Following Franz Kafka
Running with Scissors' JOSEPH FIENNES has been a star
since
Shakespeare in Love. But in Prague, with its castle
and labyrinth of shops and cafés, he can be something even better:
a Franz Kafka character. • Photograph by Stephen Danelian
This month,
Joseph Fiennes joins an ensemble cast in the film
version of Augusten Burroughs's dark, funny, and emotional memoir,
Running with Scissors, in which a young man (Joseph Cross)
from a very strange family is sent to live with his mother's
psychiatrist and that doctor's eccentric and extended clan. It's
somewhat familiar territory for the 36-year-old Fiennes. After all,
he's been part of an ensemble cast, not to mention an eccentric and
extended clan, since he was born. Because he grew up with a
novelist/painter mother, a photographer father, and five siblings
and lived a nomadic existence in England and
Ireland, it wasn't a
stretch when
In Style UK magazine referred to the brood as
"the von Trapps of the art world." Joseph's older brother is, of
course,
Ralph Fiennes, star of
Schindler's List and
The
Constant Gardener. Most of his other siblings are involved in
the arts as well: His sister Martha is a filmmaker; his other
sister, Sophie, is a film and documentary maker; and his brother
Magnus is a music producer and a writer. (Only Jacob, his
fraternal twin, has strayed from the family business - he's a
gamekeeper and a conservationist.) But Joseph has stood out among
the talented Fiennes pack ever since - after several years in the
London theater community - he broke out as young Will Shakespeare
in the Oscar-winning
Shakespeare in Love. Fiennes also
stands out among the talented
Running with Scissors cast,
which includes
Annette Bening,
Gwyneth Paltrow,
Alec Baldwin, and
Evan Rachel Wood. But it was another film - the historical epic
The Red Baron, in which he plays Roy Brown, the Canadian
pilot credited with shooting down the Teutonic top gun during the
final months of World War I - that brought him back to the city he
loves, Prague. "It's one of the most beautiful cities in
Europe to
work in," he says. Here's why.
What was your first experience in Prague?
I was shooting a film called
Enemy at the Gates with a
French director, Jean-Jacques Annaud. We were filming in Berlin,
and I had a long weekend break. I had heard a lot about Prague, and
I decided to take time out over the weekend and spend it there. I
drove down, and because I'm a big fan of [director] Miloš Forman -
who filmed the movie
Amadeus in Prague - I stayed in the
Hoffmeister Hotel, which he loves, or so I've read. You drive down
behind Prague Castle into the city. Suddenly, I drove over this
hill, and the city is almost in a basin or valley. It was winter
and snowy, and it was slightly covered in a dusting of snow, and
some of the buildings were very dark. That was an amazing romantic
contrast. It was like coming across this sort of fairy-tale
city.
Besides the Hoffmeister Hotel, where else do you stay in this
fairy-tale city?
I've stayed at Hotel Paris. It's very art deco, very simple. I
wouldn't say it's cheap, but it's not as expensive as the hotels
just up the road. In the dining room and in the bar, it has the
most beautiful bit of art-deco style, murals on the walls and
paintings. And it's pretty much in the center of the city, about a
five-minute walk from the main square. I'm filming right now in a
hotel that is called Hotel Praha, and it almost feels like a set
out of
Dr. Strangelove. It's a huge, Communistic building.
It's kind of a fortress with 1950s, '60s design. It's rather
beautiful in kind of a brutal way. I think architecturally it is
wonderful, but it's not everyone's taste. If you are into that kind
of architecture and you want to try hotels, it's impressive. If you
are into architecture in general, Prague is great for that. If I
get my history right, it survived the Nazi invasion and then the
Stalin/Communist invasion. What is amazing is that, during that
time, the architecture remained completely intact. So, it goes back
hundreds of years, right up to the 1920s with the art deco.
Where do you feel that sense of timelessness and survival the
most?
You have to talk about the
Charles Bridge, which is a stunning
bridge with about 20 to 30 statues that go along either side of it.
From that point, you can see the castle that looks down on the
city. I also remember that on one side of the bridge there is a
wonderful wall that is dedicated to
John Lennon. It's a wall of
graffiti with a picture of John Lennon, and around it everyone has
written graffiti in '60s hippie fashion. It still survives, and
people still add to it today.
People congregate on and around the Charles Bridge day and
night, right?
