The miner Dařbuján has a lot of children that he cannot support and another one has just been born. He needs to find a godfather and three are offered: God, the Devil and Death. Dařbuján chooses Death because he is the only one who is fair, he treats the poor and the rich equally. When Dařbuján is considering what to do to provide for his family, Death advises him to get a doctorate and immediately offers him help in his new trade. If Death stands at the feet of a sick person, Dařbuján will heal him within three days. However, if he stands at the head, the sick person is finished and Dařbuján must not interfere in his trade...
Police discover Eva Nejtková dead in her apartment and her husband Zdeněk unconscious from a shotgun wound. Captain Hora leads the investigation, noting that the killer struck Eva fatally and shattered her large aquarium, yet carefully transferred the goldfish into a smaller tank. Initial suspicion falls on Zdeněk’s apparent suicide attempt, but financial records and the absence of drugs at the scene shift focus. Detectives trace psychotropic medication supplies to Eva’s dealings with local addicts. As they question these “práškaři,” they uncover a network of illicit sales and potential motives tied to debts and blackmail. Clues from the supplier’s arrest and addicts’ testimonies gradually reveal whether Eva’s murder was linked to her clandestine drug trade or if a more personal betrayal lies at the heart of the crime.
Caesar is the name of the dog with which a little boy, only seven years old, sets out on a great quest to find his mother. She once gave him the dog before she emigrated. The boy does not agree with his father's intentions to remarry, even though the new mother is supposed to be a sympathetic governess from a children's sanatorium. The film was made at the very end of the former regime, but it was not released until the changed political situation.
Lying in the construction industry used to be a criminal offence, but skilful people could do a lot of things. This somewhat embarrassing tragicomedy convinces us that even builders should be honest. The protagonist here is a moral designer who occasionally drops in to sing to enjoy something other than work.
Kuba and Amálka love each other, but Kuba doesn't want to get married yet, which makes Amálka a little sad. When Kuba learns from her that their pear tree is producing pears with long ears, he immediately gets an idea on how to make money from them. From that moment on, a real mess begins. Amálka does break the spell on the long-eared hunter when she gives him a real kiss, thinking it's Kuba. But then Kuba lets the cuckold princess taste the magic apple. Amálka is angry with Kuba and who knows if she'll help him this time. But - what if the cuckold princess really had Kuba's head cut off, as she threatens, and Amálka would lose her groom?
Inspired by two fairy tales by Jan Drda, this film tells the story of young Matěj, who enjoys a good riddle. When he is chased off by a farmer for falling in love with his daughter Majdalenka, he sets off to the castle to see the princess, who presents her suitors with three riddles. But Matěj always escapes any pitfalls that he may encounter. (filmovyprehled)
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.
A medium-length educational color film. Láďa, Honzík, and Karel wander around town, feeling a little bored. Then they meet an older man who offers them an adventure: flying back in time in a rocket. The boys gladly accept and climb into the time machine with little Zuzanka...
The story of a practical education environment without superficiality, clichés and affectations. The film is based on a real basis and shows what happens when the system fails. Set in the harsh environment of elementary school. The group of local students - young thugs are accused of rape and murder of a young trainee. Still have not been sentenced yet and still attend school. Until it starts young teacher, who had his unorthodox approach gains the sympathy of other cantors and students. For what purpose, however, really came to school, find out until the end of the story.
A group of children from 1930s Prague follow the news about the polar expedition of the Chelyuskin, whose members find themselves stranded on a floating crust after the shipwreck. The rescue operation they had planned eventually turns out to be an aid to the striking workers of Děčín...
Several of the works of writer Bohumil Říha have been filmed. This novel by the pro-regime writer also inspired a children’s film, which was directed in 1981 by the experienced family filmmaker Václav Gajer. The story takes place in 1947 and it is based on the popular model of the relationship between a human hero and an indomitable animal protagonist. The tale of the freedom necessary for life, is, of course, beholden to the standards of the time: the Hucul horse that heals an old villager, has remained in the small village in Šumava after the Soviet soldiers have left. This is a pleasing movie that engages with the acting performance of Zdeněk Řehoř and the depiction of the indisputable beauty of the Šumava landscape as shot by cameraman Jan Němeček.
