Discoveries from Czechoslovakia World Cinema

Boccaccio's famous Decameron brings ten beautiful stories that were told to pass the time by those who escaped from certain death from Florence when the plague spread there in 1348. The four medieval stories were adapted by director Zdeněk Zelenka as a television love cycle. The director entrusted the main role in this comedy to Viktor Preiss. His horse trader is married, but he likes to arrange rendezvous with various women on his travels. It is no wonder that he becomes the target of jokes from his pub buddies, during various escapades he ends up among murderers and in the tomb of a rich nobleman, but he manages to resolve all situations with humor.

A ballad drama set in a rural setting, set in a foothill area, where farmers struggle with harsh natural conditions and their own inner hardness. The biggest obstacle, however, is the eccentric mill owner, who deliberately blocks the water supply. The reclusive man is unable to cope with disappointment in love.

Jaroslav Hašek screens four film stories in the fairground shed around 1900. After period advertising slides and a "newspaper", we see "the first part of a sensational, exemplary, parfuss, salon program - a film from the life of school-age children, shot under very difficult circumstances". The plot of this film takes place partly in a school classroom and partly in a gymnasium toilet, where the primate Chocholka took refuge from a Latin composition. "Exemplary Family Happiness" is the second film that takes the viewer into the family of the municipal official Honzátek, in which many stormy scenes occurred when the hamster, provided by Honzátek Jr., moved into the sofa - a wedding gift from Sister Ema. Equally surprising are two other stories, one of which tells about the "father of the poor", the owner of a company with unrecoverable cash flow and a famous patron, and the other about the fateful consequences of a joint trip between the old bachelor Mr. Hanzlíček and his neighbors.

The story of a traveling comedy family that ends up in court, where young Fricek is charged with attempted murder because he protected his sister Olga from a rapist.

The construction of a gigantic facility such as the Dukovany nuclear power plant requires only the most capable experts. Such is the engineer Hlaváč, who has been involved in the project from the very beginning as a construction manager. He has to deal with many problems, especially the lack of manpower. He is unfairly demoted to a lower position due to the intrigues of his subordinates and the alibi of the management, but time proves him right and by the time the plant is inaugurated, he is once again the main manager. But the demanding job takes its toll, his heart cannot withstand the frantic pace of work...

Pharmacist Pavlovský has a modern and sporty son, Karel, also a pharmacist, whom he would like to marry. He therefore sends him to Kutná Hora to live with his friend Řep, who has a daughter of marriageable age. However, Miroslava is a girl strictly led by her conservative parents and therefore lacks any charm. Karel also meets his uncle Ambrož in the family, who lives a double life. He is a serious older man by day and secretly flees at night so that he can perform in the local theater.

Young bricklayers Franta Doubrav and his friend Béla meet two girls, Mařka and Vlasta, on their way back from a friend's wedding, but they only manage to call them by their name and the construction site they are currently working on. Imagine their surprise when they discover that Mařka is a trained bricklayer who has joined Franta's father's work crew, where she proposes a new way of working that will help catch up on the construction delays. As a young girl, however, she must first deal with the distrust of the older and more experienced bricklayers.

Building a bridge is no simple matter. The city council has to decide between two competing proposals, one of which is submitted by villainous scoundrels and scoundrels who would like to enrich themselves everywhere. Although the film was made before the communist coup, it already anticipates the political diction of the stories that the approaching Stalinist period will produce.

When a man stops at a motel one evening in 1961, his tormenting behavior drives one of the people present at the motel to remember his experiences in a concentration camp during WWII.

Businessman Karel Bočan is a swindler who writes down the debts of his victims in a green notebook. He is stopped by an observant boy who reveals the fraudster and dealer in stolen goods in it.

Five short stories: The Master and the Twentieth Disciple; Every Week is Sunday; It's Boniface's Fault; The Raggedy Song; The Spider's Web.

World War II is slowly coming to an end. On the German side of the border, panic slowly breaks out and the local commander orders the local port to be mined. The Czech boatmen take advantage of the sudden confusion and decide to carry out a crazy plan: steal a German ship full of explosives and sail towards Prague, which according to fascist plans is to become the last German stronghold...

The life of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first elected President of Czechoslovakia following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918.

People are afraid of the usurer Chazaj and are convinced that he is the bearer of evil. One day Chazaj pays a visit to the poor artist Simon Jordán and asks him to paint his portrait. Simon agrees but as he progresses with the work his mind conjures up terrible thoughts and in the end he commits suicide. The portrait looks lifelike and Chazaj is content with the results. After Chazaj's death the picture changes hands and brings misfortune to all who own it. The last victim is the young painter Roman who buys Chazaj's portrait in a bazaar. He finds a treasure in the frame and begins to live well off it. The comfortable life suits him so well that he rejects his original artistic aims and becomes a painter of fashionable kitsch.

