PHOTO
INSERT CREDIT HERE
*F R T&CS SEE P147. PHOTOS
ALLSTAR, WENN
Prague
need to know
(
8
)
Number of Oscars Amadeus, the first
foreign film shot in Prague, won in 1984
(
4
)
Days of the Prague Short Film Festival, on
16-19 January (pragueshorts.com)
(
21
)
Purpose-built soundproof stages within
the city of Prague
easyJet
flies to Prague from eight destinations.
See our insider guide on page 135.
Book online at
easyJet.com
easyJet Holidays
Two nights B&B at the four-star
Designhotel Elephant, departing
Manchester on 5 February, costs from
£97pp. easyJet.com/holidays*
Grand Hotel Bohemia
A five-star Old Town hotel that retains
many of its grand 1920s period details.
Book at
hotels.easyJet.com
Another incentive Prague can
offer, of course, is a great after-
hours entertainment scene.
And, having been housed in
the city centre for the duration
of shooting, the cast of
The
Musketeers
have been availing
themselves of the pleasures on
their doorstep. Porthos (played by Howard Charles)
recommends the parks, particularly Stromovka and
Letná Hill. Athos (Tom Burke) is a teahouse enthusiast:
he doffs his feathered tricorn to an establishment called
Cajovna in central Prague
(caj-u-kohouta.cz)
. Aramis
(Santiago Cabrera) has just been enjoying the buzz of
being in one of Europe’s most intoxicating cities.
“Obviously, you don’t want to make the mistake of
signing up to some crappy thing because it’s shooting on
a beach in Brazil or somewhere,” he smiles. “You commit
first to the script, the story, the character, but location is
on that list, too, and Prague is definitely a perk.”
In a market of small margins, that may not be as
insignificant as it sounds. It may, in fact, be just what
Prague needs for the current revival to become a full-
blown renaissance. Ultimately, the city needs to play
to its strengths. “There’s something about the place that
you can’t put your finger on – a creative energy,” says
Albert Hughes in conclusion. “Nowhere else will ever
match the beauty of Prague. You just can’t duplicate it.”
CELLULOID STORIES
10
Child 44 has recently
finished filming here
11
Peter Capaldi (left) in
The Musketeers
12
Van Helsing was shot
here in 2004
“All those productions could
have gone to Hungary or
anywhere else. But I think
the locations here are better”
10
12
11
0 6 8
C E L L U L O I D C I T Y
P R A G U E
