Writing
Jan Procházka
Born 1929-02-04 · Ivancice, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]
Acting credits
Behind the camera
6.7A group of outcasts, including a vagabond and a prostitute, gather at the outskirts of the industrial area of a large Czech city, one of the things that helps some of them survive is alcohol.
The Hope
1964
6.7Three friends - Tomás, Hubert and Jozka - are boys growing up in a little town. Tomás lives with his aunt Apolena and uncle Václav. Tomás is a boy with lots of ideas that often end up getting him into trouble not only with his teachers and aunt, but with the other inhabitants of the town as well. He has a crush on his schoolmate Blanka and for her sake he decides to try to get the prize for the best pupil in the school.
Boys Will Be Boys
1976
5.6It is 5 May 1945 and the uprising against the hated German occupiers has broken out in Prague. The Czech guards open the gate of the Pankrác prison to allow the prisoners to escape en masse. Many of them are shot dead by the German guards but young Ruda (Jaromír Hanzlík) manages to run away. He is taken care of by one of the Prague fighters, concierge Kytka. Kytka hides him in the flat of the house's owner where only the young maid Karla (Jana Brejchová) is left, ordering her to take care of Ruda.
Marathon
1968
6.3This is an engaging drama by director Karel Kachyna about the growing pains of a young teen (Jorga Kotrbova) and the hardships of a noble steed mistreated by a cruel neighboring farmer. The teen is having a hard time figuring out adult modes of behavior, and at the same time her heart goes out to the horse that is suffering under the treatment of the farmer next door to her family. As the teen adopts the horse as a friend, some clarification will be sure to come on the meaning of adulthood and the benefits of compassion.
Suffering
1962
7.1A dark fable set in an early 1950s Czech village, a time of Soviet-style socialism which saw the implementation of collectivized agriculture and the mass closure of monasteries and convents.
The Nun's Night
1967
7.2A WW2 story of a young Austrian soldier running from the Russian army and a woman whom he forces to come along in order to save his wounded mate.
Carriage to Vienna
1966
7.2Government bureaucrat Ludvik becomes suspicious after several colleagues disappear and he overhears something strange at a cocktail party. Returning home with his wife, Anna, he finds their house under surveillance and spends a fraught night worrying about his possible arrest in the morning. Marital difficulties come to light as Ludvik and his wife attempt to act normal in front of the cameras while dredging up their problems out of sight.
The Ear
1990
6.2When a comet passes the Earth at close range, it pulls a small part of North Africa with it. Carried along are a bunch of people, among them Angelika, who has just escaped from a ruthless weapon dealer's ship, and her two brothers, who are searching for her. Then there's a group of natives planning a rebellion against the French colonists. All conflicts become secondary when the people finally realize that they're doomed to live together on an alien planet. However, this time of peace and happiness won't last for long...
On the Comet
1970
9.0Twelve-year-old Jana returns from the hospital. She notices some changes at home and is worried that her parents are going to divorce. In reality, however, they are expecting another child.
Naše bláznivá rodina
1968
5.6Czech nobleman Petr Vok of Rozmberk (Milos Kopecký) is no longer so young, but his amatory adventures continue to arouse the envy of men and the indignation of respectable ladies. In his "female retinue" at the chateau in Bechyne he has twelve comely girls, but he still manages to seduce the miller's wife and the maid. Lord Vok is in great financial difficulties. His elder brother Vilém advises him to marry a rich woman. Petr surprises him by announcing his intention to marry the very young Katerina of Ludanice.
Svatby pana Voka
1971
7.5Three small short stories, each of which was created by one of the famous Czechoslovak filmmakers of children's films: Magdalena, Fraud and Karp.
Tales About Children
1965
6.3This Czechoslovakian children’s film takes place during the last days of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The young son of a horse trainer loves nothing more than riding his horse, until he is stricken by polio…
Jumping Over Puddles
1971
6.0A girl from a dance ensemble from Uherské Hradiště and an amateur jazz musician from Strakonice will meet at the II. National Spartakiada. Life under victorious socialism is presented as a permanent folk festival with mass gymnastic performances, dance and music. The film was said to have been very popular in Cuba at the time.