Yeah, but really the whole of the central city is very much Old
Town, which has got an incredible clock face. It's made up of
astrological charts and things. Old Town Square is really just the
very heart of the city, a wonderful labyrinth of old shops and
architecture that dates back to the twelfth century. Everyone hangs
out there and, of course, along the bridge as well. The very
romantic and beautiful thing about the bridge is that you can look
up at the castle. Also, a trip to the castle is great; you have a
vantage point and you can see the city. By either day or night, it
is stunning. The area is fairly touristy, and I would say it's good
for a beer, but if you really want to discover the city, I would go
out some more and just get lost in the labyrinth of smaller
streets.
Prague Castle is actually a sprawling complex that includes
other landmarks, like the St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas, and St.
Adalbert Cathedral. You could spend several days there, it
seems.
The Prague Castle is fantastic. There are lots of amazing art deco
stained-glass works up there. There are some wonderful boutiquey
hotels that are cheap and cheerful, and they look over the city.
And the castle is spectacular at night. There are little
restaurants and bars in that area, as well, but you have to have a
strong pair of legs with good calf muscles. A lot of people
congregate there. It's a very beautiful, several-minute stroll out
of the city.
Where to next if you're strolling through the
city?
There is the Mozart museum, in a villa where he stayed while
visiting Prague. But obviously because I'm dedicated to theater,
I'm a huge Franz Kafka fan. If you are in Prague, you have to take
a bit of Kafka with you to read; I think his writing and work is
synonymous with the city. You should not fail to view the New
Jewish Cemetery, where Kafka is buried. It's a beautiful and very
moving cemetery, a very potent spiritual landmark. Try and find
his grave, which is not too easy, but I am sure there are
guidebooks that tell you where it is. It was kind of curious to me,
because, through drama school, I had read his work and a lot of his
plays. So it was great to be in the streets where he walked, to
visit the city where his brain was teeming and his pen was racing.
What should you read on the way there, to get into the proper
frame of mind?
I would read
The Metamorphosis.
Okay, now that we're well read, we'll need some coffee and
highbrow conversation. Where would you send us?
I remember the beer. They have beer on tap pretty much everywhere
you go. But, yeah, there are a lot of coffeehouses. The most famous
one is Café Slavia, an art-deco landmark with a great view of the
river. Then there's Dahab, a tearoom that was recently opened by a
man known as "Prague's king of tea," who imported varieties of tea
to the city after the 1989 revolution. Café Louvre is an
inexpensive restaurant/café in a French style. Then, there's
Municipal House Café, another great art-deco coffeehouse. In all of
them, you get that sense that people are going out and catching up
over a quick cup of coffee and then an evening of beer. It has a
wonderful social vibe.
Café Slavia is the coffee shop that Czech president Václav
Havel frequented while in office. Did you come across any other
cultural landmarks?
The City of Prague Museum is worth the visit. When it was still
Czechoslovakia, it was one of the richest countries in Europe in
its heyday, and certainly the collection of art really tells you
how wealthy the country was during those times. Also, I remember
Letná park was a beautiful, huge park.
Kampa park is another one, I believe, closer to the Charles
Bridge.
Yeah, I think there is a part of the bridge that opens up into more
of the countryside along the same side as the castle. You get these
wonderful, huge vantage points if you are strolling up to the
castle.
That sounds like a lot of walking. How do you get around
otherwise?
If you've got the time and a little bit of money to spend, you can
ride in these wonderful cars. I think they might be old, 1920s-era
Mercedes, open-top cars with beautiful woodwork. They look like
what the gangsters might have had in the '20s.
Where would you go for dinner?
You can't go wrong. There is a restaurant/hotel called Valdštejnská
Hospoda, originally called the Three Storks. It's literally at the
foot of the bridge. It's very beautiful and fairly plush, but it
has real character and atmosphere to it. You should check that out;
it's a beautiful restaurant. You have to book in advance. [It's
currently closed for one year for construction.] Restaurant Flambée
may be best known for the fact that it is a stone cellar. I
remember you go in on ground level, and it looks fairly
nondescript. Then you go downstairs, and it has almost a feel of
being in a crypt or something, with these wonderful candles. It's a
little bit more modern, with contemporary food and great beer, but
in a fantastic old cryptlike setting.
Have you done any shopping during your visits
there?
On either side of the bridge, you have the center of Prague, and
you can just get lost in a wonderful, small labyrinth of shops. On
the side of the bridge the castle is on, just at the foot of the
bridge is this wonderful shop, Škopku, where I bought some artwork,
more like glasswork, like Bohemian glass vases, which had been
blown, and they are very exquisite. They are more crystal in really
beautiful colors. It is really an amazing shop. I think all through
Prague are great crafts.
What about nightlife in Prague? What does that tend to be
like?
