The Emotional Poseur
length: 70 minutes
Why Julius Fučík? Because his fate touches on themes of heroism and martyrdom, which are somewhat inappropriate for the Czech nature. Fučík and his myth have been the subject of many interpretations as he was the only Czech martyr of the 20th century, both in the sense of glorification and later rejection. The communist propaganda created the monstrous Fučík’s myth and used his widow as a means of political agitation. After the change of the regime, the myth has been rejected out of hand as well as the whole construct. Fučík has been discussed by scholars, however, and Fučík and his myth have been slowly sliding into oblivion.
On purpose, we do not focus on the most famous Fučík theme – his imprisonment, and the most translated book in the history of the Czech literature, Reports Written Under the Noose; we have tried to be as apolitical as possible. The political dimension is up to the audience. We aim to present Fučík as a man with a particular social temperament, who might be a source of inspiration as well as a warning example.
Duration: 70 minutes
