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Karel RODEN Hanns ZISCHLER Oldřich KAISER Eva H E R Z IG OVÁ Arly JOVER A Prominent Patient A film byJulius Ševčík BETA CINEMA PRESENTS AN IN FILM PRAHA AND RUDOLF BIERMANN SLOVAKIA PRODUCTION IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH CZECH TELEVISION, RADIO AND TELEVISION SLOVAKIA AND ZDF/ARTE “A PROMINENT PATIENT” Foto: Marek Foto: Párek | KAREL RODEN, OLDŘICH KAISER, HANNS ZISCHLER, ARLY JOVER, EVA HERZIGOVÁ, EMÍLIA VÁŠÁRYOVÁ, MILTON WELSH, DERMOT CROWLEY, PAUL NICHOLAS, TIM PREECE, JAMES FLYNN, GINA BRAMHILL, JIŘÍ VYORÁLEK, MARTIN HOFMANN, JÁN GREŠŠO, JIŘÍ ORNEST, ZUZANA KRONEROVÁ, HOJI FORTUNA AND SUSAN LAWSON-REYNOLDS 1ST AD JIŘÍ KAČÍREK ML. LINE PRODUCER JOSEFÍNA BORECKÁ CASTING BY MARGARETA ABENA SOUND VIKTOR EKRT, PAVEL REJHOLEC MUSIC BY MICHAL LORENC ADDITIONAL MUSIC BY KRYŠTOF MAREK Lukáš Andrle COSTUME DESIGNER KATARÍNA ŠTRBOVÁ BIELIKOVÁ MAKE UP ARTIST LUKÁŠ KRÁL EDITOR MAREK OPATRNÝ VFX MICHAL KŘEČEK PRODUCTION DESIGNER MILAN BÝČEK DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY MARTIN ŠTRBA Design: WRITTEN BY PETR KOLEČKO, ALEX KOENIGSMARK AND JULIUS ŠEVČÍK PRODUCED BY RUDOLF BIERMANN AND JULIUS ŠEVČÍK DIRECTED BY JULIUS ŠEVČÍK A PROMINENT PATIENT DRAMA / CZECH REPUBLIC / SLOVAKIA / 2016 / RUNNING TIME 114 MIN / ORIGINAL TITLE: MASARYK CAST Jan Masaryk Karel Roden Edvard Beneš Oldřich Kaiser Marcia Davenport Arly Jover Dr. Stein Hanns Zischler Neville Chamberlain Paul Nicholas Halifax Dermot Crowley Bonnet Milton Welsh Annie Higgins Gina Bramhill Henry Higgins James Flynn Madla Eva Herzigová Konrad Henlein Jiří Vyorálek CREW Production Companies In Film Praha a Rudolf Biermann In Co-Production with Czech Television, Radio and Television Slovakia In Cooperation with ZDF/ARTE Produced by Rudolf Biermann Julius Ševčík Written by Petr Kolečko Alex Koenigsmark Julius Ševčík Directed by Julius Ševčík Director of Photography Martin Štrba Production Design Milan Býček Editor Marek Opatrný Costume Design Katarína Štrbová-Bieliková Music Michal Lorenc Sound Viktor Ekrt Pavel Rejholec Make-up Artist Lukáš Král 2 A PROMINENT PATIENT LOGLINE The rhythm of the film is based on the constant clash between light and dark. The retrospective storyline is imbued in the feel A dramatic story devoted to the life and fortunes of Jan of permanent “fog”, symbolizing what is in store for Europe Masaryk, a diplomat and later Czechoslovak foreign in late 1930s. In the personal dimension, conversely, the film minister, takes us back to the run-up to World War II. “brightens” as its central character regains his desire to fight back. SHORT SYNOPSIS I create a contemporary feel within a historical picture as I Winter 1939. Flamboyant Czech diplomat Jan Masaryk has fled believe the conflict between submitting to a greater power and to America to escape his recent past. Germany has invaded standing up for European values is constantly present. Today, Czechoslovakia and Masaryk is now a man with no nation. In once again, European countries must re-define their values America, he tries to forget the personal and political betrayal and sense of European unity and heritage in the face of an he and his country have suffered but these events shadow aggressor, this time against the Russian Federation. his every step. As the Czechoslovak ambassador in London, Masaryk failed to win the support of the British and could not INTERVIEW WITH DIRETOR JULIUS ŠEVČÍK avert the ruination of his country. With the help of Dr. Stein, a German immigrant and psychiatrist, and the beautiful writer Can you explain the significance of Jan Masaryk in the Marcia Davenport, Masaryk tries to overcome his demons context of 1930s’ European history and as presented by and re-live the dramatic events leading to the outbreak of the the film? World War II. Jan Masaryk was the enfant terrible of Czechoslovak diplomacy. In international circles, the reputation of his father, the founder DIRECTORS NOTE BY DIRETOR JULIUS ŠEVČÍK of Czechoslovakia, meant he was treated more as a celebrity than a career diplomat. He was not only the representative A PROMINENT PATIENT is a journey deep into the soul of of Czechoslovakia but of a new world order in which the a man and an insight into European pre-war politics and aristocracy was slowly losing its place, squeezed out by strong Czechoslovakia’s role in it. The film is built around two storylines. characters who united the newly formed states. One tells an intimate and crude story of JAN MASARYK, a son of the founder of Czechoslovakia, who finds himself in a mental In the context of 1930s’ European history, the Czechoslovakia institution after losing his land to Nazi Germany. The other is Jan Masaryk represented posed a problem – its break-up an insight into European pre-war politics as experience by the could have disturbed the fragile strategic equilibrium