Otakar Vávra,Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue, died at 100.

Otakar Vávra  was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue.^[2] He was born in Hradec Králové, Austria-Hungary, now part of the Czech Republic.

(28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011)^[1]

Biography

Vávra attended universities in Brno and Prague, where he studied architecture. During 1929-30, while still a student, he participated in the making of a handful of documentaries and wrote movie scripts. In 1931, he produced the experimental film Světlo proniká tmou. The first movie he directed was 1937's Filosofská historie.
His first feature film was 1938's Cech panen Kutnohorských, starring Zorka Janů, sister of legendary Czech actress Lída Baarová. Janů also played in Vávra's films Podvod s Rubensem and Pacientka Dr. Hegela, both from 1940. Baarová starred in Vávra's films Panenství (1937), Maskovaná milenka (1939), Dívka v modrém (1939), and Turbína (1941).
After the Communists came to power in 1948, Vávra adapted quickly to the new political climate and produced films praising the current regime and supporting the new, official interpretation of the past.
In the 1950s he produced the "Hussite Trilogy", one of his most famous works, consisting of Jan Hus (1954), Jan Žižka (1955) and Proti všem (Against All Odds, 1957).^[3]
When the government became more liberal in the 1960s, Vávra's cinema entered into his most prolific period, producing Zlatá reneta (1965), Romance pro křídlovku (1966), Kladivo na čarodějnice (1969), and later Komediant (1984).
When the Communists fell from power in 1989, state subsidies for the film industry were dropped and Vávra's plans for an historical epic titled Evropa tančila valčík had to be scaled down.
In the 1950s, Otakar Vávra, together with a group of fellow Czech film directors, established the Film Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (Filmová Akademia muzických umění or FAMU), where he taught for over five decades. Among his students were several directors of the 1960s "Czech New Wave" of art films, including future Oscar-winner Miloš Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus).

Criticism

Otakar Vávra's decades-long career as a film director, from the 1930s through the 1990s, epitomized the tradition of middle-European filmmaking. This tradition ended in Germany and Austria at the end of World War II and ended in the Czech Republic after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Around that time, Vávra began his autobiography Podivný život režiséra (Strange Life of a Movie Director), which concluded with "...and now I wait for the end. My end."
Otakar Vávra is often called the "father of Czech cinema". In 2001, he was awarded the Czech Lion (Český lev) for his lifelong contribution to Czech culture.^[1] In 2004, he received the presidential Medal of Merit (Medaile za zásluhy). ^[2]
Vávra's critics point to his willingness to accommodate the Communist regime.^[4] In a 2003 article ("Playing the Villain", The Globe and Mail, May 15, 2003) about his documentary film, "Hitler and I" that he shot in Prague, David Cherniack described the following encounter with his former FAMU Head Professor:

Having lived in a police state for four years and seen the difficult choices that people make between ends and means, I decide to interview my head professor from the academy, National Artist Otakar Vavra. Now 92 but still very sharp, Vavra made 50 feature films under every regime from the thirties on, including the seven years of the Nazi occupation. Though he maintains he was serving his films and the public by doing the minimum necessary to co-operate, others are of the view that he was serving himself. The films of his that I've seen tend to be rather didactic history lessons. I meet him at the Theatre Restaurant where he lunches every day and still conducts business. Behind the bluster and razor-sharp intellect that is still very much present, I sense a sad and isolated old man who feels he should be enjoying the adulation of his country and not being as ignored as he is. My own Fritz Gerlich (a Catholic newspaper editor executed in Dachau during the Night of the Long Knives) was our teaching assistant, the New Wave director Evald Schorm. Unlike Vavra, he refused to sign a paper agreeing with the 1968 occupation by the Warsaw Pact. Schorm went to his own Dachau. He was forced to leave the school and filmmaking and go direct operas in Brno. One of the Czech actors on the set tells me he died an embittered man shortly before the Velvet Revolution. Reality is always more complex than the stories we tell about it.

