• Grandpa Planted a Beet



A Survey of Trnka’s Techniques



Trnka’s earliest works already demonstrate his craftsmanship and artistry, moving from hand-drawn cartoons to surrealist interventions to the expressive beauty of his stop-motion beginnings. Drawing on ancient fables (Grandpa Planted a Beet; The Animals and the Brigands), a Chekhov story (Romance with Double Bass), and even a World War II–era, anti-Nazi urban legend (Springman and the SS), these shorts are both distinctive and distinctly Czech.

—Jason Sanders

Films in this Screening

Grandpa Planted a Beet
(Zasadil dědek řepu)

Jiří Trnka, Czechoslovakia, 1945

FILM DETAILS 
Language
  • No dialogue
Print Info
  • Color
  • DCP
  • 10 mins
source
  • Czech National Film Archive

The Animals and the Brigands
(Zvířátka a petrovští)

Jiří Trnka, Czechoslovakia, 1946

FILM DETAILS 
Language
  • Czech
  • with English subtitles
Print Info
  • Color
  • DCP
  • 8 mins
source
  • Czech National Film Archive

Springman and the SS
(Pérák a SS)

Jiří Trnka, Jiří Brdecka, Czechoslovakia, 1946

FILM DETAILS 
Language
  • No dialogue
Print Info
  • B&W
  • DCP
  • 13 mins
source
  • Czech National Film Archive

The Gift
(Dárek)

Jiří Trnka, Jirí Krejcík, Czechoslovakia, 1946

FILM DETAILS 
Language
  • Czech
  • with English subtitles
Print Info
  • Color
  • DCP
  • 15 mins
source
  • Czech National Film Archive

Romance with Double Bass

Jiří Trnka, Czechoslovakia, 1949

FILM DETAILS 
Language
  • Czech
  • with English subtitles
Print Info
  • Color
  • DCP
  • 13 mins
source
  • Czech National Film Archive

The Golden Fish

Jiří Trnka, Czechoslovakia, 1951

FILM DETAILS 
Language
  • Czech
  • with English subtitles
Print Info
  • Color
  • DCP
  • 15 mins
source
  • Czech National Film Archive