Discoveries from Czechoslovakia World Cinema

The lead character is a young woman who becomes close with a colleague of her husband. She finds herself at an important crossroad in life and considers whether to take a decisive step.

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.

Radio announcer Petrícek reads the evening news in a studio. Viki, the female editor of a woman's program, is annoyed by the stereotypical information he provides as well as by the speaker's melodious voice and his heart-felt performance. Then she gets an idea for a prank. She calls the speaker from the neighboring room on the phone and pretends to be an unhappily married woman who draws all her strength to live from Petrícek's voice.

Vlado has just passed his high school diploma and is starting a job as a home tutor in the family of a big businessman. He finds himself in a very difficult turning point in 1947-48. He does not understand much of what is happening around him. He constantly experiences emotional confusion, comes into conflict with his conscience and finally has to decide between love and reason...

The story begins in 1984 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, few years before the end of Communist era. The band Pražský výběr (Prague's selection) has just received the news thier 5-year ban has expired and they are alowed to perform once again. This half fantasy half document about the band would draw the atmosphere of middle european late Communist era and the eufory of it's end.

The opening image that begins the suspenseful story is marked by a tragic event: an eight-year-old girl is brutally murdered in the forest and the dog that accompanied her is shot. The crime sets in motion an extensive search operation. Time is running out for the murderer, and the detectives have many years of experience and knowledge of local conditions on their side. According to the law of a good detective story, the circle of possible perpetrators is wide. Everyone from the neighborhood of little Stán is a suspect, because the results of the investigation showed that the girl knew her murderer...

Vera is eleven years old and after the death of her parents she lives with her grandmother. She doesn't understand her at all, doesn't recognize her as her beloved son and is terrified of the genes of her daughter-in-law, who was "just" a saleswoman. Vera prefers to escape into her own world, where she doesn't hear her grandmother's lamentations, ponders good and evil, and her balls become Spanish nobles...

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

Young blacksmith Mikeš sets out into the world for an adventure, accompanied by the miller's assistant Matěj and the boy Ondra. On their journey to rescue three enchanted princesses, the young men encounter a mischievous old hag, magic, and traps set by the Black King, but most importantly, they face their own temptations.

In the Hussite times, religious truth was sifted even on the tips of weapons. When in 1430 the Hussites set out on a raid to Nuremberg, the so-called Spanila Cavalry, to defend their doctrine, the young commander of the cavalry, the landowner Keřský, whose bride had once been kidnapped by a vicious crusader, saw it as an opportunity for personal revenge. Although Oldřich Daněk has tried to establish a distinctive interpretation of historical events, he reflects on where the blinded desire to punish a bad deed with further cruelty leads, but his version seems too thesis-like and lifeless, it does not rise above the descriptively illustrated scenes from old Czech chronicles...

A story about an everyday life of an inflectional department of Prague hospital.

Country man Josef Bezoušek has gone to Prague for an extended visit to his lawyer son's family. His son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters have welcomed him with open arms, so the grandfather quickly gets used to them and really likes the metropolis. He enjoys walks and city attractions, and in the process he inadvertently gets involved in the story of his son's sister-in-law's forbidden love. She has lost her mind for a poor young man, her father does not want her to know him and imprisons the girl at home. The scoundrel Bezoušek inadvertently finds himself right in the center of the affair - and trouble is already coming his way. He himself could have endured it, but before leaving Prague he wants to settle the whole matter to the benefit of the unfortunate lovers...

A sincere provincial young man, Frantisek Koudelka leaves to work in Prague. For the trip he buys a computer made horoscope with biorhythms charts, marked according to his date of birth, there are trappy, precarious, unsuccessful and even critical days and few successful days. The clumsy luckless person Frantisek has finally a guidance for his life.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a charming comedy by W. Shakespeare, well-known from its numerous stage and film adaptations. In the course of one night, the world of real and fairy-tale characters collide, the king Theseus plans a wedding, the capricious king of the elves Oberon wants to punish his consort Titania, and above all, two couples of lovers, entwined by love, wander through the night. And few people notice that at the beginning of the comedy there is a threat - Egeus, Hermia's father, appeals to the king Theseus for his right. If his daughter does not want to marry the man he has chosen for her, he intends to send her to her death. And so it is only a good thing that Oberon and the elf Puck in his service stir up the feelings of Demetrius and Lysander with the help of a magic flower...