Vávra's Krakatit (1948) is based on Karel Čapek's 1924 novel of the same name and contains a strong anti-war message. It centers around an inventor of explosives who tries to keep his invention hidden from those who want to use it to rule the world. The black-and-white original was followed by a 1980 color remake, Temné slunce, which brings the storyline into the modern era. The later version is generally seen as one of Vávra's lesser efforts.
Otakar Vávra's most acclaimed work is widely considered to be Romance pro křídlovku (1966). This black-and-white film is based on a poem by Czech lyrical poet František Hrubín and concerns an ill-fated summer romance between two young lovers of different backgrounds.

Filmography

• 1931 Světlo proniká tmou
• 1934 Žijeme v Praze
• 1935 Listopad
• 1936 Velbloud uchem jehly
• 1937 Panenství
• 1937 Filosofská historie
• 1938 Na 100%
• 1938 Cech panen kutnohorských
• 1939 Maskovaná milenka
• 1939 Kouzelný dům
• 1939 Humoreska
• 1940 Pohádka máje
• 1940 Podvod s Rubensem
• 1940 Pacientka Dr. Hegla
• 1940 Dívka v modrém
• 1941 Turbína
• 1942 Přijdu hned
• 1942 Okouzlená
• 1943 Šťastnou cestu
• 1945 Vlast vítá
• 1945 Rozina sebranec
• 1946 Nezbedný bakalář
• 1946 Cesta k barikádám
• 1947 Předtucha
• 1948 Krakatit
• 1949 Němá barikáda
• 1949 Láska
• 1953 Nástup
• 1954 Jan Hus
• 1955 Jan Žižka
• 1957 Proti všem
• 1958 Občan Brych
• 1959 První parta
• 1960 Srpnová neděle
• 1960 Policejní hodina
• 1961 Noční host
• 1962 Horoucí srdce
• 1965 Zlatá reneta
• 1966 Romance pro křídlovku
• 1968 Třináctá komnata
• 1969 Kladivo na čarodějnice
• 1970 Kladivo na čarodějnice
• 1973 Dny zrady
• 1974 Sokolovo
• 1976 Osvobození Prahy
• 1977 Příběh lásky a cti
• 1980 Temné slunce
• 1983 Putování Jana Ámose
• 1984 Komediant
• 1985 Veronika
• 1985 Oldřich a Božena
• 1989 Evropa tančila valčík
• 2003 Moje Praha

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Bill Taylor, American baseball player (New York Giants, Detroit Tigers), died at 81.

William Michael Taylor  was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the New York Giants and Detroit Tigers.^[1]

(December 30, 1929 – September 15, 2011)

