Jan Werich – Forbíny vzpomínek I a II, Záznamy z let 1958/1959 (CD)

At the end of the 1950s, Jan Werich went on so-called talks with workers to ROH clubs, university lecture halls, or sanatoriums. Karel Vlach’s orchestra manager, who also took care of promotion at the ABC Theatre, Jan Borovička, made audio recordings of the talks. The recordings then became a family treasure of the Borovičkas and formed a substantial part of the first edition of this title, which Lotos released under the names Jan Werich The Footlights of Memories I. (2002) and Jan Werich The Footlights of Memories II. (2003). Jan Werich liked to answer questions from the audience and did so completely freely and openly, without self-censorship. His fearlessness was astonishing and intoxicating. Jan Borovička set up a fixed microphone probably on the storyteller, so the questions can be heard more faintly. In the first edition, questions from the public were read by Stella Zázvorková and Jiří Melíšek. For our edition, we decided to approach the son of the author of the original recordings, Jiří Borovička, to read the questions. Thanks to him, the recordings were preserved and published for the second time; moreover, in his interpretation they gained an authentic, unadorned form and came closer to Werich’s concept of dialogue. In the accompanying text, František Cinger emphasizes: „There are many reasons for a person to listen to conversations more than fifty years old. It is often not the most important thing how much time has passed since that moment, but rather the truthfulness or wisdom of the thought and experience when it was spoken.“ Yet another proof of the genius of the creator, actor, comedian, and wonderful person who, with his humor and bold and free opinions, was ahead of his time.