Otakar Vávra

Moje Praha (2002)

Otakar Vávra walks through Prague in front of the camera and with the camera, and remembers those who in the 1930s determined the pulse of the cultural and political life of that time. ...

Evropa tančila valčík (1989)

Otakar Vávra dedicated his latest film to events accompanying the devastation of the first World War. It takes place in representative centers of power, in the courts of Vienna, Berlin and Moscow. In parallel, it develops the fate of the Czech archivist, ...

Veronika (1986)

Emperor Francis Joseph I is about to arrive in Prague, and among those who came to Stromovka to welcome him is Veronika Pavlitová. She wants to submit a request for clemency for her imprisoned father to the emperor, because she is barely able to support h ...

Oldrich and Bozena (1985)

At the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries Boleslav's kingdom fell apart in the fratricidal war between the Přemyslovci and the other clans the main profiteer of this being the German emperor. At that time it seemed as if the Czech state and the lineage o ...

Komediant (1984)

Saxony, devastated by the Thirty Years' War, is led by the comedy troupe of the principal Fortunato. The student Vavrinec has fled Bohemia and greatly values the text of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, which he has acquired on his wanderings around ...

Putování Jana Amose (1983)

The distressing fate of the Czech great Jan Amos Komenský, forced to leave his homeland after the White Mountain disaster. It depicts his encounters with various European personalities of the 17th century - the Queen of Sweden, artists and scientists. It ...

Dark Sun (1980)

A remake of Vávra's 1948 atomic age thriller Krakatit. Engineer Prokop creates the devastating explosive "Krakatit" and soon confronts manipulative agents and imperialist conspiracies. Realizing his invention's threat, he fights to prevent its misuse, ris ...

A Story of Love and Honor (1978)

A story of love and honor that takes place during the mid-nineteenth century during revolutions, as well as economic, political, and social hypocrisy. Two extraordinary but lonely artists share a passionate love, as evidenced by the preserved letters that ...

The Liberation of Prague (1977)

On 20th of April 1945 the Soviet army launches its attack on Berlin. The end has come for Nazi Germany and Hitler decides to commit suicide. In Prague K.H. Frank (Nazi Secretary of State and Chief of police in the Protectorate of Bohemia a Moravia) discuss ...

Sokolovo (1975)

The plot begins in the Soviet Union showing first efforts to establish the Czechoslovak legion in 1942. The film also shows the assassination of Heydrich and the subsequent annihilation of Lidice. The main topis of the film is battles with German troops fo ...

Days of Betrayal (1973)

This feature film based on the events of 1938 is a chronicle of the futile efforts of the Czechoslovak president Edvard Benes (Jirí Pleskot), politicians and ordinary citizens, to save the independence and the territorial integrity of the state from the a ...

Witchhammer (1970)

In the 1600s, an overzealous clergy hauls innocent women in front of tribunals, forces them to confess to imaginary witchery, and engages in brutal torture and persecution of their subjects. ...

The Thirteenth Chamber (1969)

Twelve-year old Kosta, a little boy of an overactive imagination, makes friends with equally sensitive eleven-year old Blanka. Fantasy leads the two children to the forgotten attic in the house of Blanka's parents. For them, this is the forbidden "thirteen ...

Romance for Bugle (1967)

A lyrical story about first love, death and disappointment, based on a poem of the same title. ...

Golden Queen (1965)

A man returns to his native village in search of renewed faith and his old girlfriend. But she, now a middleaged woman, does not recognise him and he goes home, more disillusioned than ever. ...

Horoucí srdce (1963)

The years 1851-1856: events from the life of the writer Božena Němcová, who, because of her free-thinking views and strong patriotic feelings, comes into conflict with the society, the church and the Austrian authorities... A cold, too readable version ...

The Night Guest (1961)

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. ...

August Sunday (1961)

This lyrical comedy story takes place in two hot days in the small South Bohemian village. On the shore of a small pond, summer guests and local youth meet. As is typical of the works of Hrubín, it is a conflict of youth and age, life and death, represent ...

Policejní hodina (1961)

The story of a poor, disintegrating family of a mother Fišerová and her three children. It is set in the 1890s - a time when the poor working classes did not yet have the right to vote or a permanent eight-hour working day. ...

Národní umělec Zdeněk Štěpánek (1960)

A film medallion of actor Zdenek Stepanek. ...

První parta (1960)

The unfortunate 1930s also befell the student Standa Půlpán. For existential reasons, he had to abandon his studies and entered the mines. However, he only slowly and with difficulty became close to the older miners, rough men who were closed in on thems ...

Občan Brych (1959)

František Brych, a principled lawyer, refuses to back the new Communist regime at his factory and grows increasingly alienated, even as his former love Irena, unhappily married to factory owner Ondřej Ráž, seeks his understanding. When he helps plan a ...

Against All (1957)

After the battle of Sudoměř the Hussite teaching spreads through the whole country and people start leaving their homes to help build the fortification of Tábor. Prague citizens request help against the army of Zikmund. The Hussite army with Jan Žižka ...