The Giants originally acquired the rights to Taylor from the minor league Oakland Oaks in a transaction during the 1950 season.^[2][3] Taylor was signed by the Giants on January 1, 1953.^[4] He spent most of the 1953 season with the Giants' AA-level minor league affiliate, the Nashville Volunteers. After posting a .350 batting average with 22 home runs in 107 games for Nashville, he was promoted to the Giants AAA affiliate, the Minneapolis Millers. He played 47 games for the Millers, batting .223 with 7 home runs.^[2]
Taylor made his Major League debut for the Giants on April 14, 1954, pinch hitting for Mario Picone and striking out against Brooklyn Dodgers' pitcher Don Newcombe.^[1][5] For the season, he played in 55 games for the Giants, getting 12 hits in 65 at bats for a .185 batting average.^[1] He also hit 2 home runs, had 10 runs batted in and scored 4 runs as the Giants won the National League pennant and the 1954 World Series.^[1] He played nine games in the field without an error, seven in left field as Hall of Famer Monte Irvin's backup, and two in right field backing up Don Mueller.^[1] Although the Giants won the World Series in four games that season, Taylor did not see any playing time in the World Series.^[6]
Taylor again spent the entire season with the Giants in 1955. He played in 65 games and had 17 hits in 64 at bats for a .266 batting average, and 4 home runs and a .516 slugging percentage.^[1] He played just 2 games in the field, both in right field.^[1] In 1956, he played most of the season back in the minors with the Millers, but did play in one game for the Giants, getting a double in four at bats.^[1][2] In 1957 he again played most of the season with the Millers, but did play in 11 games for the Giants without a hit.^[1] Towards the end of the season, on September 14, he was sold to the Detroit Tigers, and played in nine games for the Tigers.^[1][4] 1957 was Taylor's final season in the Major Leagues, and he played eight games for the Tigers, getting 3 hits in 8 at bats for a .375 batting average.^[1] He spent most of the 1958 season with the Tigers AAA affiliate, the Charleston Senators.^[2] He started the 1959 season with the Senators, but moved to the Buffalo Bisons in the Philadelphia Phillies organization during the season.^[2] He also played for the Bisons in 1960 and 1961.^[2]
In his Major League career, Taylor played 149 games over 5 seasons and had 41 hits in 173 at bats for a .237 batting average.^[1][7] He hit 7 home runs, and 26 runs batted in and 17 runs scored, a .264 on-base percentage and a .405 slugging percentage.^[1][7] Of his 149 Major League games, he only played in the field in 18, all in the outfield.^[1] As a fielder, he made 13 putouts with no assists and no errors, for a career fielding percentage of 1.000.^[1][8] He also played in 1261 minor league games between 1947 and 1961, with a .311 batting average and 186 home runs.^[2]
Taylor died on September 15, 2011 in Antelope Valley, California.^[9]

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Regina Smendzianka, Polish pianist, died at 86.

Regina Smendzianka was a Polish pianist.

(9 October 1924 – 15 September 2011)

Regina Smendzianka was born in Toruń, and began her public performances as a child of eight surprising the audience with her mature interpretation of the classical works. In 1949 she was awarded the just resumed Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition's 11th prize soon after graduating from the Kraków State Music Academy with the highest marks. She was a disciple of Zbigniew Drzewiecki from 1950 to 1955, and subsequently launched an international career. Smendzianka held a professorship at the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy until 1996, briefly serving as the institution's rector. She was a juror at the 1970, 1980, 1995 and 2000 editions of the Chopin Competition.
was a Polish pianist.
Regina Smendzianka was born in Toruń, and began her public performances as a child of eight surprising the audience with her mature interpretation of the classical works. In 1949 she was awarded the just resumed Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition's 11th prize soon after graduating from the Kraków State Music Academy with the highest marks. She was a disciple of Zbigniew Drzewiecki from 1950 to 1955, and subsequently launched an international career. Smendzianka held a professorship at the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy until 1996, briefly serving as the institution's rector. She was a juror at the 1970, 1980, 1995 and 2000 editions of the Chopin Competition.


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Cyril Parfitt, British artist, died he was 97.

Cyril Harry Parfitt was a British artist.^[1] He was based on the Isle of Thanet in Kent and works using mixed materials and techniques. His notable works include the hand-rendered pencil drawing 'The New Arrivals' which was hung in the Royal Academy.

(February 6, 1914 – October 30, 2011)

Early life

Cyril was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He attended the prestigious Gateway School in Leicester and then won a scholarship to Leicester College of Art where he studied for three years. His passions were art and music, he also played the accordion well as a young man. He went on to play both piano and electric keyboard which he still enjoys. He speaks fluent German and cited the reason for learning it as wanting to enjoy reading Goethe in the language it was written. His early career saw him serve an apprenticeship as a lithographic artist.
He worked as a graphic designer in Leicester where his work was frequently seen on many well-known products, until he joined the army at the outbreak of Second World War. Because of his experience as a lithographic artist he was eventually posted to Wales where he was trained in the art of map making and given the task of drafting invasion maps. Here he was to establish a close enduring friendship with the renowned artist Terence Cuneo.

