Tomas Hodan’s FILM ADVENTURER KAREL ZEMAN is a doc worthy of its subject. Not only fascinating but incredibly charming too — and not just because the film clips themselves are delightful. But enlisting a class of film students to attempt to duplicate Zeman’s tricks, the movie allows us to vicariously enjoy the joy of teamwork and creation and seeing behind the illusion, which does not dispel (or dis-spell) the joy in the magic.
Why was it all so moving? Maybe because it shows us people gathering in the dark to enjoy something they’ve made, which is also a tribute to someone who’s not there.
