“Some Like it Czech” to Screen the Movie Adaptation of Czech Bestseller “Saturnin”

When the organisers of the prestigious Magnesia Litera prize announced the competition for the Book of the Century, the expert jury chose Jaroslav Hašek’s novel The Good Soldier Švejk but the public voted for Jirotka’s Saturnin.

This bestseller is a humorous novel about a servant named Saturnin, who becomes the master of his master. It mixes Czech humour with an English style, as Jirotka was inspired by P. G. Wodehouse and Jerome K. Jerome.

Thanks to the Some Like it Czech project, you can now czexperience a wonderful soirée radiating with the elegance of the First Republic and brimming over with Czech proverbs. The movie of the same name as the book – Saturnin – is going to be screened  with English subtitles on the 12th of April at cinema Aero.

“Jiří Věrčák’s film adaptation Saturnin (watch the trailer) holds a precious spot in Czech society, as it is a dear reminder of past times and humorous yet beautiful moments that are worth living for,” says the co-founder of Some like it Czech project Šárka Bekrová. The narrator (unnamed in the novel, named Jiří Oulický for the purposes of the film) is a thirty-year-old single man who, at first, is a bit dry and shy, content with his quiet life.

However, he allows himself to be manipulated by Saturnin into absurd situations. Saturnin becomes the de facto master of his employer and causes a series of surprising twists and situations in his hitherto peaceful life. These situations would have been difficult to manage without Saturnin, not least because they would probably never have occurred without him. 

The movie features many Czech idioms thanks to the character of Jiří’s grotesque aunt Kateřina, who cannot express herself without using notorious proverbs. If you want to impress your Czech friends,  this is a great opportunity to catch a new phrase and shine. Although the movie is probably set in 1942, it still embodies the beautiful spirit of the First Republic era, with authentic costumes, Prague’s nooks and crannies, and contemporary villas with architectural value.

The main protagonist of the film, Jiří, is played by an actor who doesn’t seem to belong to our time. Ondřej Havelka is a gentleman, actor and singer who seems to embody the energetic spirit of the 1930s. He’s also a principal member of the Czech orchestra called Ondřej Havelka and his Melody Makers. It is a band playing jazz and swing from the 1920s, 30s and early 40s. 

And if you still don’t know about the project Some like it Czech, our goal is to simply introduce Czech culture to all the foreigners who just happen to be living in the Czech Republic or are just passing by. Besides the movie itself, you can look forward to a cheeky little drinking game, a short movie introduction by Pavlína Rampová, a woman of action who loves the book and has a secret crush on Saturnin, and networking after the screening. You can chat with other expats, foreign exchange students, or Czech film enthusiasts who regularly attend the screening series, or chat directly with the founders of the project.

Some like it Czech project screens Saturnin on the 12th of April at 20:15 in the cult cinema that is at the heart of Žižkov, called Aero (buy your ticket). Saturnin is often considered to have a high society sense of humour, so you may encounter a higher incidence of waxed moustaches, corduroy clothes, and people who prefer filter coffee.

So just don’t say we didn’t warn you!