Career

Taking this skill with him at the end of the Second World War, he joined a new Government Department, Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS) where he ran his own experimental section. Here he was nicknamed The Wizard of DOS such was his extraordinary talent and problem solving abilities. One of his colleagues once said ‘You can put Cyril in a room with absolutely nothing and he will still somehow manage to produce something utterly wonderful’.^[2]
Utilising his previous printing experience and knowledge he was responsible for designing and supervising colour proofing on specialised relief maps. He innovated new approaches to relief effects and developed a technique for photo mapping.
He prepared international exhibitions and his special maps were acclaimed world wide by cartographic establishments. Two such pieces were exhibited at the Design Centre in London. His contribution to mapping was written about and included in a book produced by the National Geographic Magazine.
His early paintings were of a whimsical nature although he is a competent artist in the conventional style with landscape being a favourite subject. His portraiture and pencil drawings have a lightness and sensitivity much admired.
His fantasy sculptural pieces have been produced in clay and his moving sculptures utilise an assortment of bright and colourful ‘odds and ends’ he has salvaged and stored, truly ‘green’ pieces of work. He has always had an eye for the bright and glittering, the vivid and arresting and toyed with the idea of working with stained glass at one point in his career. He has appeared ITV's Magpie with his creations and his work has been sold in galleries both in the United Kingdom and throughout the world.
Many of his pieces of artwork have been selected by the Royal Academy. His pencil drawing ‘Looking Back’ which took 700 hours and consists of over 6,000 pencil strokes was hung in 1981. Acclaimed as ‘an amazing technical feat’ by The Academy, it is a favourite piece with his many fans.^[3]
Now based on the Isle of Thanet where he has been for some time his technical ‘feet’ aren’t as lively but his mind has lost none of its clarity and vision. Seldom seen without pencil and paper, even when confined to a hospital bed, he is always doodling and creating sketches of his own fantasy world. Particularly inspired by the ‘Turner’ skies here he has started to incorporate them into some of his work. He is delighted to see the Turner Contemporary Gallery taking shape and looks with interest to the artistic endeavours of the local area to assist the regeneration of this beautiful part of the country.


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Mickey Scott, German-born American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos), died he was 64.

Ralph Robert Scott was a left-handed specialist pitcher in North American Major League Baseball (MLB) who played in portions of five seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos and California Angels from 1972 to 1977. He was born in Weimar, East Germany.^[1]

(July 25, 1947 – October 30, 2011) 


Scott was selected out of Newburgh Free Academy by the New York Yankees in the 17th round (328th overall) of the 1965 Major League Baseball Draft. He was the first high school baseball player drafted out of the Mid-Hudson region of the Hudson Valley by any MLB club.^[2][3] He was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Pete Ward on December 18, 1969.^[4]
He also spent nine seasons in the Minor leagues, mostly for the Rochester Red Wings of the International League. In 1971, he collected a 9–1 record with nine saves and a 3.38 earned run average in 54 games for manager Joe Altobelli’s pennant-winning and Governors' Cup winning-team. He had an even better season for Rochester in 1974, when he was 8–2 with 17 saves and a 0.99 ERA in 57 games.^[5]
In a nine-year minors career, he posted a 60–32 record with 46 saves and a 3.20 ERA in 297 pitching appearances.
He was elected to the Red Wings Hall of Fame in 1998, along with Allie Clark, Frank Horton and Al Weber.^[6]
Scott died in Binghamton, New York, at the age of 64.^[6]


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David Utz, American surgeon, removed Ronald Reagan's prostate, died from a heart failure he was 87.

David Charles Utz was an American surgeon. Utz was the surgeon who removed United States President Ronald Regan's prostate in 1987.

