Otakar Vávra

Otakar Vávra (1911–2011), director and teacher, a legend of Czech film, whose extensive oeuvre spread across five decades. He made a major impact with two features from 1937 (History of Philosophy and Virginity). These works already showed the characteristic traits of what was to come – a preference for high-grade literary models, well-constructed screenplays, a perfectionist's approach to directing, and collaboration with leading names, often stage actors. He… (plus)