Invention for Destruction

The most successful Czechoslovakian film in history, which became a global phenomenon in 1958. In New York alone it was screened simultaneously in 96 cinemas. This fantasy adventure won a number of prestigious awards, including the Grand Prix at EXPO 58 in Brussels. This is the first of Zeman's films to be inspired by Jules Verne, in which the director tries out a new style of art direction, which he was later to develop even further. The story-book sets, striking design and innovative music of Zdeněk Liška – all contribute to the unique appearance of this thrilling story with its anti-war subtext. The black and white narrative is deeply influenced by the classic engravings of Édouard Riou and Léon Bennett - the original illustrators of Verne's novels. hroughout his life Zeman continued to develop this new style, using it to create his visionary worlds. The digital restoration of the film Invention for Destruction is a part of the project Restoring The World of Fantasy. Restoring The World of Fantasy is a joint project of the Karel Zeman Museum, The Czech Film Foundation and Czech Television. The aim of the project is within three years to digitally restore selected films produced by Karel Zeman to the finest quality, to screen them in cinemas and bring them to life again. The aim of the project is also to inform the public about importance of the digital restoration. American expert James Mockoski is supervisor of the digital restoration of these Karel Zeman films. The restoration is being led by main restorer Ivo Marák at Universal Production Partners (UPP), the reconstruction of the audio portion of the films is taking place in Soundsquare under the direction of Pavel Rejholec.