The life of cabaret and theater actress Xena Longenová.
Even under socialism, which proclaimed the equality of all people, there were status differences. A young bricklayer, who has fallen in love with a college girl from a "better" family, feels this first-hand - the girl's petty bourgeois parents are fundamentally opposed to an unequal relationship from their point of view. In protest, the young lovers decide to live in a tent for the time being and go straight to the park. The surprisingly clueless director Ladislav Rychman has tried to merge disco songs with a tame satire on modern-day rich people.
The Lakota king is so stingy that he wants to marry his only daughter, Princess Forgetful, to Prince Bohatu, even though the girl doesn't like the groom because he is conceited and "empty-headed." But at the right moment, the blacksmith's son Ondřej, a singer, appears on the scene and protects her from unwanted marriages...
Two aspiring car racers have a big dream: they want to make a journey to the heart of Africa. But their value system is severely skewed, and one of them is willing to steal to do it. What's more, he causes a car accident, from which he tries to escape, and ends up in prison.
Andula is the outspoken eldest daughter of a poor cottager. She has to take care of her siblings and the household and has a lot to do. She has no luck at home, so she decides to go out into the world. She and her little brother go to the forest to see a wizard to learn magic. But Andulka doesn't need any magic, all she needs are skillful hands, a good heart and a smart head. And she chooses the right groom for herself accordingly.
In Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, a doctor-turned-warehouse employee reluctantly agrees to treat a gravely wounded political fugitive, putting himself and everyone living in his building complex in danger.
An anthology in three jazz-infused tales: an idealistic student’s romance with a pragmatic trumpeter; a vibraphonist’s urgent journey ending in tragedy; and drummer Honza’s moral dilemma as he confronts how far he’ll go to obtain his dream kit.
A short film about Prague, Prague residents, and the beginning of the weekend.
The filmmakers gave a glimpse into an everyday family through four micro-stories that focused mainly on love plots. They notice the usual situations when things go wrong - for example, on a Sunday off or on holiday, they show how a misunderstood person feels...
A film in five episodes, all based on an attempt to show the life of young people today, their feelings and relationships, their behaviour in public and private life.
Pavlata, the director of an educational institution for juvenile offenders, will push for the early release of Pepík Adamec, whom he respects for his sincere efforts and good work record. However, the boy bears the dishonest and dishonourable behaviour of adults in his new job and in his family.
It all begins at Prague Airport, where American agents have brought Major Maisner, who has been expelled from the United States, in handcuffs. He returns to his place of work, the Central Police Academy, despite having been demoted to lieutenant for his "performance" and his position as academy commander having been taken over by the newly promoted Captain Hrubec. Maisner meets his former students, who now teach at the school. They all welcome him enthusiastically and receive gifts from him. While psychologist Kudláková, who is attracted to commanding types, has lost interest in the demoted Maisner and is now passionately in love with Hrubec, Boženka Vinklářová, who has broken up with the gypsy Štefan and now teaches dactyloscopy at the school, focuses her attention on him. Maisner recounts how he jumped off a skyscraper in America to defend himself against Simona Ptáčková's advances.
The film, which opens with students arriving at a police academy, is a crazy comedy that is more a series of zany episodes and jokes than a coherent story. They are linked by a simple plot in which the commander of the police academy, Major Maisner, searches among his recruits for an alleged FBI spy and, after a not-so-subtle practical joke, gets into a dispute with his subordinate, a dispute that ends in a genuine bank robbery.