Jan Žižka (1956)

The second part of the revolutionary Hussite trilogy takes place in the years 1419-1420. ...

Jan Hus (1955)

The first part of the "Hussite Revolutionary Trilogy", completed with Jan Žižka (1955) and Proti všem (Against All Odds, 1957). The film captures the period from May 1412 to the summer of 1415, a turbulent time in the Czech Kingdom, during which there w ...

Shoesmachine (1954)

The happenings in a shoe factory serve as a not very thinly veiled examination of the pros and cons of both socialism and democracy. ...

Nástup (1953)

"The Rally" is based on a communist writer Vaclav Řezáč's well-written novel of the same name ...

Posel úsvitu (1951)

A biographical film about a Czech mechanic and designer who was the first in the Czech lands to construct a steam car. ...

Racek Is Late (1950)

Baker Jan Racek (Vladimír Repa) is a very hard-working and sensible man. His great passion is pigeon-keeping and also, for many years, Ruzenka (Ludmila Vostrcilová). They are going to get married but Racek is busy waiting for the pigeons' return and miss ...

Dva ohně (1950)

A socialist drama from the time of the February coup. The owner of the brickyard will use several workers before February in order to subvert worker solidarity and continue to do his black business. However, the vigilance of a young, aware worker prevents ...

Láska (1949)

Montage of documentary footage from the liberation and building of the republic as a tribute to JV Stalin on his seventieth birthday. ...

Rodinné trampoty oficiála Tříšky (1949)

The plump, punctual and slightly despotic Mr. Tříška worked as a housing officer, which completely damaged his psychological resilience, he is short-tempered and easily angered. The intended rest in the countryside, where he went with his whole family, ...

Year of the Revolution 1848 (1949)

The Czech revival movement is divided at the end of the first half of the 19th century. While the older generation, such as František Palacký, urges restraint, students lean towards radical positions. A report on the revolutionary events in Paris prompts ...

Hostinec „U kamenného stolu“ (1949)

An innkeeper is grieving because his wife left him for a second-rate actor. His two nephews, who are not on speaking terms, have to take over the running of the establishment... ...

Silent Barricade (1949)

A fiction piece centered around the Czech resistance to the Nazis. ...

Vzbouření na vsi (1949)

The new era brings with it progress, which must inevitably penetrate even the most remote corners. It has also reached the village of Čirá. The men there have a number of modern machines that make their work in the fields easier, while their wives still ...

Na dobré stopě (1949)

An adventure story for young people set in a summer camp for boaters in Juná. Eda, marked by a tragic experience of occupation, has difficulty getting along with the other boys. He only gains their trust and friendship when he helps to uncover German sabo ...

White Darkness (1948)

A young doctor and a group of injured are hiding in an underground shelter and are liberated by Soviet soldiers. ...

The Musician (1948)

Wild Beasts (1948)

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 c ...

Krakatit (1948)

In early 20th century Czechoslovakia, a gravely ill chemist recalls his discovery of a powerful explosive and how it landed in the hands of anarchists. ...

Až se vrátíš... (1948)

In an unsightly tenement house, the walls of which are as peeling as the souls of the tenants, an old woman waits for her son to return from prison. However, her neighbors believe that she is hiding a large fortune in her tattered suitcase, which she prote ...

Presentiment (1947)

A daughter of a celebrity family experiences a holiday adventure with a mysterious young man. Though she is strongly attracted to him, she is also concerned about his sinister, panicky speech, his fierce charisma. ...

The Adventurous Bachelor (1946)

Even the pre-Blohemian times were not idyllic. Even a bachelor, invited by the consuls to Rakovník to elevate the local education system, finds out. But the stingy and proud townspeople soon grow to dislike him, and even love does not develop according to ...

Cesta k barikádám (1946)

Rozina the Love Child (1945)

Prague, the beginning of the 17th century. Rozina falls in love with Italian glass worker Nikolo, but after returning home, she gets a message that will never come to Prague. She falls for the promise of an older man to marry her, but when Nikolo does re ...

Vlast vítá (1945)

Návrat presidenta dr. Edvarda Beneše do Prahy 16. května 1945 (1945)

Happy Journey (1943)

Filmed during the Nazi occupation, this panoramic drama set in a Prague department store follows the divergent destinies of four female coworkers, each of whom seeks happiness in a different way. ...

Přijdu hned (1942)

The stuffed animal dealer Václav Barvínek spent twenty-four hours in prison for a petty dispute. And that very day, his uncle's will was read, stating that the deceased had hidden a check for a million crowns somewhere. If it was not cashed by the appoin ...

Okouzlená (1942)

In the garden of Hojtaš's estate, local dignitaries gather to watch a theatrical performance starring the author of the play, Dr. Pavel Chvojka, the landowner's granddaughter Olga, and Lenka, her ward. Lenka is intoxicated by the theater and Pavel, but he ...

Turbina (1941)

The imperial councilor Ullik decides to modernize his old mills by installing a new turbine. His eccentric brother-in-law Artuš tries to prevent this, as the construction work disrupts the statics of the tower in which he lives. Ullik's older daughter Tyn ...

