Karol Spišák

Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.

Based on one of the most famous mysterious disappearances in the world, Richard John Bingham, the Seventh Earl of Lucan, was accused of the murder of 29-year-old nanny Sandra Rivett on 7 November 1974, at his family home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street, in London. Three days later, police found his borrowed Ford Corsair abandoned some 16 miles away near the docks of Newhaven. Since then there have been many reported 'sightings' of Lord Lucan around the globe viz. Africa, Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland and Sicily.

In 1980s CSSR, depressed Martin tries to overcome the feeling of being locked up with jazz music.

No synopsis available yet.

The tragicomedy of a man who, by inappropriately attending the wedding of his subordinate, wants to demonstrate humanistic thinking in a society that is not ripe for such ideas. However, it turns out that even for him humanism is just a declared empty concept, serving to gain popularity. His whole democratization "mission" results in a farce, for which, out of offended vanity, he takes merciless revenge on his subordinates and on the whole environment...

No synopsis available yet.

The story of a brother's hard-tested love, based on Arthur Schnitzler's novel.

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A romantic-adventure set in early 14th-century Slovakia, where the powerful lord Matúš Čák Trenčiansky encounters figures drawn from Hurban, Pauliny-Tóth, Záborský, and Jége. As love and loyalty intertwine with political intrigue, their intertwined fates lead to the pivotal Battle of Rozhanovce in 1312, revealing Matúš’s struggle to reconcile personal passions with the wider destiny of his region in European history.

On one side stands an evil sorcerer, on the other a good Old Man. Between them, the unhappy Janek struggles for his happiness, Princess Alina for her love, and the unhappy king searches for self-respect. The miraculous stone that Janek has received from the Old Man can bring happiness, wealth, success, but only for Janek himself. With the help of the stone, he wins for himself a princess from the hands of a cruel sorcerer. Janek finally has his love, but the Wizard takes revenge and takes the land's water. The young man's happiness is too lonely, the people of the land are facing misery and suffering. What will Janek do?

A melodramatic story of a young woman Kristina, who briefly manages to survive the illusion of a rich happy life, but cannot bear to return to the sad reality.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

A story of a family that after WWII moved to the south of Slovakia and acquired a prosperous butcher business left behind by a Hungarian emigrant. From the previous owner, the family also inherited a self-assured, greedy assistant who does not like to observe any firm moral principles. He assists the family in gaining wealth but in the long run, he causes the family's moral dissolution. In his most successful feature film, director Zoro Záhon combined a complex drama with excellent acting performances, especially that of Hungarian actor Gábor Koncz in the lead role.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

Johanka had a fling with a well digger she had not met before and who, she was most likely certain, would never be around again. Just before his departure, they have sex and she eventually becomes single mother of a baby girl. Now, 18 years later, her daughter Paulina commutes by bus to work in the nearby city, which gives the village gossips the occasional opportunity to remind her of her unknown father. A resultant conflict with her mother makes Paulina take up residence in the city. Johanka, prodded by her also-single friend Jozefka who maintains that a woman without a man is nothing, begins to woo the new teacher Jarek only to discover later that he is married. Paulina, in the meantime, loses her virginity to the soldier Jirka who promptly makes himself scarce. Johanka fails to consider that she actually has a better life than some of her married neighbors, begins to see.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

Young Dasha lives in a small town. Her father is a prominent man, the owner of a restaurant. However, when her father's connections are not enough to get Dasha accepted to college, she has to spend the summer working part-time in her father's business. Love, friends, even running away from home, all belong to this period of Dasha's life. The failed wedding arranged by her parents, the patronizing imposition of university studies at a price that the girl fears - all this brings on the one hand a deep disappointment in her own parents, but over time also the recognition of her own mistakes.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

A humorous film about the emotional problems of adolescence. Sisters Helena and Vlasta, one aspiring to win a hairdressing competition and the other dreaming of a career as a famous model, have their own ideas about a great future, but gradually realize that in life they must also count on failures and defeats.

No synopsis available yet.

To have the opportunity to play in a movie, many a girl dreams. To look behind the scenes of filmmaking, to become well-known, popular, maybe even famous... that's one side of the coin. The other side demands discipline, self-denial, perseverance, which is not so attractive to people anymore. This is what Viki, an eighth-grader, has to go through on her way to film fame.

No synopsis available yet.

