Eisspeedway

Il Boemo

Il Boemo
Directed byPetr Václav
Screenplay byPetr Václav
Produced byJan Macola
Starring
CinematographyDiego Romero
Edited by
  • Paolo Cottignola
  • Florent Mangeot
  • Florent Vassault
Release date
Running time
140 minutes
Countries
  • Czech Republic
  • Italy
  • Slovakia
Languages
  • Italian
  • German
  • Czech[1]
Budget
  • CZK120 million[2]
  • (est. $5.7 million)
Box office$546,351[3][4]

Il Boemo (lit.'the Bohemian') is a 2022 period biographical drama film about the life and career of the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček (1737–1781), written and directed by Petr Václav.[5] Mysliveček was one of the most acclaimed and prolific composers of opera seria in Italy in the second half of the eighteenth century, and mentor and friend to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.[6] The film stars Vojtěch Dyk, Elena Radonicich, Barbara Ronchi, and Lana Vlady. The music for the film has been recorded by the Czech ensemble Collegium 1704 led by Václav Luks, featuring international soloists such as Philippe Jaroussky, Emöke Baráth, Raffaella Milanesi, and Simona Šaturová.[7] It was selected as the Czech entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.[8] It premiered at 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival on 19 September 2022.[9]

Synopsis

The son of a Prague miller, who expected him to follow in his footsteps, Mysliveček as a young man flees to Venice to realize his dream of becoming a composer. Against all odds he manages, becomes known as "Il Boemo" (i.e. "Czech"), and his success surpasses even his own expectations. During the 1770s, he is at his most prolific, composing numerous works in the genre of Italian opera seria.[10]

Cast

Production

The film is co-produced by the Czech Republic, Italy, and Slovakia, and was supported, among others, by the Czech Film Fund, the Italian Ministry of Culture, and the Slovak Audiovisual Fund; the producer is Jan Macola and Mimesis Film, the co-producers are Marco Alessio (Dugong Film) in Italy, Marek Urban (sentimentalfilm) in Slovakia, and Czech Television and MagicLab in the Czech Republic.[11]

Petr Václav has singled out Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, in relation to camera work, lighting, and narrative style, and Miloš Forman’s Amadeus, in terms of working with opera and music, as particular cinematic references.[12]

Filming locations

Shooting locations in the Czech Republic included the Estates Theatre, the Martinic Palace and the Colloredo–Mansfeld Palace in Prague, the château at Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, the Doksany Convent and the Cistercian monastery in Plasy, and the Mahen Theater in Brno.[11]

Music

The music for the film has been recorded by the Czech ensemble Collegium 1704, founder and conductor Václav Luks also served as musical advisor for the film.[13] The soundtrack was released by Warner Classics on their Erato label on 23 June 2023.[14] Another advisor was the American musicologist Daniel E. Freeman, author of the first modern monograph on Mysliveček.[15]

Release

The film was selected for screening at the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival's main competition on 19 September 2022.[16]

Reception

Il Boemo grossed $546,351 worldwide[3] against a production budget of about $5.7 million.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Na roli ve filmu Il Boemo se Vojtěch Dyk připravoval rok, učil se i italsky". novinky.cz. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Natáčení filmu Il Boemo spěje k závěru, do kin se chystá za rok". seznamzpravy.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Il Boemo (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Il Boemo (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Il Boemo - film in lavorazione - film & docu". Filmitalia. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Josef Václav Myslivček: Il (divino) Boemo". Radio Prague International. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Il BOEMO". ilboemo.cz. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Do bojů o Oscara jde český film, který diváci ještě neviděli". seznamzpravy.cz. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  9. ^ "O Oscara se bude za Českou republiku ucházet Il Boemo, film s Vojtou Dykem". novinky.cz (in Czech). 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Il Boemo – MIMESIS FILM" (in Czech). Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Petr Vaclav Soon to complete his dream film Il Boemo | Czech Film Center". filmcenter.cz. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Petr Václav prepares to shoot the ambitious historical biopic Il Boemo". cineuropa.org. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Feature Film Il Boemo About Josef Mysliveček To Be Released in Autumn". Collegium 1704. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Il Boemo | Warner Classics". www.warnerclassics.com. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  15. ^ Pilátová, Agáta. "Petr Václav: Zajímal mě Myslivečkův příběh, jeho hudba, jeho doba… a Itálie". klasikaplus.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  16. ^ Hopewell, John (2 August 2022). "Sebastian Lelio, Hong Sang-soo, Ulrich Seidl Bound for San Sebastian Main Competition". Variety.