The fate of father and son Horáček, but this time they switched roles. Jirka has married, settled down and grown up, while his father is in trouble because he has "second lymphoma" and, feeling that he is missing the last train, he starts a relationship with a stripper, Ala, dyes his hair, but mostly he likes a pretty and kind nurse, Lucie. Although he behaves in such a way that it seems to others as if he has lost his mind, everything turns out well, of course.
Jirka Horáček, a teenager living with his father on a Pilsen housing estate, spends his free time at discos with friends. One night he meets the confident blonde Eva, who is already involved with an older suitor, Cáfa, and also encounters the kind Jitka. Despite Jitka’s interest, Jirka becomes infatuated with Eva and tries to win her favor, all while his reckless pursuits strain his relationship with his impatient father.
Who among us would not want to find themselves, at least for a short time, in the romantic era of knightly duels, a time when friendship, love, and honor were valued above all else—even life itself? In today's fairy tale, we invite you to step into this era, into a mysterious world of magic and suspense. The young and likable heir to the throne, Prince Kornel, returns from enemy captivity. However, his journey home is full of unexpected twists and turns – both joyful and sad. In the woods, he meets a beautiful stranger whom he cannot forget. Upon his return to the royal castle, he learns that much has changed during his absence. His father has died under mysterious circumstances, and Kornel's cousin now rules the kingdom...
In a suburban villa, a woman of means is murdered. Police Superintendent Zdychynec from the Prague Liben neighborhood reports the case to Police Councilman Vacátko, upon whose order an investigation is launched immediately. Zdychynec begins to suspect the wooer of his own daughter, a handsome dragoon named Rudi, of the crime. In Rudi's absence, Zdychynec searches his rented room in the apartment of the elegant Mrs Dragicová. All his findings - among others, sand left on Rudi's jackboots and a decent amount of money in his bedside table - convince the superintendent that he is following the right lead, especially when Rudi refuses to say where he was at the time of the murder.
Those who take too long to choose their life partner usually take too long - so goes the old saying. Even a long indecisive girl, who is looking in vain for someone who would fully impress her, is convinced of its truth...
Three detective stories, three different views of life and death... Collection of three horror short stories.
In modern hospitals are carried out intensive cardiac surgery. Daily operations individually comments attendant Cajthaml ... Stylized ,, dream "scene are combined with documentary footage of actual operations, which were filmed at the University Hospital in Hradec Králové. The unique cinematic experiment theater and TV director after only a few years remind viewers.
A car deliberately runs down a young man on a road by a small border town. The locals recognize the dead man as one of the students who were there on volunteer work some time before. The police detectives, Major Kalas (Rudolf Hrusínský) and Lieutenant Varga (Radoslav Brzobohatý) can then get on the trail of the people with whom the victim was involved, especially at the photographic studio headed by Bohuslav Pacer (Bohus Záhorský).
Czechoslovakian Zbynek Brynych directs this psychological drama set in World War II Terezin ghetto. A dark, visual portrayal of the trials and tribulations the Theresienstadt people faced on a daily basis presented in a series of memorable stories. Their hopes and dreams unfold against the perpetual threat of deportation (or worse) by the Nazis. Based on the novel "Night and Hope" by Arnost Lustig.
Day in the life of teenagers.
A group of soldiers is supposed to ensure the smooth nighttime passage of the military convoy through Prague, but things turn out differently. Eloquent young men convince the good-natured commander to sign a leave of absence, and the main character is left alone in the middle of a housing estate...
Leo Popper is a happy family man living in rural Bohemia in the years preceding the Nazi invasion. Out of economic necessity he moves with his family to the big city and becomes an enterprising vacuum cleaner salesman. There he embarks on a series of adulterous adventures, has encounters with boxing pros and famous portrait artists, and schemes to purchase the perfect pond to fulfill his passion for fishing. When the Nazis gain control, the comedy turns sour - he loses his lake, his job, and finally, his family.
