Boris Rösner

Cesta ke štěstí by Hana Zagorová is an extensive music and video project that maps the singer’s successful career. On this DVD, you’ll find legendary songs from the early years of her career — Bludička Julie, Obraz smutný slečny, and Mrtvá láska. The film archives have also preserved Gvendolína, which audiences of the former Czechoslovak Television saw only during its original broadcast in 1972. Bonus DVD contains: - Discography by Hana Zagorova and Biography

Teenager Kristina Kleinburger, daughter of the commander of a concentration camp, arrives from bombed-out Berlin to visit her parents, whose life represents a world of harmony and peace for her. Her parents try to reinforce her illusions with ballet lessons, which are to be given by a former Hungarian prima ballerina. In a single day, contrary to the intentions and plans of her father, a typical German officer, Kristina's ideas and illusions about her parents' society and the security of home collapse, and the whole perversity and monstrosity of the German war and totalitarian mechanism emerges before her with tragic inexorability and the echo of the approaching end of the war. The story, setting, and characters of the film are fictional, only the tragedy of their fates is real.

The story of fifteen-year-old Renata, who lives in a small apartment with her divorced parents, takes place during the socialist era of the 1980s. Not only does she have her own problems appropriate for her age, but she is also disgusted by her parents' constant arguments, who willingly involve her in all their intimate matters. She takes revenge on them by getting into more and more trouble. She gets drunk, listens to Radio Free Europe, and rebels somewhat clumsily against the political situation. But when things get really bad, she allows herself to be rescued by her father, a member of the secret police, with a mixture of admiration and contempt. Weaned on this confused world of adults, she clumsily stands on her own two feet. Only when she falls in love with a boy she doesn't want at a dance and loses her virginity to a boy she doesn't really know, only after various emotional escapades, does she find a certain indulgence for her eternally quarreling parents...

In the film, the creative forces of personalities from three spheres of art collide. The subtitle "The Game of Love and Hate" refers to the motivation of an old Czech medieval satire, the theme belongs to Antonín Přidal, an expert on this subject. His collaboration with Juraj Herz created a collage of past and present, an updated, sharp satire and a parable about the clash of human qualities that could not but end up in the vault. The music of the Prague Selection - Michael Kocáb and Michal Pavlíček - also contributed to the film's offensive provocativeness - the film was one of the reasons for their complete move to the underground. The dancing chorus of medieval citizens resembles more of a jumble of long-haired maniacs, the edge of a contemporary dump intrudes into the space of a medieval marketplace, and the characters oscillate between the past and the present, whether in their appearance, symbolism or behaviour.

No synopsis available yet.

The life story of Blessed Zdislava of Lemberk, about whom legends rather than sparse historical references tell us that she was a deeply religious woman with healing powers who devoted herself entirely to the humble service of her sick and suffering neighbors.

A fairy tale based on Charles Deulin's story about how dancing was forbidden in the castle, yet every morning there was a pile of worn-out shoes in the princesses' chambers. The king had great trouble with his daughters, Princess Maria, Klara, and Lina. They always got up at noon, complaining of headaches and fatigue, looking pale and emaciated. But at night... The secret of the three princesses is revealed by the basket maker Peter. If Peter had not fallen in love with the youngest of the princesses, no one would ever have found out where she and her two sisters spent their nights, and why it was so difficult to wake them up in the morning. Peter is helped by a fairy who, as it turns out, is the princesses' mother.

No synopsis available yet.

No one has ever managed to enter the dark cave of the fairy Asteria twice. Anyone brought here by chance or curiosity has been petrified. Only the brave Tomas was able to convince the fairy that his anger was mostly self-inflicted. In the end, it wasn't even that hard. It was enough to awaken the feeling of love in Asteria.

The common theme of the short story film is the famous duels between two important historical figures: Pushkin and Casanova. Pushkin's tragic duel, which ended his life prematurely, is portrayed in connection with the creation of his short story "The Dirty Shot", while Casanova's story is conceived in a rather ironic and humorous way. The point is that the famous seducer never actually seduced, on the contrary, all his life he was in a constant battle with female seductions.

No synopsis available yet.

The story of the film is based on the classical tale about seven naughty sons, whom their mother cursed in anger and thus turned into ravens. When their youngest sister grew up, she decides to find her brothers and to free them. However, she falls in love with a young Prince.

No synopsis available yet.

