Otakar Brousek

In post-WWII Communist Czechoslovakia, several characters considered bourgeois are sentenced to work in a junkyard for rehabilitation. Among them is a young man who pines for a female convict.

Prince Thomas longed to prove to himself and his royal parents that he was truly an adult. And on the day he came of age, his father gave him a unique opportunity—an opportunity called Blouzov. Blouzov, an old castle that the prince was to rule alone, was no ordinary place. There were many rumors about it, and they were quite wild. But the truth turned out to be even darker than the speculation. In fact, Blouzov was ruled by the chambermaid Johana with the help of dark forces. She and her equally mischievous son, the water sprite Artur, involved the inexperienced Tomáš in their vile intrigues as soon as he appeared at the castle. And even though he soon gained powerful allies and helpers for his "test of adulthood"—his childhood friend Petr and his beautiful sister Jitka—it was not at all easy to stand up to the evil spells and keep his wits about him at the right moment.

No synopsis available yet.

Dr. Lauren is staying in Prague for a conference and falls in love with Czech writer Jiri Kolmar.

Capturing the dark humor of Czech author Michal Viewegh's chronicle of life after the Velvet Revolution, this black comedy chronicles three decades in the life of a small Czech family. While the original novel centered on the protagonist Kvido from his conception through his adulthood, first time director Petr Nikolaev and screenwriter Jan Novak changed the focus to his parents Milena, an extremely self-effacing lawyer who acts on stage in her spare time, and Ales, a rather aimless government worker who tends to drift wherever the wind takes him. The lives of Ales and Milena change dramatically following the Russian invasion of Prague in 1968.

Biography of Karel Čapek.

No synopsis available yet.

Georges Flavier, once renowned Parisian hairdresser, lives alone since the death of his son and the departure of his wife. One night, he saves a stranger from drowning in the Canal Saint-Martin.

In 1897, in a castle near the town of Werewolfville in the Carpithians, a slightly deranged Professor Orfanik experiments with his new inventions which include, even at this early date, television and a film camera. He is also an obsessed opera fan, keeps the body of his favorite diva preserved in a crypt in the castle. In order to keep away nosy visitors, the baron's mad-scientist assistant invents all sorts of spooky phenomena in order to give the castle a creepy reputation.

Young knight John travels the world in search of fame and fortune, but also to help others and prove himself. However, things go dire fast and he becomes burdened with life's hardships. But then he meets a pretty water nymph, Mary.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

The Czech film Svítalo All Night was made to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the liberation of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Army and is dedicated to all those who fought and gave their lives in Prague in the May Uprising of 1945. Behind the historical events, the creators see mainly their simple, unassuming participants. Thus, we are presented with a number of apt portraits, whether it is the central hero Dr. Soukup and nurse Daniela on the side of the fighting Czechs, or a captain and a simple private in a Red Army unit coming to the aid of the fighting Prague, or an old, war-weary German major, who only realises the senselessness of the war at the sight of a fanatical, cynical lieutenant for whom Nazi ideology represents the meaning of life.

A remake of Vávra's 1948 atomic age thriller Krakatit. Engineer Prokop creates the devastating explosive “Krakatit” and soon confronts manipulative agents and imperialist conspiracies. Realizing his invention’s threat, he fights to prevent its misuse, risking everything to stop those who seek to exploit his epochal discovery.

No synopsis available yet.

In Vražda v hotelu Excelsior, the interwar period homicide detective squad from Prague investigates the murder of a wealthy woman, Mrs Matoušová, which threatens the reputation of the eponymous luxury hotel popular with Prague’s elite. Even the retired police inspector Mrázek (František Filipovský), who works at the Excelsior as a hotel detective, is unable to help at first. Although the investigation inevitably uncovers the hotel staff’s scheming, Vacátko and his team unerringly follow the trail that leads them to the murderer…

Honza Pavelka (Jan Hrusínský) wins the junior motorbike speed races. His thirteen-year-old brother Martin (Roman Cada), his assistant and biggest fan, answers the questions of his schoolfriend Pavlína in a superior tone. Student Zuzana (Libuse Safránková), who gave her scarf to Honza to wear around his neck for the races as a talisman is Honza's girlfriend. He met her when he came to her parent's home to repair the TV set. Honza declines an invitation to celebration with his friends. He goes off with Zuzana instead, but she refuses his intimate advances. The offended young man, who is about to serve his two years in the army, tries to blackmail her emotionally and the couple breaks up. Martin tries various schemes to bring them together again.

No synopsis available yet.

