(Vynález zkâzy, Karel Zeman, Czechoslovakia 1958, 83 min., 35mm)
Invention for Destruction, also known as The Fabulous World of Jules Verne, is the most prominent film by Czechoslovakian special effects maestro Karel Zeman and was the most financially successful film the country ever produced. Ubiquitous in Czech culture but criminally underrated abroad, Karel Zeman is an innovative filmmaker who paved the way for a whole slew of filmmakers which embrace artifice and illusion, from Terry Gilliam to Wes Anderson. In the film, we follow a megalomaniac with his team of pirates trying to use the genius of a scientist to create the ultimate explosive. A young engineer named Simon Hart uses his cunning intelligence to try and rescue the scientist as he navigates a fantastic world of stop motion fish, submarines, underwater swordfights and volcanoes. Zeman’s approach was completely different from Hollywood’s at the time, as he abandoned the need to make settings look grounded or realistic, watching Invention for Destruction is like seeing a Édouard Riou, Léon Benett, or Gustave Doré line engraving come to life.