Il Boemo

Il Boemo (lit. 'the Bohemian') is a 2022 period biographical drama film about the life and career of the Czech composer Josef Mysliveček (1737–1781), written and directed by Petr Václav. Mysliveček was one of the most acclaimed and prolific composers of opera seria in Italy in the second half of the eighteenth century, and mentor and friend to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The film stars Vojtěch Dyk, Elena Radonicich, Barbara Ronchi, and Lana Vlady. The music for the film has been recorded by the Czech ensemble Collegium 1704 led by Václav Luks, featuring international soloists such as Philippe Jaroussky, Emöke Baráth, Raffaella Milanesi, and Simona Šaturová. It was selected as the Czech entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. It premiered at 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival on 19 September 2022.

Synopsis
The son of a Prague miller, who expected him to follow in his footsteps, Mysliveček as a young man flees to Venice to realize his dream of becoming a composer. Against all odds he manages, becomes known as "Il Boemo" (i.e. "Czech"), and his success surpasses even his own expectations. During the 1770s, he is at his most prolific, composing numerous works in the genre of Italian opera seria.

Production
The film is co-produced by the Czech Republic, Italy, and Slovakia, and was supported, among others, by the Czech Film Fund, the Italian Ministry of Culture, and the Slovak Audiovisual Fund; the producer is Jan Macola and Mimesis Film, the co-producers are Marco Alessio (Dugong Film) in Italy, Marek Urban (sentimentalfilm) in Slovakia, and Czech Television and MagicLab in the Czech Republic.

Petr Václav has singled out Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, in relation to camera work, lighting, and narrative style, and Miloš Forman’s Amadeus, in terms of working with opera and music, as particular cinematic references.

Filming locations
Shooting locations in the Czech Republic included the Estates Theatre, the Martinic Palace and the Colloredo–Mansfeld Palace in Prague, the château at Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, the Doksany Convent and the Cistercian monastery in Plasy, and the Mahen Theater in Brno.

Music
The music for the film has been recorded by the Czech ensemble Collegium 1704, founder and conductor Václav Luks also served as musical advisor for the film. The soundtrack was released by Warner Classics on their Erato label on 23 June 2023. Another advisor was the American musicologist Daniel E. Freeman, author of the first modern monograph on Mysliveček.

Release
The film was selected for screening at the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival's main competition on 19 September 2022.

Reception
Il Boemo grossed $546,351 worldwide against a production budget of about $5.7 million.