Fifty-year-old Ondřej Bozděch delivers coal around Prague's Žižkov district and he loves it more than anything. He has spent his whole life here and knows all the cellars. He lives his ordinary life among the Žižkov tenement houses, enjoying the joys and sorrows of his teenage daughter Markéta and his restless son Ondra. His best friend is his driver Karel, a former mathematician who once had to leave his job at a research institute for political reasons. Although Karel is an engineer and a completely different person than the straightforward Ondrej, he has become almost a member of the Bozděch family over time. But times are changing. The old houses of Žižkov disappear one by one, Markéta has to get married and Karel is offered to return to his original profession. Ondřej has to stop and think about what kind of life he is living...
A television adaptation of the poetic play by Vítězslav Nezval. The love story of the knight de Grieux and the sinful saint Manon was staged for the television screen with an extraordinary sense of poetic value in 1970. Poetic salons with many mirrors, decorative candlesticks, flowing curtains.
When he didn't want her, a stick or a charmer was used, in more serious cases the love stone helped. When he wanted her too much, an extract of wormwood, comfrey and anise, slightly sharpened with brandy, was slipped to the young man. The marriage recipes were simple at first glance and apparently very effective, judging by the punishments of those who secretly engaged in witchcraft alchemy. Even three hundred years ago, association with unclean forces and possession by the devil meant being sent to the stockade or sentenced to death by burning. This was exactly the fate that befell Magdalena, the parish cook, and Marta, the widow of a wigmaker. As witches, they were condemned to have their souls wander forever without consolation. Three hundred and thirteen years later, Magdalene and Martina's souls managed to "incarnate" into the bodies of two modern women.
In 1947 Prague, Holocaust survivor Dita lives in a hostel for orphans, acting as a protective mentor to a younger girl while failing to fix her own shattered life. Unable to form lasting bonds or find a place in a society that has moved on, she drifts through emotional isolation.
Nineteen-year-old Pavel Kříž spends all his free time in Prague's arcades, bistros and discos with a group of thieves called Roby. Pavel has a high school diploma, but works as a window cleaner, and a large part of his income comes from the scams, scams and thefts of Roby's crew, to whom he supplies guaranteed tips. So he's not too happy when the cleaning manager assigns him a young temp, Jana Hálková. Although the girl makes no secret of her distaste for Pavel's way of life, a fragile emotional bond develops between them. But this cannot last in the environment in which Pavel moves. The young man gets into more and more trouble - part of Roby's party is caught by the police and he cannot find the money to pay back the debt. The situation escalates when a group of thieves kidnap Jana...
Two happily married couple, Michal and Blanka, experience a regrettable misunderstanding: the wife leaves home with their young son, but unfortunately her husband does not find the explanatory letter. Normally, he would wait for the matter to resolve itself, as he does not believe that his wife would just leave him, but he is under a lot of pressure: from his own parents, his neighbor, his mother-in-law, and his "good friends." They all advise him that the only solution is an immediate divorce. After a week, everything is explained, Michal finds Blanka's note and realizes how little he trusted Blanka and how easily he believed others...
Chronicle of frontier division Czech police (SNB) in the years 1946 - 1949.
Criminal comedy, a fourth movie from the "Chief" series.
Life in communist Czechoslovakia in the early 1950s and the punishments for going against the state.
The two heroes of the film's story - the decent but dry engineer Zárub and the marriage swindler Majer - are granted this wish by the mysterious forces of the moon. The two men change their appearance, which, however, contrasts sharply with their unchanged characters and voices. The incomprehensible swap naturally becomes the source of many comic plots and situations.
The biggest threat to a successful crackdown on drug traffickers and consumers is the international hitman Barták, sent to the Czech Republic to eliminate all his collaborators...
Criminal comedy, a first movie from the "Chief" series.
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.
The film is a metaphor for the Cold War. It depicts two neighbouring nations: peace loving Fortuna and the not so peaceful land of the Steel City.