A painter, whose art and views diverge considerably from the conventional society of a small American town, is suspected of murdering his wife. When passions are unleashed against him during a local election, he saves his life by fleeing to a cave in the nearby forest and from there, with the help of children whose trust he has gained, he organizes a successful search for the real murderer in the form of a children's game.

Cyril Dadák (Václav Postránecký), a TV reporter falls in love at first sight with a young engineer Milena (Jaroslava Obermaierová) while he makes a reportage in a chemical factory. Milena has been dating for several years with a test driver Pavel (Rudolf Jelínek), however when she meets Cyril she feels that he might be the Mr Right. She accepts Cyril's invitation for a date and she spends a night with him. In the morning she finds in her flat Pavel. She wants to explain to him everything but Pavel makes coffee with a smile and gives her back the keys from the flat.

The problematic protagonist is the head designer of a housing association who wants to make a profit at any cost. His unwitting opponent is a bar pianist who accidentally witnesses the murder of a young man and sets out to investigate on his own. An old-world and somewhat comical figure, he poignantly interferes with the cops' work, only to find that he is the one who is credited with catching the perpetrator...

After many decades in Germany, Marie Hahn will come to Prague to meet her relatives and friends. She learns unflattering information about her husband's behaviour during the German occupation, she suffers health problems, but even her daughter is not interested in helping her mother...

The main character of the story is Professor Trojan, the head of a Prague clinic, who is not experiencing the happiest of times. His cat has been poisoned with cyanide, he has a falling out with his son Petr, who has moved to Brno to be with his wife, the promising singer Eva, and only seeks out his father when he needs money, and as if that weren't enough, someone shoots him in the evening. Trojan initially considers it a mistake or a prank and does not share the fears of those around him. But then cyanide is discovered and one of the patients takes it from the assistant Dvoracek, who borrowed it for an unauthorized experiment. Trojan pairs the cyanide with a gunshot and slowly begins to suspect that someone is trying to kill him. At first he suspects Dvorak, who might become the foreman after his death, but later, as he falls deeper and deeper into a psychosis of fear and apprehension, he begins to suspect everyone around him...

In 1944, the popular film actress Hlínová is arrested by the Gestapo for sheltering a Resistance man. A film producer uses his connections with the Nazis to promote her in order to finish the film. Just before the last day of filming, actress Hlínová realizes that she is under constant guard and wants to escape. However, she is arrested again.

The years of Mánes' studies at art schools and on the period when the mature and distinctive artist was already promoting his concept of a new decoration of the Old Town Clock.

A psychological drama about a nurse and a seriously ill car racer and factory driver...

The thrilling story begins in 1318, during the reign of John of Luxembourg, when the Czech nobility rebelled against the king. However, the lord of Zlenice, Oldřich of Zlenice, did not join the resistance. He summoned the surrounding nobles to his castle for negotiations... and in the morning he was found dead. He had been murdered in his chamber, which was locked from the inside!

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

A New Year's Eve television variety show from late 1979.

A quarrel between divorced waitress Mája and her fifteen-year-old son Petr ends with the boy physically attacking his mother, and he is sent to an institution for juvenile delinquents.

No synopsis available yet.

This feature film based on the events of 1938 is a chronicle of the futile efforts of the Czechoslovak president Edvard Benes (Jirí Pleskot), politicians and ordinary citizens, to save the independence and the territorial integrity of the state from the advance of Hitler's Germany. On the 29th of March 1938 the leader of the Sudeten Germans Henlein (Werner Ehrlicher) has a meeting with Hitler (Gunnar Möller). Hitler orders him to intensify pressure on the Czechoslovak government. On the 24th of April in Carlsbad, the Sudetendeutsche Partei (Sudeten German Party) decides upon eight demands that are unacceptable to the Czechoslovak President, since they would ultimately lead to the break-up of the Republic. Benes still shows a certain willingness to negotiate, and Henlein resents this. The Germans are determined to make further negotiations impossible through incidents and violence.

Captain Záruba investigates after an anonymous tip flags the seemingly extravagant lifestyle of Chemotex technician Dagmar Králová. Summoned to discuss the matter, Králová’s quarrel with engineer Vaněček, who secretly runs a suburban bootleg alcohol factory, triggers panic among the illicit network led by hotelier Černý. When Králová is found dead near the site of a murdered hitchhiker, autopsy reveals a different killer, launching parallel murder investigations. Forensic teams uncover the clandestine distillery, and gradually piece together motives and perpetrators behind both deaths.

In a Prague shop, an assistant has been carrying on an affair with the dishonest, married manager. An emotionally repressed auditor with domestic problems of his own uncovers serious stock discrepancies. A test of loyalties and a questioning of values concludes in tragedy.

