Location

• Malešická 12, 130 00 Praha 3, Czech Republic
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Languages

• Czech

Website

• http://nfa.cz/

Name of collection

• Mihle Rudolf (1937-2008)

Provenance and cultural activities

• Amateur film was an aspect of Czechoslovak culture directly affected by sovietisation. In 1951, the association Czech Club of Amateur Filmmakers (Český klub kinoamatérů), which had existed since 1935, was disbanded. The ideological and organizational supervision of Czechoslovak amateur film was centralized and toughened. Moreover, in 1951, Czechoslovakia defiantly left the international organisation UNICA (Union Internationale du Cinéma). Its membership in UNICA was finally renewed in 1958, after cultural conditions in Czechoslovakia had improved. However, efforts in the 1960s to found a new federation for Czechoslovak amateur film, independent from the state and trade unions, were not successful. Nevertheless, some amateur filmmakers tried to produce films that deviated from the official communist propaganda. Undoubtedly, one of the most significant was Rudolf Mihle, who often went beyond the permitted degrees of criticism. Sometimes, through his films, he openly disagreed with state agencies, the socialist economy or the Communist Party. His films, “Without Name” (1964) about Stalin’s cult, “Mini-History 1918–1968” (1968) about the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918, and “First Hours of Occupation” (1968) about Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia, could not be publicly screened. Rudolf Mihle focused on ecological issues, popular culture, alternative lifestyles, criticism of the planned economy, as well as on everyday life. He also criticised the status of disabled people in communist Czechoslovakia.

  This collection was created over a period of time as Rudolf Mihle’s personal collection and was probably only used privately. Rudolf Mihle gave his written documents and films to the National Film Archive (NFA) in 2000. The archival material was organised by the NFA in 2002. This collection not only reflects the life and work of Rudolf Mihle, but it is also a record of the Czech community of amateur filmmakers after the Second World War as a whole. Recently, the work of Rudolf Mihle has attracted increased attention from professionals and the wider public. Some of his films have been broadcast by Czech Television.

Description of content

• Rudolf Mihle was an important Czech amateur filmmaker and active member of the Czech Club of Amateur Filmmakers. His collection contains his films (film reels and VHS cassettes) and many written documents connected to his film-related activities: it includes diplomas (awards) for his films, correspondence with organisers of amateur film festivals, articles and screenplays. Moreover, a set of photographs documenting Czech amateur film and Rudolf Mihle’s life is part of this collection as well.

Content

• film: 10-99
• manuscripts (ego-documents, diaries, notes, letters, drafts, etc.): 100-499
• other artworks (that cannot be classified by other filter categories such as paintings, sculptures, graphics, etc.): 0-9
• photos: 1000-
• publications (books, newspapers, articles, press clippings): 10-99
• video recordings (including oral history recordings): 10-99

Operator(s)

• National Film Archive (Czech Republic)

Owner(s)

• Mihle, Rudolf
• National Film Archive (Czech Republic)

Geographical scope of recent operation

• international

Topics

• alternative lifestyles and resistance of the everydays
• environmental protection (e.g. antinuclear movement)
• film
• popular culture

Founder(s)

• Mihle, Rudolf

Date of founding

• 2000

Place of founding

• Praha, Prague, Czech Republic
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Creator(s) of content

• Mihle, Rudolf

Collector(s)

• Mihle, Rudolf
• National Film Archive (Czech Republic)

Important events in the history of the collection

• Acquisition of Rudolf Mihle’s films by NFA in 2000

Featured items

• The First Hours of Occupation (1968), dir. Rudolf Mihle, Czechoslovakia. Film
• The Glory and Fall of the Czech Club of Amateur Filmmakers (1983), dir. Rudolf Mihle, Czechoslovakia. Film
• The Time of Accumulating Stones (1968), dir. Rudolf Mihle, Czechoslovakia. Film

Access type

• visits by appointments

Part of network

• FIAF

Author(s) of this page

• Kůželová, Michaela

References

Pražan, Emil et al. 2005. Kronika českého amatérského filmu. 70 let ČKK. Praha: Národní informační a poradenské středisko pro kulturu.

Jiří Horníček, e-mail message to Michaela Kůželová, November 16, 2016.

Horníček, Jiří, 2013. “Točit filmy po svém.” In Kmeny 0: městské subkultury a nezávislé společenské proudy před rokem 1989, edited by Vladimir 518, 192–217. Praha: Big Boss & Yinachi.

Národní filmový archiv. 2002. "Mihle Rudolf (1937-2008): Inventář." Accessible at http://nfa.cz/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Mihle-Rudolf.pdf.