Rudolf Hrusínsky Movies

Unlike any other opera, the so-called Beggar's Opera is not just one composition, but a lineage of adapted compositions, beginning with the original hugely successful 1728 political satire written by Englishman John Gay. Composers and writers have penned variations on it ever since. The most famous of these was A Threepenny Opera by Bertholt Brecht and Kurt Weill. Some things these compositions share in common is their setting among the poor and criminal classes, and the roguish character Macheath. This production is based on an adaptation of Gay's original by Vaclav Havel the freedom-fighter, writer and philosopher who became the first (and only) president of the united post-communist country of Czechoslovakia, and it retains many traces of its theatrical origins. Film reviewers were not too tolerant of what they called "slavish adherence" to the noted Czech writer's stage production, but theater, philosophy and history buffs may feel otherwise. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The life and slow death of Communist journalist and Prague City Council member Jozka Jaburkova in the Ravensbruck concentration camp is the focus of this wartime drama starring Jana Rihakova as the tragic Jaburkova. Suffering almost from the beginning as an illegitimate child burdened with extreme moral expectations by her fanatically religious mother, Jaburkova suffered at the hands of the teachers and authorities in her all girls' school. Her sympathy for the oppressed or those experiencing unjust hardship or discrimination got her into trouble again and again, both as a student and when she went on to seek employment. As the camera focuses on scenes in the concentration camp, Jaburkova's memories of her past are shown in flashbacks. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Acclaimed Czech director Jiri Menzel has pulled off another successful collaboration with writer Bohumil Hrabal in this light, sometimes saucy farce about two warring hunting factions in a small village and how they end up in a rousing, comic showdown. The village community is made up of a broad spectrum of eccentrics, from the farmer who escorts his goats to pasture in an old Pontiac car, to the sign painters who put up their handiwork slogans in the most unlikely places; there is humor enough for everyone. Then one day three hunters from one faction chase after a boar they found in the woods, and the wounded animal runs into a schoolhouse for refuge. Since the schoolhouse is in neutral territory, it becomes the scene for a reckoning between the two hunting factions. The upshot is a wild time in the local pub -- with some unexpected consequences. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Short Cut is a comedy revealed more in the acting and witty dialogue than in the simple premise of the story itself: how the Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal was born. Actually, the story is, in many ways, the writer's conception. The setting is a small town where Hrabal's father Francine (Jiri Schmitzer) is in charge of a large brewery. Both the blessing and bane of his life is his gorgeous wife Marja (Magda Vasaryova). Blessing, because she is not only beautiful but resourceful and intelligent and lively, bane because every other man would like to get to know her better. Marja saves the day more than once, and the couple are happy in their life together. When Francine's brother arrives for a visit, an attraction starts to develop between Marja and her brother-in-law that may have upset the marriage, were it not for a fortuitous accident. Marja sprains her ankle and her husband is "forced" to take care of her - alone. Soon after, the town gets their first radio and life takes a permanent turn for a faster lane. Marja cuts her long, blonde tresses and dons a short skirt which mortifies her husband, until he learns they are going to have a baby. It is 1916 and Hrabal is on the way. The comedy will one day continue as he goes from gestation to adulthood and discovers his writing talents at the age of 48. Coupled with the Czech director Jiri Menzel, Hrabal's comedic writing finds a kindred cinematic spirit. This film won a Jury Prize at the 1981 Venice Film Festival. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this tale of espionage and greed, all the trouble is caused by the invention of a new source of energy, Krakatit, a small substance containing incredible power. A young scientist steals the Krakatit and is pursued by a scientist working for an avaricious American capitalist. In the climax, the young thief releases the Krakatit's energy and the result destroys all life but leaves buildings untouched. Meanwhile, his pursuer, grows disillusioned and moves to a quiet, simple village. This is filmmaker Vavra Otakar's second version of the story. He made the first in 1948. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This oddball satire, a favorite of cult film festivals, is set in Prague during 1900. There, pulp fiction hero Nick Carter looks into a series of murders. Eventually he finds the killer, a large carnivorous plant named Adele. The film was created in the style of a silent melodrama. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Years of practice in a big-city medical clinic have burned Dr. Meluzin (Rudolf Hursinsky) out, and he longs for quieter waters. He takes a job as the head of a country clinic and meets with approval from the local nurse, who sees that he treats each patient as an individual and a human being, even though he is a martinet about record-keeping. The dramas of his new life in the countryside keep him busy and emotionally engaged, and he swiftly wins friends - as would any doctor whose motto is: "humility is good." ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

It is little wonder that this film was withheld from release by the communist government of Czechoslovakia from 1969 to its release in 1990 at the Berlin Film Festival. What's amazing is that it was made at all and that, having been made, it survived to be shown. The story concerns the irrepressible goodness of people imprisoned by the government in labor camps, as they struggle against all odds to retain their humanity. The story focuses on two small groups of prisoners: one of men, the other of women. They have been imprisoned for such apparently minor crimes as attempting to find out what has happened to missing loved ones. The two groups manage to interact and some romance even springs up between them. From time to time, prisoners are spirited away in a mysterious black car, never to be seen again. Reviewers were lavish in their praise of this film, which is funny, bitter, satirical, allegorical, and rich with imagery that is particularly meaningful to those who endured similar privations through living under repressive regimes. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi