Miloš was almost thirty and he hasn´t started filming yet,He came up to conclusion,that he hangs up around movie long enough to realize what a mistake is it that he doesn´t master basics of film trade.At that time he had many screenplay writings under his belt, many directors assistances, he helped with casting but NEVER hold camera in his hand. Never glued two pictures of film together.He decided he will patch up these empty spaces by himself. He withdrew his savings from bank and bought EastGerman camera.At that time he knew that filming is a team work. „Director shows and explains his story via many inbetweeners.His relationship with cameraman, editor, composer and many others is essential.Director, specially the young one, should be able to show his autority and leadership by knowing his trade and also he must be able to accept ides from his compatriots“. The fact that film maker must love his job shows following recollections of filming the movie „Konkurs.“ „I don´t know how that happened but everybody fell in love with „ Konkurs“.Professionals from Barrandov were working overtime for free since our budget was tight.Editor Míla Hájek locked himself in the lab and worked day and night, he even slept there.His task was simply mad, but he managed that.We filmed picture at the camera and separately recorded sound at the tape recorder, there was no synchron.We gave him piles on unmarked filmmaterial and another pile of tapes and he put it together nicely“. To get out the authentic performance from non professional actors is no mean feat.Miloš Forman had special way how to gain it.About the way how it worked during shooting the film „ Černý Petr“ Miloš says: „I never showed them the screenplay.I learnt their parts by heart and showed them what I want them to play.I had to be sure they know what is on about and how do they approach it.We never rehearsed and made it at first take.Our amateur actors always remembered small bit of their dialogue which I showed them and the rest they made themselves.When it clicked they were just themselves, it was spot on. Sometimes director finds out that what he filmed is not exactly what he wanted to make and there is something missing.Time is running out, money are gone, improvisation is name of the game.Here are some recollections from shooting of „Černý Petr“ movie. „We left the most difficult part at the end of whole filming.We had to shoot long sequence in dancing hall but didn´t have enough money to hire people.It was summer so we decided to rent a stadium with a band in Kolín for one Saturday evening and put a note“ Free entrance“ at the gate.Within 4 hours we had to film 7 minute´s sequence, we couldn´t repeat anything, it had to be take one all the time.“ To write a good screeplay for film is very hard work.Sometimes you need a luck or be at right place at the right time.It shows in another recollections about how screenplay for film „ Hoří má panenko“ was made. „We started to write a screenplay about soldier who was AWOL and is hiding in cellar of Lucerna.We couldn´t move any further, we didn´t find anything interesting and were quite cheesed off and frustrated.So we decided to chill out and went to the dancing ball of local fire brigade.They put a Miss Beauty contest for their daughters.They also had a raffle as well and were arguing about that.We couldn´t believe what we have seen.Whole next week we didn´t talk and think about anything else.On Monday we enriched our thoughts and ideas and on Tuesday we started to write a screenplay.That movie wrote itself. Within 6 weeks we finished first version of the movie“. Miloš Forman always wanted to be immediate and authentic..One can reach it different ways.One of them is described here from shooting a movie „ Take off“. „I wanted to have the most immediate film possible. In striptease poker scene at the end of the movie I didn´t want actors know whose turn is next.So I put together cards in order I wanted them to be and they played it really naturally“. All filmmakers say that to make a good movie you have to have a good screenplay and good story.Miloš is of same opinion. „Writing screenplay comes from few basic principles.I am convinced, that every word in the movie must have psychological truth.Everything what is seen and heard on the screen must be humanly convincing.All cheap tricks and made up structure are thin and spectator will see through them soon.Truth itself isn´t enough.If you serve truth in big doses, it soon start to bore.Spectator must be surprised all the time.Good screenplay is playing up with spectator“.

Important part of the movie are of course actors.Each director has different ways how to find that very actor for that very role.Mr.Forman uses this one…. “During first session with actor I try to find out the chemistry and what feelings do I have from him.This is very important since it signals how spectators will accept the character.Then comes interview when we talk for about 5-10 minutes and I try to find the ways of actors talking, his character and way of thinking. If I feel that an actor has structure of character I have in the movie, I invite him again and we read the text.I always read with actor, play small boys or grandmothers, bridesmaids or massmurders, I like to confront myself with actor´s personality and feel his creativity and inteligence.Since I don´t want actor has feeling that I am distant onlooker, I jump at the same boat with him“. What are the director´s feelings when he finishes the movie he was working at for years? Miloš replies himself: „When one comes to the end of shooting, he is gets strange kind of feelings.One moment I feel I have made the best movie ever, within blink of an eye all is changed at editors table into boredom and stupidity that I think about suicide“. All is finished, done and film is nominated for Academy Award.What is it like to be there on film Olymp and hear own name as the winner?Here are the recollection on „ One flew over the cuckoo nest“ ceremony. „Then the heaven opened with happiness for us.Bo and Larry got Oscar for the best screenplay,Louise Fletcher won it in main actress category and Jack Nicholson won the actor´s category.We were cheering and aplauding them like mad.When I heard my name I was completally grogy.I went on stage, took that small trophy to my hands and said learnt speach.It was all blurred into mad goulash of feelings and experience.The whole hall was applauding me and I was standing there infront of hunder million viewers.I reached the top of my profession“.

Miloš Forman was born on 18.2.1932 in Čáslav.He lost both of his parents during WWII when they were arrested by Gestapo and never returned home.Miloš was bred and educated by relatives and became kind of self made man.He attended secondary school in Poděbrady from which he was ejected after a juvenile prank.He passed leaving exams in Prague and was accepted onto Film academy/FAMU/He became one of the members of so called „Czech new wave“ along with Ivan Passer,Jaromil Jireš, Hynek Bočan, Pavel Juráček,Věra Chytilová, Jan Němec, Evald Schorm and Jiří Menzel.Already as a teenager he said to himself „ I don´t care where but I have to be number one in something“. During more liberal 60´s he started his apprenticeship in Barrandov as screenwriter and then director´s assistant.He was always gutsy and original.After 1968 he travelled to USA and stayed there for good.He already had successfull films like“ Konkurs, Černý Petr, Lásky jedné plavovlásky or Hoří má panenko“, under his belt and they helped to open doors for him.His first American film was „ Take off“ and then documentary called „ Viděno osmi“ In 1975 he filmed book of Ken Kesey and under the title of „ One flew over the cuckoo nest“ it won Academy award in many categories.Then came other films like „ Hair, Ragtime or Amadeus for which he got 8 Academy awards.Forman became iconic film maker who could pick up actors and screenplays at his own will and choise.His loyal cameraman was Miroslav Ondříček and their films are always longer then 120 mins.Five years after „ Amadeus“ came „Valmont“ followed by „People versus Larry Flint.In this and also in following movie“ Man on the Moon“ he used parts of music composed by Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana.Miloš Forman truly belongs to legends of silver screen.

Photo: milosforman.com, wikipedia.com