Oldřich Nový
Encyclopedia
Oldřich Nový was a Czech
film and theatre actor, director
, composer
, dramaturg and singer. He is considered one of the greatest actors of the Czech cinema in the first half of the 20th century.
in Prague. In 1916 Nový became involved with the amateur theatre group "Řemeslnická beseda" and he also appeared in the popular cabaret "U labutě". A year later he performed in the "Varieté" in Karlín
. In 1918 he was engaged in Ostrava
and in 1919 he moved to Brno
where he became the director of the operetta ensemble of the National Theatre
. Nový remained in Brno for more than fifteen years and came back to Prague in 1935.
In 1935 he co-founded the "Nové divadlo" (The New Theatre) together with his wife Alice Valentová-Nová (née Alice Wienerová-Mahlerová). There he attempted to develop the "musical comedy" genre and to combine spoken word with traditional operetta style into a new and modern expression. His theatre was characterized as an "operetta for cultured people" (Eduard Bass
). However, the first success only came after his film performances.
During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia
Oldřich Nový became a target for the fascist press and was persecuted by Nazis. His wife was of Jewish origin and Nový refused to divorce her. As a consequence they were both imprisoned in the German concentration camp in Osterode
in 1944.
In the second half of the 1940s the Czechoslovak theatres were nationalized and Nový "donated" his scene to the newly formed communist state. Operetta and the "musical comedy" were considered a bourgeois anachronism in that time and the communist régime banned also the film productions which weren't in compliance with the socialist realism
. Following that he was deputed to lead the "Divadlo Umění lidu" in Prague-Karlín, together with Jan Werich
. From 1950 to 1955 he has worked as a dramaturg of the "Czechoslovak film" and later was engaged as a director of the State Theatre in Karlín (1955-1960). In Karlín he finally managed to stage the classical operetta repertoire (Polish Blood, Orpheus in the Underworld
, Die Fledermaus
, Mamzelle Nitouche and Rose-Marie
).
In the 1960s Nový also appeared on Czechoslovak television, where he performed in the popular TV series "Taková normální rodinka" (1967-1971). His last theatre role was a title character of the play "Hodinový hoteliér" by Pavel Landovský
, directed by Evald Schorm
.
In his later years Nový almost never left his flat, in order to avoid his fans and publicity.
and Otakar Vávra. In 1937 he met with renowned pre-war director Mac Frič
. The two began their collaboration the same year, but their first success came in 1939, with the comedy Kristián
. Nový appeared in the title role together with Adina Mandlová
and Nataša Gollová
. Kristián was a very successful film and Nový suddenly became a movie star in Czechoslovakia. In the next crazy comedy - Eva tropí hlouposti - Nový appeared together with Gollová. In both films, Nový portrayed two characters in one. In 1939 he acted together with Lída Baarová
in the comedy Dívka v modrém
.
Following World War II
Nový starred in Parohy, directed by Alfréd Radok
. In 1949 Mac Frič made a brilliant parody of pre-war kitsch
films - Pytlákova schovanka aneb Šlechetný milionář
. Nový appeared as millionaire René Skalský.
In the 1950s Nový also conformed with the new régime and occasionally appeared in the comedies influenced by socialist realism, such as Slovo dělá ženu (1952) and Hudba z Marsu (1955). These films are considered rather marginal in his filmography.
Songs
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
film and theatre actor, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, composer
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
, dramaturg and singer. He is considered one of the greatest actors of the Czech cinema in the first half of the 20th century.
Biography
His father Antonín Nový, a member of the Prague Fire Brigade, wanted him to become a typographer, but Oldřich showed passion for theatre from a young age. He was supported by his uncle Miloš Nový, a well-known actor of the National TheatreNational Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
in Prague. In 1916 Nový became involved with the amateur theatre group "Řemeslnická beseda" and he also appeared in the popular cabaret "U labutě". A year later he performed in the "Varieté" in Karlín
Karlín
Karlín is a cadastral area of Prague, part of Prague 8 municipal district, former independent town . It is bordered by the river Vltava and Holešovice to the north, Vítkov hill and Žižkov to the south, New Town to the west and Libeň to the east.-History:The building of the Karlín district began in...