Věra accepts the offer of her friend Kajetán, who arranges a position for her in Dominik's puppet factory. The spirited girl impresses her employer, Antonín Dominik, so much that he falls in love with her. Dominik's mother notices her son's interest in Věra and immediately fires her. Kajetán, who works in the studio of sculptor Výr, who is engaged in the production of mechanical puppets that can be used to advertise goods, asks Věra for help...

A film about the experiences that Czechoslovak peasants gained on a study trip to the Soviet Union.

This documentary-style story tells the story of an aspiring documentary filmmaker who is preparing a film about the history of glassmaking. He is honestly gathering information, slowly getting closer to an unknown and not always accessible environment, to people, whose actions he often doesn't understand because he misses their motivations... Shards for Eva is certainly not a skillfully wrought work, but it certainly impresses with its sense of at least partial capture of everyday reality.

Miloš Kopecký comments on himself in the roles of restaurant guests who suffer from various social ills. This satirical parade of grotesque human characters, such as the angry man, the alcoholic, the womanizer, and the thief, reminds us to be kind to restaurant staff, as they truly have much to endure.

When the handsome parish priest takes on a single mother with a child, he has no idea what kind of malicious gossip he will be exposed to. But he is determined to take care of his brother's girlfriend, who left for America for a long time, not knowing that he had become a father, despite all the difficulties...

After the Battle of Lipany, the remnants of the Hussite troops concentrated under the leadership of Jan Roháč of Dubé at Sion Castle. However, he had no prospects of victory against the soldiers of the Lordship. Sion was conquered, Roháč of Dubé was captured and executed as a pest in Prague on September 9, 1437.

A successful art historian who has trouble telling people difficult truths, finds himself in an inescapable situation when a small lie quickly gets out of hand.

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.

At the end of the occupation, Vojta, a young worker, marries the daughter of a rich builder to protect her from being deployed to the German Reich. Vojta agrees because he secretly loves Alena. But when the newlywed's family learns that Vojta is suspected of anti-German actions in the foundry, the marriage is over...

On one Sunday, when a scrap metal collection is announced, the children find a strange wire puzzle that grants every wish. Soon the town where the children live and go to school is in turmoil. But selfish adults, eager to investigate the mystery, destroy the spell...

The theatre director encounters the disinterest and irresponsibility of the acting troupe, whose members are scheming and looking for side income. The tired and sick artist wants to finish his work at any cost.

A story of a small-town boy growing up in love and despair and family troubles that make him take on a critical attitude towards his surroundings. Mato does not fulfill his father's wish for devoting his free time to playing soccer. Mato enjoys fishing with his friend Robo much more. He dreams of his schoolmate Terka and of an adventurous run-away from home.

The Voskovec and Werich duo play a peculiar pair - a clumsy coach driver and an equally clumsy traffic policeman, who both fall in love with a young actress. Although their ludicrous courtship does not work out, both buddies become successful revue comedians.

A young lieutenant, who is visiting his uncle at the time, goes to collect a debt from a tenant, as requested by his uncle. He wants to get married, and his uncle will lend him money for the wedding if he collects the debts from the tenants. The woman prepares the money, but when the young lieutenant signs the bills and hands them over to her, she does not give him the money. Upon his return, the lieutenant confides everything to his uncle, who then sets out to collect them himself...