If I die first, my husband will follow me to the tomb – this is the condition set by Princess Magdalena, with whom Prince Roland falls fatefully in love. This is what happens, but Roland uses a snake leaf to bring the princess back to life. Her life, yes, but not her soul. Magdalena is different; she seeks the prince's life, and faithful Jan, who thwarts her plot three times, pays for it by turning to stone. Only Roland's great pain and love move the White Bride enough to allow the princess's soul to return...

Life of Czechoslovak soldiers in a military unit for the so called "politically unreliable" - the Technical auxiliary battalions, aka "the black barons". Although it might seem like a political satire and it's mostly funny, it shows the reality and the absurdity of military service under the communist regime. Based on a novel by Miloslav Svandrlik.

It is certainly no coincidence that Lady Chatterley's Lover was written after World War I, in 1928. What else but the incredible, hitherto unimaginable ravages of war could once again raise fundamental questions about human existence? Who are we, what are our true values and goals, what are our hopes? Lawrence answers with a love story of a socially unequal couple, harsh, wild, unabashed. He provokes with a passionate clash of liberating feelings and surviving conventions, with free expression contained in the text itself, its style and vocabulary.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

One day, young Tom found a whistle at home and enjoyed playing it. He couldn't understand why his mother took it away from him in anger and threw it away. Tom didn't know that the whistle was the only thing his mother had left from his father, the god Cernunnos, who had abandoned her. The embittered Tom leaves home, and so begins a series of adventures, at the end of which he not only saves the country from invasion by Danish troops and wins the hand of his beloved, Princess Olwen, but also finds his father.

The story of Saint Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia, based on Josef Kajetán Tyl's stage play "Bloody Baptism".

No synopsis available yet.

When rumors spread about a "child prodigy" among the Mozarts in Salzburg, the archbishop orders an investigation in which the seven-year-old Wolfgang has to demonstrate his talent before a committee of scholars. Soon afterwards, Leopold Mozart and his son are traveling all over Europe to play for patrons and admirers. The new Archbishop of Salzburg, Count Colloredo, is not very enthusiastic about Mozart and dismisses him. Mozart marries Constanze Weber, settles in Vienna and has his first successes, earning him commissions and the goodwill of Josef II. In the last years of his life, his situation worsens; Mozart runs into financial difficulties and health problems, but still works incessantly.

A comedy concerning a down on his luck bookshop owner with a penchant for women who decides to make some money by pretending to be a waiter and collecting cash from unsuspecting diners.

Funny banter about love, sex, social status, and other ideals, while a new railway employee is trained and sent on his first run as driver.

Set in World War 2 as the Germans occupy Czechoslovakia, teenage Emilka's father is murdered by the Nazis, but she is selected for special treatment by virtue of being blonde. She is billeted with the commandant of a concentration camp near the Baltic coast, where his kindness towards her provokes his wife's jealousy, but is compromised when Emilka witnesses his brutality towards the prisoners.

No synopsis available yet.

A historical film that takes place on the eve of the thirty year war combines aspects of fairy-tales with historical dramas, fencing with a child heroes who find themselves in great dangers. We are in the year 1611 and mercenaries that had previously invaded Czech lands now have to withdraw before the Hungarian king's army. In this chaos a magical bottle, that fulfills the owner one single wish, appears among some fugitives - however after the fulfillment it has to be sold for half it's price to a new owner. The director Ludvík Ráža has created an attractive and surprisingly cruel film aimed not only at young viewers.

A young waiter named Michal gets into trouble when he is robbed of his daily takings, which he was supposed to deliver to the bank. He's on probation, so it's clear that no one trusts him. So he asks for help from a friend, Tomáš, a taxi driver, who borrows from Adamec, a dangerous bellhop. By chance, the two friends manage to find out that his colleague Kadlec and his son-in-law, garage keeper Bures, who is a stolen car dealer, are involved in Michal's robbery. With the help of Michal's girlfriend Magda, they devise a scam to punish the extortionist boss and hand over the two seemingly blameless scoundrels Kadlec and Bures to the police with the evidence.

Eva and her younger brother Johnny own two sentient octopuses made out of strange matter. Will their parents divorce and ruin Christmas? Will a scientist find a way to use their pets as fuel? Live action film with stop-motion octopuses.

This distinctive documentary portrait of Prague extolls the beauty, significance and spirit of the ancient city adopting modern way of life. The form and content of the film share a common underlining principle. The author doesn't simply list out the sequence of events, but rather approaches them in a broader context of their historic implications and circumstances. The content of the film covers a large period from the pagan times to these days. The facts are grouped under several general headings (paganry, the spread of Christianity, renaissance, baroq and modern times) with allusions to the modern life of Prague and Praguers that has its roots in those times.

