Švankmajer, Jan (1934– )

Czech film-maker whose surrealist films combine puppets, stop-motion animation, and live actors. His feature-length films include Alice (1988) and Faust (1994).

Švankmajer was born and educated in Prague, studying puppetry and design and then working in marionette theatre. His first short film was Poslední trik pana Schwarcewalldea a pana Edgara/The Last Trick (1964); others include Punch and Judy (1966), Jabberwocky (1971), and Jídlo/Food (1992). The feature film Spiklenci slasti/Conspirators of Pleasure (1996) is a bizarre, erotic black comedy.