Forman lived much of his life out of a suitcase, transported from relatives to family friends. He was first sent to live with his Uncle Boleslav who owned a grocery store in Náchod. While in the store, he listened to people’s conversations, savored the scent of roasted coffee, munched on sauerkraut that he would sneak from a barrel, and admired the beautiful housemaids. He later drew on the experiences for his first feature-length film Black Peter. Later, he was sent to live with his Aunt Anna whose husband owned an apothecary, which delighted his nose with delicious fragrances. While there, he learned to appreciate books by such legendary authors as Jules Verne, Victor Hugo, and American legendary author Mark Twain. By being shuffled from relatives to family friends, he tried extra hard to never be a burden. He learned to read people’s moods and understand their feelings. In his autobiography Turnaround he states, “I didn’t know it at the time, but I see now that living out of a suitcase gave me very good training for my future trade as a director.”
Photo courtesy of Oldřich Škácha