Muriel a andělé
Encyclopedia
Muriel a andělé is a comic album written by Miloš Macourek
and drawn by Kája Saudek
, originally created in the late 1960s and published in 1991. The album is considered one of the masterworks of Czech comics
; it was voted the best Czech comic in a poll held by the newspaper Mladá fronta DNES
in 2009. Muriel and Angels tells the story of a young physician Muriel Ray and her friend Ro, a winged angel
who came to Earth from a distant future. The main character was inspired by the Czech film star Olga Schoberová
, and the main antagonist
, militant general Ian Xeron, was inspired by Saudek's twin brother, photographer Jan Saudek
.
's ironmongery. Their artistic collaboration began in 1966, and was initially focused on film. Saudek created special effects for the film Kdo chce zabít Jessii? (Who Wants to Kill Jessie?); Macourek was a co-author of the screenplay. Following that, both artists decided to work also in the comics genre. The cycle about the adventures of a beautiful doctor Muriel was intended to have twelve parts; however, only two parts have been created.
The cycle was initially inspired by the French comic Barbarella, later adapted to a film
by Roger Vadim
. The main characters of the French and Czech albums are similar—a winged man and a beautiful young woman.
The publishing of the first part of the cycle was announced in 1969 in the magazine Mladý svět
, however, the tightened communist censorship
following the Prague Spring
considered the story potentially dangerous and banned its publishing. Muriel and Angels was eventually published in 1991, following the fall
of the Czechoslovak communist régime.
Muriel and Angels is considered one of Saudek's master works. It was inspired by "visual psychedelia" of the hippie culture of the 1960s, but additionally uses some elements of futurism
and symbolism
. Another characteristic feature of the book is Saudek's processing of the sequences of pictures, similar to film editing
. The formatting of individual pages is unusual, given the time of the creation of the book. It makes use of bevelled frames, enabling innovative work with the space and perspective
.
. The boy's name is Mike Richardson.
Miloš Macourek
Miloš Macourek was a Czech poet, playwright, author and screenwriter.- Biography :During his career, Macourek worked in various professions. From 1953 to 1960, he was a teacher of the art history; later he worked as a dramaturgist at the Barrandov Film Studios...
and drawn by Kája Saudek
Kája Saudek
Kája Saudek is a Czech comics illustrator. He is one of the most important exponents of the Czech comics since the late 1960s. He is the twin brother of the photographer and painter Jan Saudek.- Biography :...
, originally created in the late 1960s and published in 1991. The album is considered one of the masterworks of Czech comics
Czech comics
- History :The beginnings of the comics genre in the Czechoslovakia are connected with the popular magazine Mladý hlasatel , published in the 1930s. In 1938, the magazine began publishing a popular comic series Rychlé šípy, written by Jaroslav Foglar and drawn by Jan Fischer...
; it was voted the best Czech comic in a poll held by the newspaper Mladá fronta DNES
Mladá fronta DNES
Mladá fronta Dnes, also known as MF DNES or simply Dnes , is the second most sold daily newspaper in the Czech Republic. Its name could be translated into English as Youth Front Today...
in 2009. Muriel and Angels tells the story of a young physician Muriel Ray and her friend Ro, a winged angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
who came to Earth from a distant future. The main character was inspired by the Czech film star Olga Schoberová
Olga Schoberová
Olga Schoberová or Olinka Bérová born March 15, 1943 in Prague, Czech Republic , Czech-American actress, was often compared with Brigitte Bardot and Ursula Andress. She acted in 22 Czech, German, Italian and American movies. Olga was married to Brad Harris on 16 November 1967 and divorced in 1969...
, and the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, militant general Ian Xeron, was inspired by Saudek's twin brother, photographer Jan Saudek
Jan Saudek
Jan Saudek is a Czech art photographer.- Life :Saudek's father was a Jew and the family was therefore persecuted by Germans. Many of his family members died in the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II. Jan and his brother Karel were held in a children's concentration camp located...
.
Background
Kája Saudek met Macourek in 1960, through Olga Schoberová, a young shopgirl in a PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
's ironmongery. Their artistic collaboration began in 1966, and was initially focused on film. Saudek created special effects for the film Kdo chce zabít Jessii? (Who Wants to Kill Jessie?); Macourek was a co-author of the screenplay. Following that, both artists decided to work also in the comics genre. The cycle about the adventures of a beautiful doctor Muriel was intended to have twelve parts; however, only two parts have been created.
The cycle was initially inspired by the French comic Barbarella, later adapted to a film
Barbarella (film)
Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
by Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim was a French screenwriter, director, and producer as well as a journalist, author and actor, who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman.-Early life:...
. The main characters of the French and Czech albums are similar—a winged man and a beautiful young woman.
The publishing of the first part of the cycle was announced in 1969 in the magazine Mladý svět
Mladý Svet
Mladý Svět was a magazine published in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. It contained editorials, comics and other works...
, however, the tightened communist censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
following the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
considered the story potentially dangerous and banned its publishing. Muriel and Angels was eventually published in 1991, following the fall
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
of the Czechoslovak communist régime.
Muriel and Angels is considered one of Saudek's master works. It was inspired by "visual psychedelia" of the hippie culture of the 1960s, but additionally uses some elements of futurism
Futurism
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century.Futurism or futurist may refer to:* Afrofuturism, an African-American and African diaspora subculture* Cubo-Futurism* Ego-Futurism...
and symbolism
Symbolism (arts)
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
. Another characteristic feature of the book is Saudek's processing of the sequences of pictures, similar to film editing
Film editing
Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...
. The formatting of individual pages is unusual, given the time of the creation of the book. It makes use of bevelled frames, enabling innovative work with the space and perspective
Perspective (graphical)
Perspective in the graphic arts, such as drawing, is an approximate representation, on a flat surface , of an image as it is seen by the eye...
.
Plot
At the beginning of the story, Muriel saves the life of the angel Ro. Ro enables her to visit the world of distant future, full of young and beautiful winged people, who live in peace and love, without wars and armies. Maniacal general Xeron manages to travel with them, but he doesn't like the optimistic and peaceful vision of future and attempts to prevent it. Muriel and Ro seek to protect a young boy, who is the future inventor of immortalityImmortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. The boy's name is Mike Richardson.