in central central character. Europe. The diverse, multi-ethnic population in a narrow strip 3 A PROMINENT PATIENT of land inhabited by 16 million people ranked among the standing up against the perfidious and pragmatic power of the wealthiest economies in the world, making it an obvious target aggressor. Of course he can’t win. But he will try. for expansionist aggressors it was powerless to resist by mere force of arms. At a time when it was coming under covert Can there be any victorious outcome to the internal pressure from communist Russia (which influenced internal conflict between personal desire and duty, as Masaryk politics) on the one hand and overt and brutal pressure from experienced in his life? Nazi Germany, the country had little capacity to defend itself. Jan was a free-thinking democrat. He liked people and was an The name Masaryk was a symbolic bond that held the state emotional idealist – and as such he was not ideally suited to together in the difficult interwar period, just as the upholding politics. By that I don’t mean that politics is devoid of ideals, of democratic principles binds together the countries of Europe merely that at a time of crisis ideals have to take a back seat today. And like today, before World War II this was more of a while practical problems are tackled and damage limitation is bond of the heart than a truly doughty fortress. imperative at a time when war is looming. Jan was unable to think pragmatically, however sincerely he tried. That resulted in In what way is Masaryk’s personal and political story constant inner turmoil. I think he must have suffered terribly. It’s timeless and far-reaching in its significance? not much of an exaggeration to liken aspects of his behaviour to The story of people trying to stand up to diktat, however Don Quixote. His idealistic nature became fully evident, I think, imperfectly, has a far-reaching significance and a romanticism, after the communist seizure of power in 1948, when he tried partly because it is often cruel and doomed to failure. Whether to maintain, “for the people”, the continuity of the awareness you are Jan Masaryk trying to persuade the great powers to of his famous name when faced by the overwhelming power curb the Nazi aggression, or a young student standing up for of the monstrous Russian regime. He paid for this quixotic what he believes against superior force, or an ordinary person endeavour with his life. who wants to live in freedom while various forces seek to manipulate or take control of him – in the end it is always a What message can he pass on to the audience, even one struggle between good and evil. And good and evil are eternal, without a detailed knowledge of the historical context? just like the fact that good does not always triumph and victory That ideals are glorious but fighting for them is not a walk in is always a close-run thing. Evil always has the advantage. If the park. It’s almost irrelevant whether the film takes place at someone steals your pen, he has the advantage because he a time of struggle against German expansionism or is about has the pen while you’ve lost it. Getting the pen back requires the rise of communism or any other barbaric movement a struggle with an uncertain outcome. A hero is someone undermining progress, truth and humanity. Heroes, however who tries to defeat evil even when the chances of success are imperfect or unsuccessful perhaps, exist in every period when low. In our film, we have the imperfect, isolated Jan Masaryk a lot is at stake. 4 A PROMINENT PATIENT HISTORIAN PAVEL KOSATÍK ABOUT JAN MASARYK – THE REAL HISTORIC FIGURE "Jan Masaryk is one of the most charismatic politicians in in Washington (1919-20), ambassador in the United Kingdom Czech history. His life had an incredibly dramatic trajectory: He (1925-1938), and minister of foreign affairs in the Czechoslovak inherited the name of the man who created the Democratic government-in-exile in London during World War II and in Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 and lived through all the twists three post-war governments. His life came to a tragic end and turns of its development, including assisting in its demise when he fell from the bathroom window of his apartment in in 1948. Almost seventy years have passed since then, but Czernin Palace, the seat of the foreign affairs ministry, during people are still exercised by the question how and why Jan the night of 9-10 March 1948. The circumstances of Masaryk’s Masaryk died,” says writer and historian Pavel Kosatík, author death have never been satisfactorily explained. of the award-winning biography "Jan Masaryk – A True Story". “The man was incredibly emotional; there’s no way he can be Jan Masaryk’s life was marked by conflict between two paths. said to have been in control of himself.

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