The Prague Orgy: Human Behaviour Under the Pressure of Power

30 August 2018

Czech Film

The Prague Orgy: Human Behaviour Under the Pressure of Power

Irena Pavlásková to Bring Legendary Philip Roth Book to Screen

Czech Film

The Prague Orgy: Human Behaviour Under the Pressure of Power

Irena Pavlásková to Bring Legendary Philip Roth Book to Screen

p

The U.S. writer’s famous 1985 novella, based on his own experience, is set in mid-1970s Communist Czechoslovakia. Roth (1933–2018) visited Prague several times following the Soviet-led invasion of 1968, aiding Czech authors and intellectuals who were targeted by the regime. The project, a Czech-Slovak-Canadian coproduction with an international cast, will be shot in English, and has been selected for this year's Venice Gap-Financing Market.

Article by Hedvika Petrželková for Czech Film Magazine / Fall 2018

The Prague Orgy depicts a 1976 journey to the capital of Communist Czechoslovakia by Roth’s alter ego Nathan Zuckerman. Apart from offering help to banned writers, Zuckerman is looking to rescue a Yiddish author’s unique collection of short stories and smuggle it out of the country. Despite the political oppression, he finds the city’s social life thriving, full of fun and open relationships. The more the regime clamps down, the greater people’s desire to retreat into their private worlds of intimacy. “Irena Pavlásková and I have been making preparations for The Prague Orgy for almost four years now. I am greatly honored that we succeeded in obtaining the rights to the work of a literary figure of Roth’s stature,” says producer Viktor Schwarcz.

“Initially, we were focused on funding in the Czech Republic. Then, in 2016, we were joined by Michal Kráčmer, a young producer who specializes more in international collaboration. He presented the project at the prestigious European-North American Trans Atlantic Partners program in Berlin, then in Toronto and Halifax in Canada. The presentation in Venice will be our last one before shooting begins. Above all, we’re looking to test the European market, since up to now we’ve presented the project mostly in North America. Thanks to our international cast and the fact that we’re shooting in English, we believe we have a chance with distributors from the big European markets, and we would also like to finalize our negotiations with the international sales agents there.”

The film, which has backing from the Czech Film Fund, as well as Creative Europe MEDIA, is currently being made as a Czech-Slovak-Canadian coproduction, with Arina as the coproducer for Slovakia and Timshell Pictures from Toronto as the Canadian partner. “We acquired our Canadian partners after Michal Kráčmer presented our project at the Toronto IFF and the Halifax coproduction Forum,” says Schwarcz, adding that they are still seeking funding. The budget for the film is set at €1.7 million.

Interview with director Irena Pavlásková 

When did you get the idea of adapting The Prague Orgy?
Right after I read the book for the first time, some six years ago, I said to myself, What a great book! Clever, original, complex, and at the same time provocative, sad, and amusing. I admired Roth for his deep understanding of our reality and his ability to really immerse himself in it. Also I was fascinated by the main female character, so different from most other female characters and at the same time so real. I really hope to capture her colorfulness, her attitude, her desperate inner resistance, and the way she reflects the heaviness and rottenness of the whole era.

Do you see the book as especially relevant to audiences today? What does it offer viewers, in your opinion? Are you planning to screen it abroad as well?
The story takes place in Czechoslovakia in 1976, eight years after the Soviet invasion, when the totalitarian regime was consolidating its position. People had resigned themselves to the situation, and everybody dealt with the pressure differently. Some people shut themselves away, some adapted against their will, others collaborated, and then there were very few who actually resisted.

Although it is a period film, its main theme is still topical: human behavior under the pressure of power. Why is it that some people have the strength to resist while others bow down? How much should we be willing to accept and for how long? How to deal with the aggression of power?
I suppose most viewers will find the main story line—the relationship between the U.S. author Zuckerman and the Czech rebel Olga—quite appealing, although their mutual attraction remains unconsummated: Olga is too dangerous and uncontrollable.

Filming is due to start in August. How long is it planned for, and at what locations?
We’ll start in late August and continue through mid-October. The main photography will take place in Prague. Then, at the end of October, we should have about three shooting days in Canada.

What is your directorial concept? Do you focus on certain story lines? What’s the key theme for you?
I’m very faithful to the book. I just adapted it more to the cinematic form. For instance, I took some purely conversational scenes from the book and integrated them into the plot, or divided up conversations into several scenes and locations. Also the book itself is quite slim, so we added some scenes to the screenplay.

Compared to the book, I stressed the fact that the main character is helping and supporting banned Czech writers—which corresponds with reality, since Roth actually did organize aid from the U.S. for persecuted Czech authors.
The key theme is the way the Communist Party’s power induced decline and moral decay in society, giving a portrait of people who are trying to preserve at least their inner freedom, even if sometimes in quite bizarre ways. In my eyes, the duel between Zuckerman and Olga is also a fascinating topic. The film won’t be dark, but neither it will wallow in helplessness. It deals with important subjects, but in an exciting way, with understanding for the paradoxes of life.

What was your meeting with Roth like? Did he have any comments about the film?
It’s very sad that he passed away. We had agreed he would come to Prague for the premiere, and were planning to give him a great welcome and thank him once again for the help that he gave Czechs.
Meeting Mr. Roth was a tremendous experience. It all started when I decided to write him a letter asking his permission to adapt the book. He wanted to see my films and an exposition first, to understand how I saw the story and how I intended to adapt it for the screen. Later he invited me for a personal meeting at his home in Connecticut. It was an experience I will never forget.

The fact that Mr. Roth granted me the rights was a great success, but also a big responsibility. He was extremely charming, he had a certain mystery about him, and at the same, he was completely natural and very kind. We talked for more than three hours. He asked about my motivation, about my own view of the story and the characters. I also told him about myself and my family, and he seemed to be very interested. Now I feel a double responsibility to make a film Mr. Roth would be happy with.

Czech Film Center
division of the Czech Film Fund promoting Czech cinema worldwide

Email: info@filmcenter.cz
 

 

Contact us