Václav Vorlíček: A Director of Wonders
Water sprites, princesses, witches – but also Superman, Fantomas, secret agents, and evil scientists – all coexist in the unique world of Václav Vorlíček’s imagination. Born in 1930 and active until his death in 2019, the director worked a real miracle with his films. During the gray years of normalization in Czechoslovakia, he created a colorful universe of heroes, characters, and adventures that delighted audiences then – and continue to do so today.
Vorlíček’s work can rightly be described as universal: not only is it known to virtually every Czech viewer and highly regarded by critics for its craftsmanship and imaginative storytelling, but it has also remained accessible beyond the director’s homeland. The comedy Who Wants to Kill Jessie? received a special mention at the Locarno Film Festival, and Three Wishes for Cinderella was even remade by director Cecilie A. Mosli in 2021. Perhaps this is because Vorliček eagerly drew inspiration from Western cultural models including comics and popular films and television series—which, unlike the domestic audience, he had the opportunity to encounter. The most interesting part of his work lies in his comedies—or rather his signature “crazy comedies”: madcap, absurd stories, often drawing on science fiction or fantasy motifs, which he used to construct elaborate comedic plots filled with grotesque situations and touches of black humor.
Václav Vorlíček’s work was fundamentally shaped by his encounter with screenwriter Miloš Macourek. Together they formed one of the most successful creative duos in the history of Czech cinema. Their first film together, Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (1966), launched a series of “crazy comedies” inspired by “capitalist pulp literature”—comic books. Already here appears a motif to which Vorlíček would return repeatedly: the intertwining of parallel worlds. Their subsequent collaborations have become classics of Czechoslovak cinema. The science-fiction comedy You Are a Widow, Sir (1970) takes place in a completely fictional setting—a Central European kingdom—and builds its intricate plot around the country’s impressive achievements in the field of transplantology. In the comedy How to Drown Dr. Mracek, the Lawyer (1974), we are invited into the homes of water sprites, whose community in socialist Czechoslovakia struggles with housing shortages and declining population. Even the theme of the “socialist present” was addressed by Vorlíček and Macourek in their own distinctive way. In the science-fiction comedy How About a Plate of Spinach? (1977), they present a prototype device designed to regenerate dairy cows, which a corrupt associate professor and the owner of a beauty salon plan to steal and use to rejuvenate wealthy foreign clients.
How About a Plate of Spinach? was their last comedy of this type, as the two creators soon expanded their activities. Commissioned by state television, they began producing children’s series: The Flying Cestmír (1984) and their magnum opus, the legendary Arabela (1980)—one of the most beloved youth series of its time. They returned to the world of Arabela twice: in the feature film Rumburak (1984) and the series Arabela Returns (1993 1994). The latter also proved to be the final collaboration of the Vorlíček–Macourek duo.
Petr Vlček
As part of the Václav Vorliček retrospective at Timeless FFW 2026, we will present five titles from their outstanding and unforgettable oeuvre:
- Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (Kdo chce zabít Jessii?, dir. Václav Vorlíček, Czechoslovakia, 1966),
- The Girl on a Broomstick (Dívka na koštěti, dir. Václav Vorlíček, Czechoslovakia, 1971),
- How to Drown Dr. Mracek, the Lawyer (Jak utopit dr. Mráčka aneb Konec vodníků v Čechách, dir. Václav Vorlíček, Czechoslovakia, 1974),
- How About a Plate of Spinach? (Což takhle dát si špenát, dir. Václav Vorlíček, Czechoslovakia, 1977),
- Arabela (dir. Václav Vorlíček, Czechoslovakia, West Germany, 1980).
The section is curated by Petr Vlček and Maciej Gil.
The section partner is the Czech Centre.