(December 2, 1923 – October 30, 2011)

During his career her wrote 143 articles that appeared in medical journals.
Utz died on November 30, 2011 due to congestive heart failure aged 87.^[1]


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Flórián Albert, Hungarian footballer, European Footballer of the Year , died he was 70.

Flórián Albert  was a Hungarian international football player, later manager and sports official, who was named European Footballer of the Year in 1967. Nicknamed "The Emperor",^[2][3] he has been described as one of the most elegant footballers of all time.^[4]
A club legend of Ferencvárosi TC, Albert joined the team yet as a schoolboy and spent his whole playing career at Fradi. He also starred for Hungary, winning 75 international caps and scoring 31 goals. He was joint top-scorer at the 1962 World Cup with four goals and played a key role in Hungary's third-place finish at the European Championship in 1964.^[5]
He stayed loyal to Ferencváros after his retirement as well, actively participated in the club's life and also held administrative positions. Since 2007 the stadium of Ferencváros bears his name.
Albert died in October 2011, aged 70, in a hospital in Budapest after complications following heart surgery carried out a few days earlier.^[1][6]

(15 September 1941 – 31 October 2011)

Early life

The son of a blacksmith, Albert was born and brought up in the little town of Hercegszántó near the border with the former Yugoslavia, where he got his first taste of the game playing with his two brothers. His mother was Hungarian Croat, from the group of Šokci.^[7] She died when he was 2.^[7] When the family later moved to Budapest, Albert participated on a talent day by Ferencvárosi TC.^[8] He impressed the coaches and was selected by club. Albert was 11 years old at the time.^[7]

Career

Albert spent his entire club career with Ferencvárosi TC, where he played from 1952^[7] to 1974. He came through the ranks quickly and made his debut in the senior team on 2 November 1958 against Diósgyőr, in a match he hit the back of the net two times. The forward was also spotted by Hungarian national team manager Lajos Baróti in a youth match between Hungary and Yugoslavia,^[9] and not much later Albert already received his first call-up. His first appearance in the national selection came on 28 June 1959 against Sweden, who finished runners-up in the World Cup a year earlier. Albert contributed with two assist to Hungary's 3–2 win over the Scandinavians. He scored 31 goals in 75 caps for the Hungarian team, with them he has collected the bronze medal on both of the Olympic Games in 1960 and the European Championship in 1964. At the 1962 World Cup, despite Hungary being knocked out in the quarter-finals, Albert, tied with five others, managed to win the Golden Boot Award with four goals.
On club level, his biggest success came in 1965, when in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Ferencváros, that knocked-out among others AS Roma and Manchester United F.C. en route to the final, triumphed over Juventus F.C. 1–0 in the decisive match and obtained the cup title.^[1]

“	Florian was an extremely elegant footballer with extraordinary skill and ball control. These qualities ensured that he was highly respected by his opponents. I remember his sensational performance in the game against Brazil at the FIFA World Cup in 1966 in England, which cemented his standing as one of the world's top players.	”
—FIFA president Sepp Blatter about Albert[10]

