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About the Famous Wandering Pterodactyl and Its Return to Its Native Nest

Jan 15th 2010 | The film studios in Zlín have come up with a new story. In a variation on the “Zeman” themes being revived this year due to the hundredth anniversary of his birth, a puppet in the likeness of a pterodactyl will be playing a major role.

 

Our story starts in 1955 when the then forty-five-year-old artist, director and animator Karel Zeman was shooting his famous film Journey to the Beginning of Time. It was at this time that the filmmaker - already renowned and having several valuable trophies under his belt from international film festivals - was making a puppet pterodactyl with his colleagues, along with many other prehistoric creatures. Compared to the real pterodactyls that lived on Earth 65 million years ago, Zeman's is very small. While the extinct pterodactyls had a wingspan from 50 cm to 2.5 m, the puppet used by filmmakers in Journey to the Beginning of Time has a wingspan of scarcely 30 centimetres. Even thus, the lifelike pterodactyl earns the words "good job" in this legendary film.

As the '50s turn into the '60s Zeman is in prime form. After Journey to the Beginning of Time, which overwhelmed the world and triumphed at the festival in Venice, two more knockout films come along - The Fabulous World of Jules Verne in 1958 and The Fabulous Baron Munchausen about three years later. The former conquered the Expo 58 in Brussels, the latter won at Cannes. Karel Zeman shoots another film, The Stolen Airship, in 1966 and is already known as a world-famous filmmaker. One of the child roles was played by Michael W. Pospíšil, who was just eleven years old at that time. In order to make Michael's long waits between shootings of the individual scenes bearable, director Zeman gave him his pterodactyl from Journey to the Beginning of Time to play with. Thanks to this and many other child roles, the world of film captivated Michael so much that he even ended up graduating from FAMU (The Academy of Film and Television) in Prague. During that period his father Ladislav looked after the pterodactyl puppet. As an adult Michael W. Pospíšil lived in France for many years. Today he is the general director of the Czech Centres, which help spread Czech culture within 21 countries on three continents.

Around 1986 Mr. Pospíšil gave the pterodactyl to the son of his friend and neighbour, the then fifteen-year-old Petr Štemberk. This young man also let the film world take him captive and he also later graduated from FAMU, after, of course, storing the flying dinosaur in a box along with other film artefacts in a dry, well-ventilated place. From that time, nobody (aside from Petr Štemberk) saw it and nothing indicated that the future would change that.

But at the start 2009 it began to be obvious that the 100^th anniversary of Karel Zeman's birth in 2010 was attracting extraordinary attention from moviegoers, Zeman's fans and the media. Film Festival Zlín, for example, which is operating in Zeman's home film studios in Zlin, stated back in February of 2009 at the 59^th Berlinale its intention to dedicate its huge 50^th anniversary to Czechoslovak film with an emphasis on the works of Karel Zeman. The truth of the words of Zlín's festival organizers were confirmed in the summer of that year when they prepared a photography exhibition called Film Magician Karel Zeman and sent it off to New York City, the first stop on the exhibition's world tour.

After the December opening of the exhibition in Prague, Petr Štemberk contacted the head of Zlín's Film Studios, Zdeněk Skaunic, with a generous offer; that the pterodactyl puppet might adorn the 50^th annual festival in Zlín. The meeting of both men took place on Thursday, January 14. There the pterodactyl was handed over and its older caretaker, Petr Štemberk, was invited to the festival in Zlín.

At this moment the pterodactyl is already in its native nest at Zlín's film studios. Even though he has not yet commented on his return, it is plain to see that he is happy. After taking 44 years to return home, it touches the heart of even a pterodactyl, who certainly is no wimp!

 

And in closing we offer a list of the figures taking part in this true story: Karel Zeman would be 100 years old this year, the Zlín film festival is facing its 50^th anniversary, 55 years have passed since the shooting of Journey to the Beginning of Time, Michael W. Pospíšil is celebrating his 55^th birthday on February 15. This same round anniversary awaits the "healthy" and fit pterodactyl, given the nice name of Kája by the members of Zlín's film festival staff. You will be informed of his further adventures through our website, Facebook and our associated communications resources.

 

Author: Martin Pášma