In this satirical and even subversive take on the Thirty Years’ War, which preoccupied much of Europe between 1618 and 1648, Karel Zeman’s continuing innovations in blending live action, animation and trick photography collide with the nascent Czechoslovak New Wave.

A script from one of that movement’s most brilliant and protean talents, Pavel Juráček, and aesthetic inspiration taken from the 17^th century Topographia Germaniae engravings of Matthäus Merian, enliven this star-studded romp, a picaresque comedy very much in the anarchic spirit of Jaroslav Hašek’s totemic Good Soldier Švejk.

CaSFFA is delighted to be presenting A Jester’s Tale in partnership with the Karel Zeman Museum and the Melbourne Cinémathèque. 35mm print courtesy of the National Film Archive in Prague.