The year is 1943. The war is raging between the Germans and the Allies in North Africa. A truck with a Czech crew, Lieutenant Navara and six soldiers, escapes from the Foreign Legion fortress. Their aim is to reach the Allies and fight against Nazism. The truck is destroyed by a German army plane, which is hit by enemy fire in its turn. One Czech soldier dies in the attack, the driver is badly wounded, and Navara has serious burns on his face. The group has very little water and must reach an oasis that is 60 km away.
Based on a play by French playwright Georges Feydeau. This comedy, often defined as a farce, has an incredible pace, with its transformations arranged with machine-like precision and enviable rhythm.
Somewhere in a fairy-tale land lies a small, not very wealthy, but charming little kingdom. It is also the Czech kingdom - Velký Titěrákov, as it is called there. This little country is ruled by King Valentine and his wise wife. Or is it the other way around? Either way, they would both like to see their only son and heir to the throne, Prince Hubert, finally marry and take over the reign. But Hubert just can't seem to choose a wealthy princess, as his father would like. So, it seems to the royal parents that the future young queen is nowhere in sight. Neither of them suspects that Hubert has long since found his queen, the queen of his heart—the beautiful but poor Božidara from the farm. However, the two lovers keep their love a secret. They know that the king would never bless the marriage of a prince to a goat herder. Unless a miracle happened...
Every castle hides some secret. This is no different in the fairy tale Treasure at Owl Castle. Deep underground at Owl Castle lies a treasure guarded by a golden owl. The treasure has remained hidden from the human world for centuries. Only the fairy-tale gnomes Kilián and Damián and their friend Emilka the owl knew of its existence. And if these gnomes had not happened to meet the children Honzík and Andělka, the treasure would have remained hidden forever. But gnomes are talkative creatures, and children are very curious. So it wasn't long before the stingy and greedy duchess from the nearby castle found out about the treasure. The wealth left to her by the duke wasn't enough for her; she wanted more and more. So she decided to get the golden treasure at any cost. This put not only herself but also the children in dangerous situations.
The miller's servant Martin dared to free the princess, who had been cursed into a fish by the Moon Prince. He took revenge on her for refusing to become his wife. However, the princess wanted Martin as her husband, and he also wanted to marry her. However, the Moon Prince could not bear such an insult. Before the princess and Martin can be married, they will face many trials.
Viktor Preiss in the role of Father Toufar in a fictional reconstruction of the background to the so-called Čihošť miracle.
When three wandering musicians met the Lord of the Forest, they hardly thought of what good it would do them. They certainly began to prosper from that time on. They obtained peas, which made them invisible, and a flask of water, which canceled the spell of invisibility. Before long, they were lucky enough to put these gifts to good use. The sad Princess Joan began to smile again when, with their spells, they forced her royal father not to oppose her marriage to the young man she loved.
Major Maisner, head of Interpol for Central Europe and neighboring Asian countries, is fulfilling his mission in Bangkok, Thailand. When he returns from his mission, he has no idea that his doppelganger, sent here by the Thai mafia, is acting on his behalf in the Czech Republic.
A simple love story takes place in a luxurious hotel in Karlovy Vary, the hero of which is a shy young man who works in the elevator. He catches a glimpse of an exotic beauty from South America and, with little knowledge of foreign languages, assumes that she also reciprocates his feelings...
An old man is wandering round a badly signposted and as yet mostly under construction Prague housing estate looking for the high rise block into which he is supposed to be moving with his daughter's family. The old granddad from the countryside likes chatting, nothing escapes his eyes and he wants to give everyone a helping hand.
Even a college education does not protect against temptation—the young hero ceases to distinguish between right and wrong, but strangely enough, even his education does not help him to detect the fraud committed against him in time. Michal Najman, a student at the University of Economics, earns extra money as a pest controller. After being accused of exterminating expensive nutria, he signs a bond for a considerable amount of money. He naively agrees to repay the large debt without verifying its validity. He does not have the money and decides to obtain it through currency exchange and later through theft. And so, the initially blameless young man sinks deeper and deeper...