There are downsides. To me, the downside is the enormous number of
drunken youths who celebrate what we call "stag nights." Prague is
the capital of stag nights. So be prepared for a lot of lads who
are wearing crazy uniforms and shouting till the wee hours of the
morning, because they are all celebrating or pushing some poor
groom to drink far too much before his wedding day - and the same
with the girls. You do get parties of boys and girls [who are] a
little bit noisier and happily cheerful. But I must confess that
I've done it too. I was there one time, and I remember being
disappointed that
Brazil knocked out England in the
World Cup. My
last memory was being in a bar and drowning my sorrows since we
didn't get through to the semifinals.
He Said…
What Joseph Fiennes Czechs Out
in Prague
Lodging
Hoffmeister Hotel, expensive,011-420-251-017-111
Hotel Paris, expensive, 011-420-222-195-195
Hotel Praha, expensive, 011-420-224-341-111
Dining
Café Louvre, Czech-international, inexpensive,
011-420-224-930-949,
www.cafelouvre.cz/cs
Café Slavia, Czech-international, inexpensive,
011-420-224-218-493,
www.cafeslavia.cz
Dahab, tea room, inexpensive to moderate,
011-420-224-827-375,
www.dahab.cz
Municipal House Café, Czech-international, inexpensive,
011-420-220-002-763,
www.vysehrad2000.cz
Restaurant Flambée, traditional gourmet, very expensive,
011-420-224-248-512,
www.flambee.cz
Valdštejnská Hospoda, Czech, moderate to expensive,
011-420-257-531-759
Shopping
Krámek U Škopku, 011-420-257-531-926,
www.bohemart.com
Sights
City of Prague Museum, 011-420-224-816-773,
www.muzeumprahy.cz
Franz Kafka Museum, 011-420-257-535-507,
www.kafkamuseum.cz
Kampa park, 011-420-257-532-685
Letná park, 011-420-221-714-444. (Note: This phone number is
for Prague Information Services; ask for info about Letná
park.)
Museum of W.A. Mozart and the Dušeks (Bertramka Villa),
011-420-257-318-461
New Jewish Cemetery, 011-420-272-741-893
Prague Castle, 011-420-224-371-111,
www.hrad.cz
St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas, and St. Adalbert Cathedral,
011-420-257-531-622,
www.hrad.cz
We Said… What We Czech Out in Prague
Lodging
Mandarin Oriental, expensive, 011-420-233-088-888. The
acclaimed hotel chain's first foray into the
Czech Republic opened
just weeks ago and features all the luxuries you'd expect,
including a world-class spa and enviable views of the Vltava River
and historic Prague Castle. Think you can't afford the splurge? Get
a little help through their introductory offer: Book online
(
www.mandarinoriental.com) and receive a free
night for stays through March 31, 2007.
Miss Sophie's, inexpensive, 011-420-296-303-530. On the
other end of the spectrum from the new Mandarin Oriental is little
Miss Sophie's, a minimalist hotel/hostel in the lovely New Town
district. It may not have all the creature comforts, but it's still
got style, charm, and countless loyal fans. We also love that it's
entirely smoke-free.
Dining
Radost FX Café, inexpensive to moderate, 011-420-224-254-776.
Don't get us wrong, we love us some beef, but we don't mind going
meatless when the options are as delicious as the ones at this
popular vegetarian restaurant. Radost, which means "joy" in Czech,
was opened by a couple of Americans, but the menu goes global with
selections like the Greek salad, Thai noodle soup, Italian cheese
pita, and Middle Eastern platter, complete with stuffed grape
leaves and hummus.
U Medvídku°, inexpensive, 011-420-224-211-916. Craving an
authentic Czech meal? You can't get much more legit than in this
cavernous beer hall that dates back to the 1400s. From the goulash
with bacon dumplings to the malt-house microbrews, it's the real
deal.
Sightseeing
Petr?ín Hill. Perhaps the best way to take in all Prague has to
offer is from atop Petr?ín Hill, a beautifully manicured and
gardened park 1,043 feet above the city. Climb even higher via the
observation tower built back in 1891 to resemble a small Eiffel
Tower. To get there, go to Újezd street and take the funicular;
it's just been overhauled and is back in business.
Events
Mozart Prague 2006, 011-420-261-215-298. Prague and Mozart will forever be connected (he once claimed, “My orchestra is in Prague”), so it’s no surprise that the entire city is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the famed composer’s birth with a year’s worth of concerts, exhibitions, festivals, and more. For a complete calendar of events, log on to
www.mozartprague2006.com.
American Airlines offers codeshare service to Prague in conjunction with three of our partners:
British Airways (via London),
SN Brussels Airlines (via Brussels), and Swiss International Airlines (via Zurich). For more information, please visit
www.aa.com.