake of black and white film with Gary Grant. These films are usually played on TV at Christmas time. In the lead role there were Denzel Washington and Whitney Huston. It should have been achristmas tale for Afro-Americans – according to the ideas of producers. But the film should have been more like a fairy tale.

The last Miroslav Ondříček´s film was shot in 2000 again with the director Penny Marshall. The film is called Riding in cars with boys. Charming Beverly (Drew Barrymore) can´t wait to be adult. She is looking forward the moment her parents and people around her will take her seriously…
         
 
                   

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In the year of his 70^th birthday Miroslav Ondříček got the international award for the whole life work given by the American society of Cinematographers (ASC).
He accepted this prize with mixed feelings.
“Of course I am happy, but I am also a bit sad. The others have remarked my work. It’s nice when they know you, but it’s sad because I am old and I finish. I finished the last film in 2000. I say never say never, but I feel I wouldn’t be so pleased by the work as I used to be. There’s one simple reason for it – our work considers not only the head, but also a good physical condition. My strength dwindles.”

 
 

                       

In the same year he receives the prize for his lifelong contribution to the world’s cinematography at the international film festival in Karlovy Vary. A part form other prizes, he got  also Český lev for long lasting contribution to the Czech film (2000), or the prize for life-work from Association of Czech cameramen ( 2005).
“To get the prize in homeland is always the most difficult. Sometimes the awards come from abroad, but it takes time before the recognition from home arrives:” he says.
At the occasion of the festival of the Czech Republic Miroslav Ondříček was on 28.10.2006 laureate at the Prague castle with the Distinguished Service Medal from the hands of president Václav Klaus.

He got all the awards from home and from abroad for the full lengths films. “Certain freedom at work on films, high opportunities and some uncertainty such as: What is coming next, will the film succeed… it was my viva aqua. "I enjoyed it and I still have a great memories and experience."

Jan Drocár:  Miroslav Ondříček - cameraman (2)

Translation © Jana Němcová, 14.11.2006


  text  © Jan Drocár, 4.11.2006
  v článku jsou použity citace Miroslava Ondříčka i z jeho připravované knihy vzpomínek

Foto: Libor Hajský, Jaromír Komárek, Pavel Loužecký, Alena Drocárová, archiv Miroslava Ondříčka, archiv Aleny Sísové, archiv Jana Drocára.