. In 1918 he was engaged in Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
and in 1919 he moved to Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
where he became the director of the operetta ensemble of the National Theatre
National Theatre (Brno)
The National Theatre in Brno is the major theatre house in Brno. It was established in 1884 by model of the National Theatre in Prague.Nowadays it consists of three stages:...
. Nový remained in Brno for more than fifteen years and came back to Prague in 1935.
In 1935 he co-founded the "Nové divadlo" (The New Theatre) together with his wife Alice Valentová-Nová (née Alice Wienerová-Mahlerová). There he attempted to develop the "musical comedy" genre and to combine spoken word with traditional operetta style into a new and modern expression. His theatre was characterized as an "operetta for cultured people" (Eduard Bass
Eduard Bass
Eduard Bass, born Eduard Schmidt, was a Czech prose writer, journalist, singer, and actor.From 1910 he worked as a singer, journalist and cabaret director...
). However, the first success only came after his film performances.
During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
Oldřich Nový became a target for the fascist press and was persecuted by Nazis. His wife was of Jewish origin and Nový refused to divorce her. As a consequence they were both imprisoned in the German concentration camp in Osterode
Osterode
The placename Osterode can refer to:* Osterode in Germany* Osterode am Harz in Germany* Ostróda in Poland * a district of the climatic spa Neustadt/Harz, Germany...
in 1944.
In the second half of the 1940s the Czechoslovak theatres were nationalized and Nový "donated" his scene to the newly formed communist state. Operetta and the "musical comedy" were considered a bourgeois anachronism in that time and the communist régime banned also the film productions which weren't in compliance with the socialist realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
. Following that he was deputed to lead the "Divadlo Umění lidu" in Prague-Karlín, together with Jan Werich
Jan Werich
Jan Werich was a Czech actor, playwright and writer.-Life:Between 1916 to 1924 he attended "reálné gymnasium" in Křemencová Street in Prague...
. From 1950 to 1955 he has worked as a dramaturg of the "Czechoslovak film" and later was engaged as a director of the State Theatre in Karlín (1955-1960). In Karlín he finally managed to stage the classical operetta repertoire (Polish Blood, Orpheus in the Underworld
Orpheus in the Underworld
Orphée aux enfers is an opéra bouffon , or opéra féerie in its revised version, by Jacques Offenbach. The French text was written by Ludovic Halévy and later revised by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux....
, Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
, Mamzelle Nitouche and Rose-Marie
Rose-Marie
Rose-Marie is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story takes place in the Canadian Rockies and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a French Canadian girl who loves miner Jim Kenyon...
).
In the 1960s Nový also appeared on Czechoslovak television, where he performed in the popular TV series "Taková normální rodinka" (1967-1971). His last theatre role was a title character of the play "Hodinový hoteliér" by Pavel Landovský
Pavel Landovský
Pavel Landovský is a Czech actor, playwright and director.Landovský studied at the Faculty of Theatre in Prague and then played in regional theaters in Teplice, Šumperk, Klatovy and Pardubice. He wrote his first play Hodinový hoteliér premiered at the Činoherní theater on 11 May 1969.In 1971 he...
, directed by Evald Schorm
Evald Schorm
Evald Schorm was a Czech film and stage director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 26 films between 1959 and 1988. Schorm was a notable exponent of the Czech Film New Wave.-Biography:...
.
In his later years Nový almost never left his flat, in order to avoid his fans and publicity.
Film career
Oldřich Nový first appeared in the film Neznámá kráska in 1922. However, he began to perform in films more regularly only in the second half of the 1930s, following his return from Brno. At first he acted in somewhat trivial comedies, and his first promising performance was the small role of a reticent valet in the film adaptation of the play Velbloud uchem jehly by Hugo HaasHugo Haas
Hugo Haas was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in over 60 films between 1926 and 1962, as well as directing 20 films between 1933 and 1962....
and Otakar Vávra. In 1937 he met with renowned pre-war director Mac Frič
Martin Fric
Martin Frič was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He had over 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films.-Filmography:* Páter Vojtěch...