Two good friends return from long-term military service: Jan Cimbura from Semic and Josef Piksa from Putim. Piksa farms on his own, Cimbura accepts service with the Hradiště farmer and mayor of Kovanda. The farmhand Cimbura is a real treasure for the farm. He is strong and hardworking, he doesn't drink or smoke. He can keep his eyes on the girl Marjánka, and Cimbura likes her too. However, Cimbura doesn't want to and cannot marry. First, he wants to become independent, and that may take years....

Based on a novel by Maria Majerova, this well-photographed but routine romantic drama is directed and co-scripted by Vaclav Krska. Set in a more old-fashioned time, the story centers around Lenka (Suzana Fisarskova), a young woman with a domineering, psychologically abusive father. When Lenka falls in love she suffers the ultimate injustice when her father and her family forbid her to marry the man. They see no advantage in such a union and want her to marry a wealthy local landowner instead, for obvious reasons. But Lenka is not as submissive as they think and she runs away to the city to look for the man she loves -- only to find a serious problem, though a surmountable one, is waiting for her.

The sun is shining, the river is sparkling, and a boating group sets off downstream for a holiday adventure. Led by the enthusiastic leader Tom, they travel down the river in two punts and a kayak. The peaceful journey is disrupted by a group of gypsies who bombard the boats from the bridge with plastic bags filled with water. That same day, the boaters and the gypsies meet again. Despite the tense atmosphere, both parties try to make peace, but it doesn't last long. The situation worsens when one of the girls loses the group's money. The boaters still want to continue their journey. Tom therefore declares a state of shipwreck, and everyone gathers together the remaining money and supplies. When some of the money is lost, suspicion falls on the gypsies, whom the boaters have met again. However, it soon turns out that the thief is someone from the group. Disputes break out, distrust grows into open hostility, and tension builds...

Twins Adam and Eva are so alike, it is impossible to tell them apart, which enables the malicious Eva to get away with all sorts of naughty tricks and leave the blame to fall on Adam. The pair grows up and Adam decides to pay Eva back for the tricks she played on him in the past. When he discovers that the handsome Dr Prokop Novotny is interested in Eva, he dresses up as Eva and startles the suitor.

The holiday story revolves around the children of editor Hlavsa and their desire to get a dog. Dad bravely faces his children's wish and all he cares about is the dreamed summer peace. However, the editor's unexpectedly requested regular feature stories from the children's lives change everything. The uproar in the pages of the newspaper and the children's determination not to give up on their dream leads to the hope that something four-legged might eventually turn up at the Hlavs' after all.

A dialogue between judge and convict, winner and loser, which offers the viewer a reflection on the relativity of guilt, heroism and crime in the world of "isms".

Titus is unlucky in life. His handicap is his red hair, which prevents him from finding a job. He ends up in a brewery, where he claims to be the son of the owner. He is exiled under humiliating circumstances and ends up in a castle, where he starts a game of substitutions, which is materialized in disguises in various wigs. These wigs also allow Titus to rise socially, leading to a comical denouement...

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...

Miss Nováková reports to Major Tuma (Karel Höger) from the police about the disappearance of her roommate, the model Zuzana. Shortly afterwards, a film director named Konrád (Otomar Krejca) asks Tuma to cooperate on a new cinéma-vérité film describing the story of Zuzana's disappearance.

A sensitive and modest girl gets married and lives with her family in the mountains. After her husband leaves for the army, she finds herself isolated by her family and her surroundings. The father-in-law perceives the bride's sadness and tries to establish a more cordial relationship with the lonely girl. This, however, gives rise to speculation about the bride's moral failure. She cannot bear the shame of suspicion and throws herself under the wheels of the locomotive. The blame for the death of a frail, honest man lies with those who acted on unverified assumptions of passion and suspicion.

Who would have thought that the magician Magiáš would need a doctor! But when it came to it and Magiáš lost his voice, his assistant Vincek had to try very hard to get famous doctors - from Hronov, Kostelecký and Skalický - to come to Hejšovina. Because doctors have to help the sick, even if they don't think anything good about them, they cured the magician Magiáš after all.