Old farmer Martin Hudec summons his three estranged sons back to their native village to mow a family meadow. As they spend days together, old pains and personality clashes surface…

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

Young provincial actor Perda, long confined to minor roles, is cast unexpectedly as the lead in a vacuous new play by an ambitious writer. Despite a lackluster script and an audience that largely abandons the performance at intermission, the production proceeds to secure funding. Frustrated by being told to blend in, Perda ultimately decides to assert himself boldly on stage.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

A comedy about Simon, an honest, clever confectioner. In practical life, the humble bachelor becomes an easy prey to his boss, his mother, and hordes of women eager to get married. The story incorporates well-tested methods of nearly all major periods in the history of film comedy: from a lumierish etude with the garden hose to a melancholic tramp to the menace of the streets Jacques Tati. Director Juraj Herz made a major contribution to the modest tradition of Slovak film comedy.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

A psychological film depicting the professional beginnings of a young architect. As the head of a design studio, his uncompromising attitude arouses hostility and hatred from colleagues and subordinates accustomed to an easy life through patronage and bribery.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

A young man named Milan arrives at the zoo, having decided to study veterinary medicine. He meets his older colleague Kalman, a tough and cruel zookeeper who despotically controls not only the animals but also the people around him. From that moment on, their paths in life constantly cross, and the tension between them grows, also due to their shared interest in the same woman.

In Slovakia, they often and gladly honored those soldiers who refused to serve the fascist regime and stood against it. Lieutenant Kukorelli also rejected the tempting career of a pilot, instead helping the resistance fighters and later participating in the Slovak National Uprising.

No synopsis available yet.

The story of a young college student who loses his parents and well-off family background in a car accident. He gradually finds inner balance with the help of a group of young workers whose friendship helps him overcome difficult life problems.

A two-part television film based on the novel of the same name by Rudolf Jašík, depicting a realistic picture of life and interpersonal relationships during World War II in the mixed Slovak-German environment of the town of Pravna and the nearby village of Planice, as well as life and relationships between soldiers on the Eastern Front. From this perspective, the plot follows a unit of Slovak soldiers, their realisation that they are fighting for foreign interests, their dissatisfaction and distrust of everything, especially their officers.

Set in Bratislava, university friends Turo and Andrey are paralyzed by existential dread under the shadow of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear war. Rejecting long-term goals, Turo is an astronomy student that adopts a hedonistic lifestyle, while Andrey channels his anxiety into a sculpture for Hiroshima. This shared trauma ultimately tests their friendship and undermines their relationships.

No synopsis available yet.

Two female clerks using up their savings to enjoy a few days of carefree life, two plumbers looking for an erotic adventure, a building contractor determined to drink away all wages of his workers and a former major who became an alcoholic due to political persecution — these people meet in a ski resort bar somewhere in the High Tatras. During one night they gradually reveal their unfulfilled dreams, illusions and disappointments of ”average" people of those times.

No synopsis available yet.

Set in 1960s Bratislava, the film follows a cynical, thirty-year-old architect named Andrej who unexpectedly falls deeply in love with Vanda, a free-spirited and spontaneous young woman. However, their burgeoning relationship is quickly strained by his growing possessiveness and desire for a traditional marriage.

Seven people waiting for their death. A group of assasins - three men and two women - and Gypsy thief spend their time in prison to be tucked up.

The tragic story of a village fool - hussar Ondráš Machuľa, who became a victim of a fabled love for a pretty farm girl, Zuzka Bezanova.

A psychological drama from the judiciary. Lawyer Kolár handles the case of the rape and murder of a fourteen-year-old girl and tries to remove the fifteen-year-old boy from suspicion and subsequent conviction based on discrepancies in the case file.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

Slovak partisans, bravely fighting against Nazi superiority, would never have succeeded to such an extent if they had not been supported by the villagers. Despite the threat of repression, it is the villagers who care for the wounded, hide them, and behave conscientiously. Although the film was made in the late 1960s, it fully adopts the patterns of partisan stories, perhaps the only thing it can be credited with is a more developed sense of authenticity in the story, characters, and setting.

A dramatic story from the setting of a youth de tention center. Youngster Jakub, out of delusory solidarity, gets convicted of theft and goes to prison in place ofthe "sheriff" of his gang. He naively hopes that the sheriff will appreciate his gesture and leaves the stolen goods in a safe hideaway to later divide them fairly among the gang members. This conviction gives Jakub the strength to endure the unbearable conditions in the center. But reality is often much harsher than naive ideals and hollow relations in the gang.