Albert appeared in his next World event in 1966 in England, where he produced an excellent display against Brazil in a duel that is regarded as one of the greatest matches in the history of the World Cup.^[2][10] The Magyars, after lost to Portugal in their first round encounter, entered the match against Brazil as a must-win. Hungary eventually beat the South Americans 3–1, to keep alive their hopes and Albert, who received a standing ovation from the supporters, made the fans forget the absence of Pelé with his performance.^[10] By winning their final group match, Hungary made it to the quarter-finals, just to fell short against the Soviet Union.
The year 1967 was a special one for Albert, who not only won the Hungarian Championship with Ferencváros and collected the Hungarian Player of the Year title, but in December first celebrated the birth of his son, and later he was awarded the Ballon d'Or in recognition of his outstanding attributes.^[2][10] Albert topped the voting with 68 points, twenty-eight ahead of Bobby Charlton, who came second.^[8]
In 1968 Albert appeared in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final again, this time against Leeds United, but lost by a one goal margin (0–1). On 15 June 1969, in a World Cup qualifier against Denmark, Albert collied with Knud Engedal, goalkeeper of the Scandinavians, and suffered a serious fractured leg injury, following that he was sidelined for almost a year and could never win back his form any more.^[11] Albert returned into action in the Hungarian Championship on 27 April 1970 against Salgótarján and on 4 April 1971 he played his first international match after the injury, a friendly match against Austria. His final major event was the 1972 European Championship, where he caputed a fourth place with Hungary, recording two appearances in the tournament. In the same year he captured the Hungarian Cup title for the first time, thus making his collection of domestic silverwares complete.
Albert played his final league match on 17 March 1974 against Zalaegerszeg. He came on as a substitute in the second half and contributed to the 3–0 victory with a goal, the last one in his career. Albert, following received greetings and gifts from the old boys, the opponents and his son, ran to the stands bowed for the fans and left the field on the shoulders of his teammates.^[8][12]
Following his retirement, he had two short spells as a manager in Libya by Al-Ahly Benghazi, however, with only limited success. After returned from North Africa, Albert worked for Ferencváros in several positions, such as technical director, department leader and later honorary chairman. In 2007, Ferencváros' stadium was named after him.^[13] In the same year, he got a prize in his village of birth, Hercegszántó, becoming an honorable citizen.^[7] In 2010 Budapest, a year later Ferencváros awarded him honorary citizenship.^[14]

Personal life

Albert married to Irén Bársony, an actress on 30 November 1963. The couple had two children, a girl, Magdolna and a son, Flórián Albert, Jr., who, similarly to his father, became a football player with Ferencváros, and later had spells in Israel and France and also played for the Hungarian national team. Albert's grandchild, Flórián Patrik, aims to become a professional footballer as well.^[15]

Death

Farewell from Flórián Albert in front of the stadium named after him

On 27 October 2011, Flórián, after suffering a vasoconstriction, underwent coronary artery bypass surgery. Although a press release the following day by his former club Ferencváros stated that the operation had been successful,^[16] he subsequently suffered a heart attack and died in the early hours of 31 October 2011.^[1]
His funeral took place on 6 November 2011 in the Cemetery of Óbuda. Hundreds of mourners accompanied Albert to his final rest, including Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary; Pál Schmitt, President of Hungary; Sándor Csányi, president of the Hungarian Football Federation; Gábor Kubatov, president of Ferencvárosi TC; and former team mates Kálmán Mészöly, Gyula Rákosi, Lajos Szűcs and Tibor Nyilasi. The event was also live broadcasted by Hungarian public television Magyar Televízió.^[17][18]
In the afternoon same day, Ferencváros played a league clash against Paksi SE. Before the match the floodlights were switched off and the stadium turned into dark, with candles lit by the fans are being the only lights in the arena. Ferencváros players wore a special all-black kit in the occasion and fans paid tribute to Albert with a banner saying "God shall be with you Emperor".^[17][19] Supporters of SK Rapid Wien, who have close ties with Ferencváros, also shown honor to Albert with a transparent in their game against SV Ried.^[20]
The friendly match against Liechtenstein played on 11 November was declared a memorial game for Albert by the Hungarian Football Federation. The clash was originally scheduled to take place at the Sóstói Stadion, but later was moved to the Ferenc Puskás Stadium to give more people the opportunity to attend the event. In the four corners of the arena memorial places were erected, where the supporters could pay their tribute to the Golden Ball winner. A five-minute-long compilation of the best moments of Albert was also projected before the kick-off.^[21]
Hungary eventually won the match 5–0 in front of a sold-out crowd with goals by Dzsudzsák (2), Priskin, Koman and Feczesin. Dzsudzsák commented after the match that he is sure that Flórián would have been happy if he could have seen the match, and added, he hopes they rejoiced him in Heaven.^[22]


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