. The two began their collaboration the same year, but their first success came in 1939, with the comedy Kristián
Kristián (film)
Christian is a Czech comedy film directed by Martin Frič. It was released in 1939.-Cast:* Oldrich Nový as Alois Novák alias Kristián* Natasa Gollová as Marenka Nováková* Raoul Schránil as Fred* Bedrich Veverka as Petr...
. Nový appeared in the title role together with Adina Mandlová
Adina Mandlová
Adina Mandlová was a Czech actress, sex-symbol of the 1930s and European movie star....
and Nataša Gollová
Nataša Gollová
Nataša Gollová was a Czechoslovak film actress. She appeared in 55 films and television shows between 1930 and 1984.-Selected filmography:* Christian * Eva tropí hlouposti...
. Kristián was a very successful film and Nový suddenly became a movie star in Czechoslovakia. In the next crazy comedy - Eva tropí hlouposti - Nový appeared together with Gollová. In both films, Nový portrayed two characters in one. In 1939 he acted together with Lída Baarová
Lída Baarová
Lída Baarová was a Czech actress and mistress of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister.-Biography:...
in the comedy Dívka v modrém
Dívka v modrém
Dívka v modrém is a 1940 Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Otakar Vávra.-Cast:* Lída Baarová - Komtesa Blanka z Blankenburgu* Oldrich Nový - Jan Karas, notár v Lucine* Ruzena Slemrová - Smrcinská* Sylva Langova - Slávinka...
.
Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Nový starred in Parohy, directed by Alfréd Radok
Alfréd Radok
Alfréd Radok was a distinguished Czech stage director.He worked as the stage director of the National Theatre in Prague in the years 1948 to 1949 and 1966 to 1968. Radok's work belongs to the top of the Czech stage direction of the 20th century...
. In 1949 Mac Frič made a brilliant parody of pre-war kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
films - Pytlákova schovanka aneb Šlechetný milionář
Pytlákova schovanka
The Poacher's Foster Daughter or Noble Millionaire is a Czech comedy film directed by Martin Frič. It was released in 1949.-Cast:* Hana Vítová* Oldrich Nový as René Skalský - millionaire* Ella Nollová* Otomar Korbelář* Theodor Pištěk* Zdeněk Dítě...
. Nový appeared as millionaire René Skalský.
In the 1950s Nový also conformed with the new régime and occasionally appeared in the comedies influenced by socialist realism, such as Slovo dělá ženu (1952) and Hudba z Marsu (1955). These films are considered rather marginal in his filmography.
Filmography
- Taková normální rodinka (1971) - as Jan Koníček
- Muž, který rozdával smích (1970)
- Světáci (Men about Town) (1969) - Professor
- Fantom MorrisvilluThe Phantom of MorrisvilleThe Phantom of Morrisville is a Czech comedy film directed by Borivoj Zeman. It was released in 1966.-Cast:* Oldrich Nový - Drummer Emil / Sir Hannibal Morris* Kveta Fialová - Lady Clarence Hamilton - Hanibal's fiancee...
(The Phantom of Morrisville) (1966) - Drummer Emil/Sir Hannibal Morris - Alibi na vodě (1965) - Photographer
- Káťa a krokodýl (Kathy and Crocodile) (1965) - Man with umbrella
- Dva z onoho světa (1962) - Pavel Fort/Petr Ford
- Bílá sponaBílá spona-Cast:* Čestmír Řanda as Capt. Chládek* Jarmila Smejkalová as Horáková* Jan Pohan as Lt. Janda* Milan Holubár as Lt. Burda* Václav Tomsovský as Pavel* Ludmila Bednárová as Lída* Radoslav Brzobohatý as Nekola* Lubomír Kostelka as Wiesner...
