Czechoslovakia on Parade

James A. Fitzpatrick sends the Technicolor cameras to Prague under the supervision of Winton D. Hoch to shoot pictures of a town where the principal interests are what happened centuries ago. I won't claim he's not interested in anything that happened after the 14th Century -- there's a couple of clocks from 1408, and we get to look at the modern commercial district for almost ten seconds -- but it's clear that Fitzpatrick and his staff think the principal thing about Prague that will interest the audience is the Gothic architecture.

They're certainly not wrong about that as of the date of this travelogue. They seem to be in doubt as to whether anyone has even heard of the nation, since they preface it by discussing how it came about after being created after the FIrst World War from Austria Hungary. The print that plays on Turner Classic Movies is in pretty good condition if you want to take a look at it. I expect most of the buildings they show are still there.

This film is both fascinating and depressing. It is fascinating because of the wonderful architecture shown and history discussed. It is a snapshot of what Czechoslovakia and Pague was like right up to the greatest disaster to befall Europe, the Second World War. AND that is why it is also it is so very depressing. Released in 1938, one cannot help but to think that within the next year the United Kingdom and France will sell out Czechoslovakia to Hitler. One cannot help but to wonder how many of these people on the screen will be in concentration camps or even dead within the next year or two, or five to seven years. Striking and sobering is the segment of soldiers in traditional folk costumes marching and carrying NOT weapons but musical instruments. Hell is on the way to this then democratic country, and no hint of that impending doom is divulged by FitzPatrick. Of course, that is not the purpose of a travel log, to warn. A travel log is designed to motivate people to visit the subject country, and one must also wonder how many people followed up on this enticement only to be caught up in the approaching maelstrom. Yes, fascinating for what Czechoslovakia was in early 1938, but still so very sobering and depressing when seen with the hindsight of a 21st Century viewer.

Czechoslovakia on Parade (1938)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This TravelTalks short takes us throughout Czechoslovakia and starts off on the banks of the Vltava River where we see various landmarks. The Charles Bridge, the Tyne Church, the backward moving Jewish clock and an astronomical clock are all spotlighted here. If you're a fan of the series then there's no doubt you'll want to check this one out even if it's not one of the most entertaining entries. I personally feel the series was the best from 1936-38 so if you judge just these years alone then this one here might be seen as disappointing but overall this offers exactly what you'd expect. As usual, the Technicolor looks extremely good and especially on the print that shows on Turner Classic Movies. Some of the best visuals are of the river itself, which we see briefly early in the film. Another good moment is hearing the history behind the Charles Bridge and what it must have been like when it was built. James A. FitzPatrick's narration is right on the mark as usual.

There is no way to watch this and not think about the tragedy that was about to be played out as other nations arranged to dismember the 19 year old country and then went on to wage a second world war.

This gives a helpful introduction to the history of the region, and an appreciation of Prague's own roots, with landmarks dating to the 14th century including an impressive Jewish clock which had Hebrew symbols and ran the opposite way and a Christian clock with imaginative moving parts. One has to wonder what the Nazis did when they saw the Jewish clock. Was that shown purposefully in juxtaposition with the Christian clock because of Hitler's anti-Semitism or simply because both were unusual? "What does it profiteth a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?" That line means something additional to us in regard to 1938 than was perhaps intended as a comment on WWI.

We saw a small portion of the Czech army and know their work was hopeless after Hitler got what he wanted including the border fortifications and the advantages of terrain and raw materials in the Sudetenland. The national parade was pointed out as totally nonmilitary, with guns supplanted by feet that dance. It represented the principles of liberty, fraternity, and equality, and the hopes for the future of Czechoslovakia.

This film was beautiful and gave a hint of what might have happened if Hitler had not come onto the world scene. We know what they went through during the Soviet occupation. We know that the Czechs and Slovaks eventually decided on an amicable divorce. It is impossible to watch this with any sort of historical insight at all and not feel how utterly delusional many people were on the eve of catastrophe, willing themselves to believe the sequel of WWI was not about to come to a movie theater near them, not to mention a home near them. The only positive aspect I could feel while watching the festivities was that they at least had a moment of happiness, color, fun, because it was going to be a REALLY long time until it happened again.

I found this film to be deeply disturbing and foreboding. I highly recommend it.

Traveltalks goes to Czechoslovakia. This is released just months before the Nazi invasion and abandonment by the West. It is literally the calm before the storm as WWII looms over the horizon. It is Prague at peace. One does wonder if any of these people suspect their impending doom. Do the soldiers on parade know? The Hebrew letters on the clock are poignant and sadly foreboding. Did they deliberately include more Jewish content? This episode is dripping with foreshadowing of the unseen threat. There is a lot of suggesting in this episode. It's a compelling time capsule of a historically important moment and place.