After returning home from the army, Vasek (Ladislav Potmesil) has married Bozka (Eva Trejtnarová) and the couple now live at her parents' house. Vasek is unhappy both with his work and with sharing the house with Bozka's parents. He and his friend Ruda (Oldrich Vlach) decide to take a temporary job in Ostrava for a year. Bozka is against this, but Vasek gets his way. Mining is hard work but Vasek gradually adapts to it. He gets homesick from time to time and wants to go back, but his pride always wins out. Once he really does travel back to see Bozka, but he doesn't find her at home.
It 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.
A pair of criminals, an escaped prisoner and a young thief, are about to make a joint, obviously illegal, escape across the border. They escape for a long time, even managing to infiltrate Polish territory. They head for the coast, from where they intend to transport themselves to Sweden. But the Polish security authorities are vigilant.
The journey of the Třeboň paddlers to the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Helsinki (1952).
Serving a miserly farmer would be unbearable if Janos didn't have such a pretty and sweet daughter. He had fallen in love with her, and she would have wanted him for a husband, but her father was planning a rich groom for her. It was a good thing that Janos had such a faithful and clever friend, who helped him to marry Esther with a good idea.
After World War II, fighter pilot Antonín Maděra returns from England to his native village in the Ore Mountains to forget the hardships and horrors of war and to "live, work, and love his neighbors," as he himself says. But Svatý Štěpán, which his family had to leave in 1939, is no longer the same place it used to be. However, even in his wildest dreams, he could not have imagined what really awaited him there.
Viktor Průcha, a successful small-town architect, lives well but knows his comfort rests on compromises. When an elderly man—whose granddaughter was hurt at a school Viktor approved beside a busy road—attacks him and then takes his own life, Viktor abandons his home for a rural studio. There he rediscovers nude photography; his acclaimed exhibition forces him to confront past concessions and choose his future.
The film is a concert of well-known actors from an alcohol rehab where a middle-aged man has taken refuge to get rid of his addiction. In the rehab, cruelty is personified by the attendant who, with sadistic satisfaction, hands out demerit points for the slightest sign of displeasure or rebellion.
Who is this confident man who, with unusual elegance and surprising professionalism, began working at the reception desks of the highest government and party leaders one day? Where did he come from, what are his tasks, and who entrusted him with them? These questions will be pondered in the film by members of the secret services, important and insignificant minions of the powerful, who are convinced that they know every link in the ingeniously opaque chain of relationships and competences of a centrally controlled state. Before the surprising revelation of the mysterious master of ceremonies living a double life, he manages to pull off one last stunt: a monstrous hoax whose consequences can only be tragic.
A young widow with two children, a member of the spa orchestra, with the help of the devoted friends and the understanding of her children, she manages, quite well, with her demanding "double". The problems arise when he succeeds in a prestigious audition for the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and then he will go on a long foreign tour.
An extraordinary event occurs at a rural pharmacy. Pharmacy manager Sychra discovers that one of the pharmacy staff has mixed peroxide into the ointment instead of distilled water. During the night shift, he immediately calls all employees to the workplace. It turns out that the defective medicine has already been dispensed to four sick children. Although it does not pose a health risk, it is a burden for the children. The search for the culprit focuses on Lída, a lab technician and honest worker who immediately admits to the mistake, saying she used an unlabeled bottle. However, it is clear that someone else was involved in replacing the distilled water with peroxide...
The countess celebrates her sixtieth birthday at the moment when she is about to leave her castle. The new workers' government wants to mercilessly destroy the nobility. But because Elizabeth Anna Marie, Countess of Lansdorf and Scheinberg, and later domestic worker Lansdorfová, realizes that "one must keep one's customs and promises, even if they are ridiculous and pointless," she wants to carry out a foolish plan to celebrate her 70th birthday at the family estate, despite the regime and her opponents in the city...