Valčík pro milión
1961
7.5Oldrich is the runt of his village, beaten by his father, bullied by the other boys. But he has imagination on his side, and a wiry toughness they can’t defeat. The village is in turmoil, because the Nazi occupiers have just retreated and the Red Army is advancing. Oldrich dodges amid the mayhem and panic, taking his share of blows but always managing to stay one step ahead.
Long Live the Republic
1965
8.0Surly solitary truck driver is given an assistant for his daily rounds: a young woman with a fondness for mini-skirts and boys, fresh out of prison.
Christmas with Elisabeth
1968
7.0A lone military unit carrying a cannon is stopped while moving from the training area by a gamekeeper who is in extreme distress because his son is seriously ill and needs acute medical attention. The lieutenant hesitates for a moment whether to help or move on...
Zatoulané dělo
1959
6.0Several foreign agents are interested in a famous Austrian scientist, the discoverer of an artificial protein. The endangered man never notices the trouble around him. His protection was entrusted to the mysterious Madame Elizabeth, amongst agents famed as the ' 006, in fact, working for State Security...
Transit Carlsbad
1966
8.0When a noted professor receives a new treatment for his heart ailment, his outlook on life changes. Despite doctor's orders, he is determined to live out his final days on his own terms and fulfill his fantasies. He saves the life of a young woman who tries to kill herself after his recovery from heart surgery in this symbolic story of a man trying to determine his own fate in his last days alive.
A Ridiculous Gentleman
1969
9.0The family is connected with Prague's "Kolbenka", the ČKD locomotive factory. Grandfather Antonín, already retired, son Rudolf, a master in the locomotive assembly section and grandson Antonín, a promising football player. The film also tells the story of Rudolf's daughter Vera - each generation has its own ideas about life and cannot identify with the others. The film is linked by retrospective sequences from the lives of Antonín the Elder and Rudolf, especially from the war years. It is a realistic take on working-class life, unencumbered by ideology (despite the opening dedication), featuring well-known and time-tested actors in mainly male roles.
The Black Dynasty
1962
6.4The young Prince Charles (Jaromír Hanzlík), the future King of his country Charles IV, is being educated at the French court in the company of his fiancée Blanche (Daniela Kolárová). One day he receives a summons from his father John of Luxembourg (Milos Kopecký) in Italy. He leaves for Italy accompanied by a deputation from Bohemia. On the way the prince's company fights a battle with armed Milanese against heavy odds. Thanks to Charles's perspicacity, the prince's almost naked soldiers win through. In Lucca in Italy Charles joins his father, and here he experiences an amorous adventure and escapes from the traps laid by the Italian rebels.
Slasti Otce vlasti
1969
10.0A group of jolly young people work in the Prague Tesla factory, also spending most of their leisure time together. One of them, guitar player Zdenek, begins to shun his friends' company. He has fallen in love with Vera, who does not belong to the group. The happy-go-lucky young man already has several acquaintances and has his own method to get a girl: to take his motorcycle, his guitar and a bottle of wine and take her to a rented houseboat. Vera, however, is different and gets angry at Zdenek. But she is fond of him and thus eventually spends a whole evening with him on the houseboat. At a preventative medical examination, the doctor tells Vera she is pregnant.
Life Without a Guitar
1963
Káj Mick has always been called Kočka (Cat). He is a sensitive young man who reacts violently to the misunderstanding of both his family and his surroundings. Finding his own way in life is his problem...
On the Tightrope
1963
7.3Psychological study of country girl Jitka and her blossoming love for an older man afraid of her youth and spontaneity.
Vertigo
1963
8.0The elder son of the farmer Marunáč dies of a work accident. His wife and younger brother fall in love and try to break free from their despotic father.
Bitter Love
1958
