THE BOHEMIAN selected in the main section of the 70th San Sebastian Film Festival
The film that reconstructs the adventures of the great eighteenth-century composer Josef Missliveček
Filmed in Veneto at the end of 2020, THE BOHEMIAN è a film with an international cast directed by Of PETR VACLAV in a co-production between Italy, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The film reconstructs the adventures of the great eighteenth-century composer Josef Mysliveček, known in Italy as The Divine Bohemian, and at the time more sought after than Mozart by Italian courts and theaters. The star of opera PHILIPPE JAROUSSKY, the leader of the many singers involved, performed the arias under the guidance of the conductor VÁCLAV LUKS, while the Czech actor who plays the protagonist is the young actor and singer VOJTĚCH DYK. The cast also includes Italian actors ELENA RADONICICH, BARBARA RONCHI, and LANA VLADY.
In Veneto The film was shot at Thiene Castle, Villa Chiminelli, Villa da Schio, Villa Ghellini dell'Olmo, and then on the canals of Venice, where a gondola reconstructed based on those depicted in Canaletto's paintings was used.
The support of the Film Commission of Veneto, Liguria and Sicily, who decided to support the project, played a decisive role in the
«Even though it is a Czech film – says the director Petr Vaclav – The Bohemian The film was almost entirely shot in Italy. The challenge was to narrate that unique period of the late 18th century in an intimate and contemporary way, using handheld cameras, natural light, and real-life settings. For this reason, filming was preceded by a long and painstaking search for locations, many of which were being used for the first time in a film production, to find those places, residences, palaces, cloisters, and landscapes that still today preserve the authenticity of the era. This is a uniquely Italian historical and cultural heritage, often unknown to most, that deserves to be promoted. The film tells the story of this great artist to whom Italy gave everything, imagining those lost moments of his life, with the aim of faithfully reconstructing the spirit of his time and the wealth of Italy, which at that time flourished with courts and republics eager to excel and competing with one another with important theaters and stages.».
Goesclav, one of the most interesting directors of contemporary Czech cinema, with this film he wants to contribute to restoring the memory of the great musician Bohemian, who time has erased from collective memory, although at the time he was much more sought-after and established than his colleague Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Missliveček's arias and compositions have been rediscovered after 250 years and will be used as the film's soundtrack, recorded by the orchestra Collegium 1704 under the direction of Václav Luks. The photograph is by Diego Romero, the costumes are of Andrea Cavalletto.Filming began last July in the prestigious Como Social Theatre, with a great display of resources: more than 150 troupe actors, singers and musicians dressed in eighteenth-century costumes with a live orchestra.
Opera stars performed under the baton of conductor Václav Luks Philippe Jaroussky together with Raffaella Milanesi, and the many singers involved in the film from the international cast, including Juan Sancho, Krystian Adam, Sophie Harmsen, Simona Saturova, Emoke Barath, Benno Schachtner.
The Bohemian It is a co-production between Italy, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, produced by Jan Macola of Mimesis Film, and co-produced by Marco Alessi for the Italian company Dugong Films, Marek Urban for Sentimentalfilm and Kateřina Ondřejková for Česká televize. It is supported by Czech Film Fund, Česká televize, Filmová nadace, Mibac Dg Cinema, Creative Europe – MEDIA Development, Liguria Region with the support of the Liguria Film Commission, Sicily Region with the support of the Sicily Film Commission, with the contribution of the Veneto Region – POR FESR Veneto 2014-2020.