A psychological film about the sense of self-fulfillment of a divorced couple over 30 who feel that life is slipping through their fingers. While she, a nurse by profession, is adapting better, he, unreliable and always improvising, is searching in vain for his clue and even tries to get back to his ex-wife.

After inheriting a villa from his uncle, Emil Tuma meets its strange inhabitants, getting him in trouble.

A girl from a dance ensemble from Uherské Hradiště and an amateur jazz musician from Strakonice will meet at the II. National Spartakiada. Life under victorious socialism is presented as a permanent folk festival with mass gymnastic performances, dance and music. The film was said to have been very popular in Cuba at the time.

The innkeeper Barnabáš and the teacher Isidor Slovíčko succumb to the lure of old Moreles, to whom the young Taussig sends enthusiastic letters from America. They therefore set off to seek happiness and wealth in America. After saying goodbye to her beloved, the teacher Slovíčko, Terezka meets the forest maiden Jasana, who promises her that she will look after her beloved in exchange for her three hairs...

When a man becomes blind, his life is all turned around. He can only use his touch to get around in his house. The objects become enemies. But an angel is looking over him.

Jazz musician and trumpeter Beno is originally Slovak, but has been living in Prague for a long time. As a true bohemian, he does not recognize any limitations in his personal or artistic life. He is devoted to jazz with body and soul and despises any form of pop music. That is why he rejects the lucrative offers of his girlfriend, the successful singer Gábina. He also successfully faces the pressure of his much younger girlfriend-to-be and her defiant mother. Beno often has to pay for his tricks, but he accepts this with open eyes. Beno is ably supported by his friend, saxophonist Emil, known as Rampouch.

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 folktale about Bloody Lady Bathory, doomed to bathe in the blood of young girls in order to be forever youthful herself.

Two friends, who go hunting meet a woman who questions their practice.

The story of an old gentleman who had spent his life restoring antiques. As an art connoisseur, he planned to surround himself with old paintings, which he collected deliberately. But his passion for painting was not well understood by his petty bourgeois family, who saw his collection of paintings as nothing more than money uselessly invested. And they are looking forward to selling off their inheritance...

Anti-war animation about man's passions for self-destruction by experimenting with dangerous chemicals.

Konvalinka, a notorious betting man, has become the scourge of the establishment. He can turn anything into a bet. During one such bet, when he is not ashamed to take advantage of the manager to win, he is noticed by the owner's brother, Bohus, who is visiting a friend. After finding out who Konvalinka really is, he decides to shake the bettor down. Since he works as the manager of a small South Bohemian pub, he sets up a big operation to punish Konvalinka. He is seconded in this plan by his cougar father-in-law and Bohouš's St. Bernard son Pepa.

Jitka is a 12-year-old girl who feels the first stirring of love. She becomes friends with a young man who is hospitalized with paralysis. Jitka visits the man every day and witnesses his slow recovery, but she is unaware that she could have deeper feelings for him.

A comedy about a caring protector of the family who had help, good advice and understanding for everyone. No one in the family calls Anna Svojanovská anything other than Kvočna - everyone is used to running under her protective wings as soon as any problems arise. And what a blessing this mother and grandmother has to deal with!

A boy dreams of winning an ice hockey game. Meanwhile, a professional hockey star moves into the neighborhood, offering his services as a goalkeeper--leading two rival teams of Prague schoolboys, The Little Lions and The Devil Street Boys, to fall over themselves in order to gain his favor. The goalie's son, basking in his father's glory, is asked to replace a member of the Lions team, prompting the usual boyish rivalries and battles. Some of the Lions players are so preoccupied with the impending "big game" that their schoolwork suffers, to the chagrin of their teachers and parents.

A professional card player and swindler, Icharev, arrives in a small town with a plan to rip off some local jackdaw if possible. However, a trio of local, experienced swindlers have the same plan. They want to play cards with Icharev, but they immediately recognize each other's personalities. The fun continues, but the group regrets that they have no one to play with. There is a local landowner, Glov, but he avoids cards like the devil. And yet he is waiting for two hundred thousand rubles from the bank for the sold piece of land. Of course, the gentlemen will not miss their chance... A recording of a theatrical production by the Drama Club in Prague.

On the holidays, ten years old Adam and his little sister Otka, four years junior to him, travel from a village Vykán to their aunt to Prague. Their parents left for Hungary to the world championship in ploughing. The children have the address but they do not know the way to the Northern Town. They set out for a place on foot, across the historical parts of the town.

It is 1883 and Josef Hibes, a social democrat, is organising a strike of textile workers. The main demand is a reduction in working hours...

For nine-year-old Saša, the end of the Second World War is an adventure in which he and young neighbour friend Mařenka compete over who will spot the first Soviet soldier. But the boy causes problems when he lets two German snipers enter a house in which many families are seeking shelter. Fortunately, the inquisitive Saša also comes to the aid of Soviet soldier Váňa, whom one of the neighbours is accusing of stealing a pearl necklace.