Comedy, 1974 (Czech Republic) : The movie takes place in England. A group of married middle-aged gentlemen have founded a pretense amateur Egyptology society to maintain some degree of freedom from their wives. The elaborate trick gradually escalates into more and more tangled web of lies and tricks, until they have no option but to disband the society for good.

The difference in personalities and lifestyles is the core of Zdeněk Svěrák's hilarious comedy. The story of two elderly gentlemen begins in a hospital, where they are both hospitalized. Former tram driver Havlík discovers that his new acquaintance Chouň does not have an apartment and offers him that he can temporarily live with him. The latter happily accepts the offer and soon changes Havlík's proper and honorable life as a widower. The old conductor realizes that he can also live differently: cheerfully and carefree. The idyll is ruined when Chouň robs Havlík...

Three mice live in a cinema. One day, inspired by the gangster movies, they decide to conduct a grand robbery in a cheese shop.

1. A taxi driver barely finishes his coffee before a young woman asks for a ride to impress her boyfriend, only to reveal her beau’s ramshackle “plan” beside his sleek car. He then smooths over a quarreling couple, helps a frustrated engineer solve his machine’s fault in a dream, and delivers a masked father’s gifts for his estranged daughter. 2. Mr. Kalina, an airport employee, fulfills a flight attendant’s plea by taking in an orphaned African girl for the night. He ensures her safe transfer to a children’s home the next day. 3. Zaza, a coquettish milliner’s assistant, juggles the attentions of a shy tailor and her stern salon manager. After a humiliating fall on the runway, the tailor comforts her and stages a private reprise, revealing where her heart truly belongs.

The director of films for kids called Bonzurka together with her loyal assistants Drahuska and Honza are looking for the actors for a new movie "The Knee". Children for this movie should not be afraid and shy and they must have talent for acting. Thus the scouting is quite difficult. The most difficult is to find an actress for a main character who lost her hair after a serious illness and now has to spent the whole holiday in the countryside with a bald head resembling a knee. Although the makeup artist does his best an artificial baldness does not solve anything. From the selected little girls only the self-assertive Rosemary has the guts to let her long hair to be cut and shave off her head.

Detective Weiner probes the death of Tomáš Ruml, found in a ruined house. Son of the architect behind a planned gypsy-quarter demolition, Tomáš seems a revenge victim, until Weiner meets Naha and uncovers Tomáš’ blackmail, rape and theft. Guided by baron Tancos, he must rethink the case from a new angle.

It is the summer holiday and little Mísa Horák has taken a few animals from the school's so-called "Corner of Living Nature" home to care for. But when he brings home two Angora rabbits, a starling, a little monkey, a tortoise and a small crocodile, his parents order him to take them away. He is helped by Káta, who offers to place the animals in the child's room of her family's apartment. Mísa leaves for her friend where the animals will hopefully be able to stay. Káta goes shopping. In the meantime, Káta's younger sister Minka wakes up and begins to play with the animals, who gradually run off in disarray.

A Carl Lamac directed movie based on a novel by Karel Václav Rais.

Three short story omnibus. The main hero and connecting link is Lieutenant Boruvka, created by Lubomír Lipsky. He deals with the murder case between climbers, the death of the dancer in the music theater and the strange disappearance of the mathematics professor.

A biographical film about the famous Czech painter Mikoláš Aleš, portrayed as part of the vanguard of the working class and a spokesman for the oppressed, who asserts himself despite the opposing bourgeoisie and reactionaries of all kinds. The film focuses on the period when Mikoláš Aleš participated in the competition to decorate the National Theatre.

A modern fairy tale that combines fairy tale elements with contemporary realities and is also a film about film. The story takes place in a Barrandov studio. Nine-year-old Marushka reads a term paper at school about how she went on a field trip to the film studios with her class and how she met a "real" black priest, who was, however, terribly forgetful. She and her friend Honzik got their hands on his magic sphere, which made all sorts of incredible things happen...