(1960) - Horák - Kde alibi nestačí (1960) - Hotel director Kraus
- O věcech nadpřirozených (1958)
- Nechte to na mněLeave It to Me (1955 film)-Cast:* Oldrich Nový as Patocka* Theodor Pištěk as Rokos* Frantisek Kreuzmann as Kalousek* Vladimír Repa as Pinc* Bela Jurdová as Anci* Zdenka Baldová* Vladimír Klemens* Cestmír Studna...
(Leave It to Me) (1955) - Patočka - Hudba z Marsu (Music from Mars) (1955) - Composer Jiří Karas
- Slovo dělá ženu (1952) - Ludvík Zach
- Pytlákova schovanka (The Poacher's Ward) (1949) - René Skalský
- Parohy (The Antlers) (1947) - Viktorin
- Jenom krok (Only a Step) (1945)
- Paklíč (1944) - Gabriel Anděl
- Sobota (de:Samstag ist kein Alltag) (1944) - Richard Herbert
- Valentin DobrotivýValentin the Good-Cast:* Lilly Hodácová as Julie Kahounová* Oldrich Nový as Valentin Plavec* Hana Vítová as Helena Bártová* Theodor Pištěk as Kudrna, Valentinuv stryc* Mila Spazierova-Hezka as Zpevacka v Sakure* Zdenka Baldová as Maruska Kudrnová* Eman Fiala as Eman Voborník...
(Valentin the Good) (1942) - Valentin Plavec - Hotel Modrá hvězdaThe Blue Star HotelThe Blue Star Hotel is a Czech comedy film directed by Martin Frič. It was released in 1941.-Cast:* Natasa Gollová - Zuzana - heritor* Oldrich Nový - Vladimír Rychta Rohan* Adina Mandlová - Milada Landová...
(The Blue Star Hotel) (1941) - Vladimír Rychta Rohan - Roztomilý člověk (A Charming Man) (1941) - Viktor Bláha
- Turbína (1941)
- Když Burian prášil / Baron Prášil (Baron Munchhausen) (1940) - Arnošt Benda
- Dívka v modrém (1940) - Notary Jan Karas
- Život je krásný (Life Is Beautiful) (1940) - Writer Jan Herold
- Přítelkyně pana ministra (The Minister's Girlfriends) (1940) - Jan Hrubý
- Dědečkem proti své vůli (The Reluctant Grandfather) (1939) - Richard Osten
- Eva tropí hloupostiEva tropí hloupostiEva tropí hlouposti is a Czech comedy film directed by Martin Frič. It was released in 1939.-Plot:Eva Norová goes to visit her aunt Pa for her 60th birthday. Pa's wish is to learn how to grow the kind of roses that her neighbour, manufacturer Záhorský , has cultivated...
(1939) - Michal Norr - Kristián (Christian) (1939) - Alois Novák alias Kristián
- Třetí zvonění (The Third Ringing) (1938) - Dr Jan Hudec
- Advokátka VěraLawyer Vera-Cast:* Truda Grosslichtová as JUDr. Vera Donátová* Ruzena Slemrová as Ruzena Donátová* Theodor Pištěk as Jindrich Donát* Oldrich Nový as Petr 'Tygr' Kucera* Bedrich Veverka as Eman Pálený* Ladislav H. Struna as Dlouhý Gusta* Rudolf Deyl as Consul Raboch...
(Lawyer Vera) (1937) - Petr 'Tygr' Kučera - Důvod k rozvodu (Grounds for Divorce) (1937) - Pavel Bertl
- Falešná kočička (The False Pussycat) (1937) - MUDr Vladimír Přelouč
- Na tý louce zelený (1936)
- Rozkošný příběh (Delightful Story) (1936) - Jaroslav Nerad
- Uličnice (Minx) (1936) - Antonio Morreti alias Josef Hřebík
- Velbloud uchem jehly (Camel Through the Eye of a Needle) (1936) - Valet Alfons
- Rozpustilá noc (1934) - Monokl Fredy
- Neznámá kráska (The Mysterious Beauty) (1922) - Petr Stamati
Songs
- Kombiné něžné [CD]