Magic Lantern
Writer Michael Frayn has long been fascinated with eastern europe, and to celebrate his
60th birthday in September he visited Prague to make an Omnibus film on one of the world's most beautiful cities.
It is, as he reveals, a city of contrasts and ironies. In the shadows of its marvellous architecture, for example, lies a network of covered passages and secret underworld paths. It has a Protestant history, yet is a showcase of Catholic art. During the war, the Allies defended
Warsaw, which was destroyed, but ignored Prague, which thus survived. And, most recently, it remained largely unchanged because it was run by Communists dedicated to reforming the world.
Frayn explores the city's theatrical tradition, in particular the tiny showcases for illusion and puppetry for which Prague is famous, like the Magic Lantern and the Black Theatre.
Producer Dennis Marks
Series editor Nigel Williams