The musical version of the successful play of Oldřich Daněk was transferred to the screen by director Jiří Sequens in 1986. It takes place in the 14th century in Bohemia during the reign of King Wenceslas IV. Heroes of the story are three mercenaries who always fight on the wrong side and are always beaten, but they are moral winners of all conflicts and skirmishes.

A communist journalist from Prague is sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

Saxony, devastated by the Thirty Years' War, is led by the comedy troupe of the principal Fortunato. The student Vavrinec has fled Bohemia and greatly values the text of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, which he has acquired on his wanderings around the world.

No synopsis available yet.

While on vacation with their bickering parents, young Eva and her little brother Johnny find in a polluted lake two strange friendly sentient octopuses made of strange material that attracts electricity. They take them as pets.

Otakar Vávra dedicated his latest film to events accompanying the devastation of the first World War. It takes place in representative centers of power, in the courts of Vienna, Berlin and Moscow. In parallel, it develops the fate of the Czech archivist, who will take part in the Serbian anti-Austrian branch.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

On the spare stage of J. Svoboda, director M. Macháček focuses on exploring the relationships between the characters and their motivations. In this version, the story is gradually revealed like a detective story, from the ghost’s message through the play-within-a-play to the murderous finale. Though not originally received well, the production became a Prague theatre hit before closing in 1988.

No synopsis available yet.

A television adaptation of Jan Neruda's short stories The Bachelor and Mr. Carpet's Marriage.

The distressing fate of the Czech great Jan Amos Komenský, forced to leave his homeland after the White Mountain disaster. It depicts his encounters with various European personalities of the 17th century - the Queen of Sweden, artists and scientists. It emphasises the hero's nobility, but also his inner resilience, which allowed him to overcome many personal and professional tragedies. The parable of The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart becomes part of the story. However, Comenius's concept is sculpturally lifeless and, in particular, the religious dimension is "erased" from it. The simplistic biography therefore does not avoid schoolboyish dryness.

A short film about Prague, Prague residents, and the beginning of the weekend.

Getting out of prison doesn't mean being free. After the bloody suppression of the Prague Revolution in 1848, one of its participants, the writer František Vinický, spent eight years in prison. Returning to Prague in 1857, he tries to make contact with his former friends. The main one is his former comrade-in-arms Antoš. Of course, the man's steps also lead him to his former love Ida, who has been married to the councillor Mayer for several years. Vinicky is followed at practically every turn by the secret police, who will not allow him to get a decent job, let alone publish his new book. Police Councillor Berger makes it clear to the writer that a lot could be arranged if Vinicky would commit to cooperating...

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

A theatrical recording of the 1984 production of Shakespeare's famous play by the ABC Theatre, based on the first translation of this English classic by Martin Hilský, today's most performed Shakespearean translator.

No synopsis available yet.

Restorer Rauch, who lives in an unsettled relationship with his wife, is assigned to appraise a rare collection of antiques. When he is supposed to take the items to the commission, his wife borrows a car and secretly drives off with her lover to a cottage. During the trip, they are both shot. The investigation initially leans towards a love motive, but Rauch claims that the collection included a rare goblet with rubies, which was of immense value. And the goblet has disappeared...

The protagonist is the ordinary and still blameless Evžen Macík, who one day, while waiting for his lover Maria, witnesses a robbery of a savings bank. When the robber drops a briefcase with half a million in loot, the loot falls in front of Evžen, who can't resist, picks it up and disappears. He knows that someone might have seen him at the scene of the crime, so he turns himself in as a witness to Captain Richter, who is investigating the case. Shortly thereafter, however, Maciek is contacted by the robber, who begins to force him to hand over the money with constant threats, initially only by telephone. In addition to pressure from the robber, pressure from the police is added because Captain Richter correctly suspects that Macík is hiding something from him. The mounting pressure leads to Eugene starting to make mistakes.

A poetic story about eleven years old girl who is mostly sitting at home on her wheelchair but with the help of a green balloon is able to find new friends.

No synopsis available yet.

A young man seeks freedom and eventually gets conformed. To escape society, he wanders south. After some adventures he returns to his lover, where he expects a civil career.

On 20th of April 1945 the Soviet army launches its attack on Berlin. The end has come for Nazi Germany and Hitler decides to commit suicide. In Prague K.H. Frank (Nazi Secretary of State and Chief of police in the Protectorate of Bohemia a Moravia) discusses with his commanders how to transform the city into an impregnable fortress, but the Praguers do not intend to wait any longer. From the early hours of 4th of May people start assembling in the streets and tearing down German signs. On the next day, the 5th of May, the uprising begins.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.