Directed by:
Jiří SlavíčekCinematography:
Karel DeglComposer:
Julius KalašCast:
Vladimír Šmeral, Josef Beyvl, Karel Pavlík, Marie Kautská, František Holar, Josef Maršálek, Oldřich Vykypěl, Běla Jurdová, František Klika, Viktor Očásek, Irena Bernátová, Jiřina Bílá, Emil Kavan (more)Plots(1)
Shortly after the end of the Second World War. The whole country is striving to recover its economic life, but in some places there really seems to be a hitch. For example, on the construction site of the Koudelák company, nothing is quite as it should be. The assistant Beránek is warning the owner of the construction company that the building they are working on is not safe enough. He discusses the irregularities at the construction site with Koudelák's daughter Alena, whom he takes to a dancing party to celebrate his birthday. But Alena doesn't want to hear about it. The next day, Beránek is found lying unconscious in the light shaft of the house in which Alena lives, as does the foreman Klimeš with whom Beránek had a fight over the work. Beránek dies on the way to the hospital. His murder is being investigated by criminologists Zouplna and Šimák, who is a specialist in the black market. Several people are suspected of murder: foreman Klimeš, black marketer Matuška, Alena, and her beloved Bártl. But Šimák discovers a different murderer. He invites everyone involved to the construction site that evening and there reveals the real killer - the building contractor Koudelák. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (2)
I'm expanding my horizons again regarding Czech cinema, and so I've come across this previously completely unknown piece to me. Given the time period and the films being made abroad, this is essentially a Czech noir film with a classic crime plot, but unfortunately, it loses some of its seriousness due to its setting, even though the filmmakers try to incorporate noir elements. Unfortunately, there is no protagonist here who dominates the film. So it remains just a small-town investigation, with music trying to elevate some wannabe tense scenes. In terms of atmosphere, it somewhat works, but the second half is weaker and quite boring. On the other hand, I still feel that considering its time and the fact that Czech filmmakers were experimenting with a genre that wasn't their classical forte, and sometimes still evokes films for nostalgic viewers, they managed to create a movie that definitely deserves an above-average rating.
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An up-and-coming crime drama - for being made in 1949, it could easily have been even more involved, but thankfully it's not. The casting of Josef Beyvl in the role of the chief inspector seemed very strange to me at first - somehow I still couldn't imagine how this good-humored guy would uncover all the wrongdoings and find the murderer... But as time went on, it became more and more clear that everything would eventually be explained by the much more criminal-minded Vladimir Šmeral, and everything was fine. Probably my favorite scene was the one with the discovery of the body and the subsequent exploration of the skylight. And that very dark Kalash music! By the way, Karel Pavlík as Koudelák looked like he was sent to us from the best Hollywood noir films.
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