Jan Werich: When Once a Man Is - DVD

Once you're down, once you're up - a documentary portrait of an acting legend

Jan Werich - the master of metaphors - remained throughout the whole time in the position of a wise clown for the nation, a folk philosopher fighting human stupidity, which - as he said - cannot be defeated, but we must never stop fighting against it.

A colourful documentary about the great life story of the king of clever humour. The trials, tribulations and triumphs of Jan Werich captured in unique film footage.

The life and work of Jan Werich is accompanied by Jiří Suchý, Zdenek Svěrák, Jiřina Bohdalová, Vladimir Just, Pavel Taussig, Werich's granddaughter Fanča and a friend of Werich's daughter Eva Tůmová.

The last-minute escape from Czechoslovakia before the rise of fascism or the second emigration in 1968 are among the dramatic moments of Werich's life. With Voskovec, he became the "inventor of the proscenium" and a successful theatre artist. However, the documentary also focuses on lesser-known circumstances, from the behind-the-scenes filming of The Emperor's Baker, the collaboration with Miroslav Horníček, the film's production, including his performance alongside A. Quinn, or the Bond movie You Only Live Twice.

Bonuses:
• A film about the film
• Short videos
• Photo gallery