Did the Czechs Invent the Selfie Stick?

A clip from the 1969 Czech movie Zabil jsem Einsteina pánové... depicts a strikingly modern device

Jason Pirodsky

Written by Jason Pirodsky Published on 03.03.2016 14:45:46 (updated on 03.03.2016) Reading time: 1 minute

Culture

In the 1969 sci-fi comedy Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové… (I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen…) from acclaimed Czech director Oldřich Lipský, a man travels back in time to kill Albert Einstein after a nuclear blast results in women growing beards and losing the ability to have children.

In an early sequence in the movie set in the year 1999, a character played by actress Iva Janžurová wants to take a quick photo with her soon-to-be time-travelling husband.

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She pulls out a device that looks strikingly similar to the modern selfie stick, poses for a shot, and takes a snap. The stick immediately prints out a photograph, which the Janžurová character gives to her husband as a memento.

A GIF from the movie depicting the device made its way to social media today through the Facebook page of FFabula (a student union at Charles University): 

And the entire movie is currently available on YouTube. Check out from about 9:20 for the clip in question:

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Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové…  is also available on local DVD (albeit without English subtitles) and highly recommended.

As are the rest of director Oldřich Lipský’s wonderful and inventive films. Check out our reviews for Lemonade Joe, Adele Hasn’t Had Her Dinner Yet, and The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians. 

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