Directed by:
Jiří SvobodaCinematography:
Vladimír SmutnýComposer:
Jozef RevalloCast:
Jana Brejchová, Ladislav Křiváček, Evelyna Steimarová, Milan Kňažko, Marek Probosz, Zbigniew Suszyński, Petra Kolevská, Vítězslav Pohanka, Štefan Mišovic (more)Plots(1)
World War II may have come to an end but in the Czech-Polish-German border region life is still full of danger. Bands of Nazi guerrilla Werewolves are hiding out in the forest, waiting to get across the frontier into Germany. Along the way they force themselves upon the humble local farms, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake. Based on the novel of the same name, the film’s director avoids the usual period simplification, instead constructing a monumental tragedy of people in critical situations, concentrated into a few days and within the walls of a secluded mountain dwelling. Along with the farmer’s daughter Ulrika, the heroes here are Fear, Despair, Brutality and Destruction, yet ultimately also Mercy, the bringer of hope. The film’s sombre atmosphere is heightened by Smutný’s expressive lens and a mesmeric score. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
(more)Cast
Jana Brejchová
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Best movies:
Higher Principle (1960)
Půlpenny (1974) (TV movie)
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1961)
Ladislav Křiváček
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Best movies:
Men About Town (1969)
The Ear (1970)
The Snowdrop Festival (1983)
Evelyna Steimarová
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Kam slunce nechodí... (1971) (TV movie)
The Mystery of the Carpathian Castle (1981)
Oil Lamps (1971)
Milan Kňažko
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Rok na dedine (1967) (TV movie)
Picasso (2008) (theatrical recording)
Adolf Eichmann (1988) (TV movie)
Marek Probosz
Poland
Best movies:
The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof (1983)
The Closed Circuit (2013)
Nightmares (1978)
Zbigniew Suszyński
Poland
Best movies:
Korczak (1990)
The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof (1983)
Samowolka (1993) (TV movie)
Petra Kolevská
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof (1983)
The Feather Fairy (1985)
Portrét Doriana Graya (1987) (TV movie)
Vítězslav Pohanka
Best movies:
Štefan Mišovic
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Rysavá jalovica (1970) (TV movie)
Sitting on a Branch, Enjoying Myself (1989)
The Millennial Bee (1983)
Lubomír Kostelka
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Těžká Barbora (1960) (theatrical recording)
Balada z hadrů (1960) (theatrical recording)
All My Compatriots (1968)
Mirosława Marcheluk
Poland
Best movies:
The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof (1983)
Top Dog (1978)
Sexmission (1983)
Jerzy Nowak
Poland
Best movies:
Schindler's List (1993)
Camera Buff (1979)
The Promised Land (1974)
Vladimír Huber
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
On the Trail of Blood (1969)
Funeral Ceremonies (1969)
Návrat pana Ryšánka (1971) (TV movie)
Leon Niemczyk
Poland
Best movies:
Wielki bieg (1981) (TV movie)
Potop (1974)
Big Shar (1982)
Josef Šebek
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Best movies:
The Night of the Decision (1993) (TV movie)
The Murderer Hides His Face (1966)
Cops and Robbers (2001) (series)
Petr Skarke
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Best movies:
Forbidden Dreams (1986)
Boys Will Be Boys (1975)
The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof (1983)
Zdeněk Rumpík
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Major Case Squad (2014) (series)
Cops and Robbers (2001) (series)
The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof (1983)
Jiří Datel Novotný
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Best movies:
Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003) (TV movie)
Cops and Robbers (2001) (series)
The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof (1983)
Jaroslav Mareš
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Naši furianti (1983) (theatrical recording)
Ubohý pan Kufalt (1981) (TV movie)
Sňatky z rozumu (1968) (series)
Tadeusz Somogi
Poland
Best movies:
The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof (1983)
How I Unleashed World War II (1970)
Miś (1980)