No synopsis available yet.

Two friends are living in Verona, Valentino and Proteo. Proteo professes his love to the charming Julia, who, after an initial misunderstanding, reciprocates his feelings. Valentino mocks his infatuation, but not for long. He leaves for Milan, where he falls in love with Silvia, the duke's daughter.

A poor miner, Kuba Dařbuján, cares for his wife Markýtka and eleven children. When a newborn arrives, he seeks a godfather and, finding only Death fair to all, accepts a pact: as a doctor whom Death accompanies at the foot of a patient’s bed, he can heal; but if Death stands at the head, no cure is possible. Kuba eventually heals even a miserly brewer, violating the pact and imprisoning Death, leading to a world where no one can die and unforeseen chaos follows.

In this crime story, surprisingly, neither the all-powerful criminals nor the spies or saboteurs are pursued, as was once common. The plot is almost mundane: someone unwittingly siphoned off alcohol from a tanker, unaware that it was deadly methyl alcohol, intended for industrial use. Finding out where the poison has been transported and which people it endangers requires painstaking work.

No synopsis available yet.

Ostrava - Kunčice , 1953: on the same day as the manifestation funeral for J. V. Stalin, the funeral of Brigadier Bédi Nevěřil, a tragic victim of the bureaucratic cadre machine... The story unfolds in the memoirs of another brigadier, former journalist Karel Kratochvil.

Ing. Bernard announces that his wife has not returned from visiting relatives in Berlin. Lieutenant Tereza Machátová, who together with Captain Landa is investigating the matter, puts the facts into connection with the discovery of the drowned woman's body.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

Besides presenting an actual exhibition, this film about a Monument of National Literatuře also presents an interpretation of the history of Czech literature that was subject to the mores of that time. It looks at the exhibition chronologically, it comments on documents from the beginnings of the national literature up to the 1950s, emphasises the importance of the relationship of the present time with the national cultural tradition. It labels the museum itself as a “people’s university” and draws attention to its educational role.

This primarily comprises a defence reportage that nonetheless uses elements of instructional and promotional film at the same time. On the one hand, the film depicts authentic competition between participants, but also contains fictional passages in which competitors must confront obstacles on the course and teach viewers how to behave in dangerous situations.

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It shows the Neretva river from its source to the shores of the Adriatic Sea. The document also captures the original four-hundred-year-old bridge in Mostar.

The story of a friendship for life and death captures a real event that took place in the snowy Krkonoše Mountains in 1913. The actors of the drama were Bohumil Hanč, one of our first ski racers, and his friend Václav Vrbata. The film's plot takes place between 1912 and 1913 and is framed by two international 50 km races. After winning in 1912, Bohumil Hanč wants to stop racing at the behest of his wife Slávka. In 1913, strong foreign competitors enter the race, so Bohumil succumbs to the pleas of his friends and decides to race for the last time. However, the weather changes during the race. Strong winds and snow begin to blow, severe frost sets in, and for the racers, it means a fight for their lives.

A document on a new method of treating scarlet fever with penicillin.

Document about the last census in Czechoslovakia.

Documentary about the Peace Congress held in Vienna in 1952. The film shows the opening speech of the President of the World Peace Council, Professor F. Joliot-Curie followed by speeches by a number of outstanding peace activists, representatives of nations from 85 countries. In addition to the main session, the film also includes footage of the meetings of the various commissions and sub-commissions, then footage of the streets of Vienna, where the peace delegates were besieged by the youth of Vienna and their requests for autographs, and then footage of the closing session of the Congress and the procession through which the Viennese greeted the peace delegates. The film was made with the cooperation of the Polish State Film, DEFY and Czechoslovak State Film.

The rude and bitter mining engineer Štěrba strongly opposes the proposal of his colleague Ing. Vochoče to reopen mining in the old mine. Vochoč's plan is precisely prepared and could solve many problems. However, Štěrba does not want to explain anything to anyone, he does not want to talk to anyone, his only refuge is the pub and his only friend is a glass of alcohol. He has resigned himself to a relationship with his wife. No one knows that he has very good reasons to prevent Vochoč and the others from taking their meritorious initiative...

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

A film documenting preparations for the 11th Sokol festival – from training in gyms throughout the country to practical issues concerning the organisation of the event. It shows how accommodation, catering, and transport in Prague were dealt with during the festival as well as how it was necessary to refurbish a stadium for it. It counts the numbers of workers and tons of material. It shows crowds heading to the stadium and it ends with the opening ceremony for the event.