May Fairy Tale (1940)

Ríša, a student of law, neglects his studies in favour of parties and pranks. His angry father refuses to continue helping him out of his debts. Ríša, however, is not entirely beyond hope. He decides to go and stay for a while with his uncle, a priest, ...

The Masked Lover (1940)

A romantic story of a noble lady who wanted to live without the bonds of marriage, but her desire for a child led her - carefully disguised - into the arms of a young nobleman. Only years later did she believe in his love and make herself known. ...

Pacientka dr. Hegla (1940)

Pharmacist Janota's daughter, Karla, is about to get married to wealthy lawyer Jaroslav Kříž. On the day of the wedding, however, instead of the ceremony, she will have an appendectomy. After the successful procedure, the weakened Karla also develops se ...

The Girl in Blue (1940)

A painting of a girl from another time comes to life for it's buyer in this costume comedy. ...

The Magic House (1939)

When Vilem appears in the road with an unconscious young woman, it disturbs the peaceful life of three generations of the Balvínova family. ...

Humoreska (1939)

Dvořák's well-known composition reappears again and again in the serious moments of the lives of the father and son Hupeks - talented non-professional musicians for whom music gives them the opportunity to rise above difficulties and problems... ...

The Merry Wives (1938)

A morally questionable lord comes to the aid of a working class man who is to be executed for speaking out about thieving rich scoundrels sticking it to the poor. ...

Její pastorkyně (1938)

Village drama. The widowed daughter-in-law of the old woman Buryjovka, called Kostelnička, is very proud of her pretty and well-bred ward Jenůfa. The girl is liked by both of the old woman's grandsons - her own Stevo and her step-grandson and a bit of al ...

Hlídač č. 47 (1937)

A young village shopkeeper, Ferda Zuska, wants to jump in front of a train because his girlfriend has married someone else. At the last moment, he is saved by the railway guard Douša and his wife Anna. Ferda soon forgets his sadness and starts courting An ...

History of Philosophy (1937)

A student rebellion precedes revolutionary events in Prague. ...

Virginity (1937)

The doomed love of a city girl caught in the vise of poverty is detailed in Vavra's fluid, romantic work, one of the most elegant creations of the Czech Modernist era... The film lingers over its characters' habitats and haunts, finding psychological truth ...

Morality Above All Else (1937)

Professor Karas is widely known as enthusiastic propagator of the motto "Morality Above All Else". He guides his students as well as his own family to live a morally decent life. One day he has an unexpected visit. It's his illegitimate daughter Vera, who ...

Camel Through The Eye Of A Needle (1937)

Slightly ironic comedy of wretches, who come to understand the rich and are able to accept charity, and also about how love and work prevail over the factory owner's son. ...

A Little Street in Paradise (1936)

A poor dog catcher in Prague takes up an orphan's boy who finds his favorite bull with him, with himself, until both find a better home, finally, with a rich family. - In antiquated style with put on warmth told comedy. ...

Uličnice (1936)

Eighteen-year-old factory worker's daughter Věra Janáková is head over heels in love with the famous pilot Jiří Málek. She only knows him from a photograph, but that's enough for her to run away from the boarding house and set out to find him. There, ...

Passage in the Paradise (1936)

Orphan Petr lives with his dog Puntja with his aunt. His uncle Gustav wants to get rid of Peter and puts him in an orphanage. Peter escapes from there and looks for his Punt. He finds him with the cool Tobias, but he doesn't want to give him back to Peter. ...

Three Men in the Snow (1936)

Young doctor Hájek has been looking for a job for a long time in vain. But luck has smiled on him a little - he has won a competition for the best advertising slogan, which was held by the factory owner Bárta. The prize is a stay in a luxurious mountain ...

Vdavky Nanynky Kulichovy (1935)

The story of a janitor's daughter who married into a "better man". Obedient to her mother and eager to "rise up" herself, Nanynka did everything she could to avoid being left with a bucket and rags and to be able to move a few floors higher. But marrying o ...

Listopad (1935)

A man and a woman meet on the streetcar. Six years ago, they were close . . . ...

Bezdětná (1935)

The Eleventh Commandment (1935)

During the New Year's Eve celebration of the arrival of the twentieth century, three friends meet in a nightclub. Notary Jiří Voborský, clerk Emanuel Střela and Lieutenant Miloslav Jičínský. ...

Maryša (1935)

A village drama about the tragic culmination of a forced marriage. The film was financed by a Brno company, which required interventions in the generally known original. The reason for moving the location of the action and rewriting the dialogues into the ...

We Live in Prague (1934)

A 13-minute documentary film depicting life in Prague. ...

Svítání (1933)

The family of the worker Kučera lives happily. His daughter Anežka, engaged to technical draftsman Adolf, is a seamstress. His son Váš is studying to be a machinist. The family also includes his grandfather, a former miner. However, an economic crisis ...

Ze světa lesních samot (1933)

The Light Penetrates the Dark (1931)

Zdenek Pešánek created the first public kinetic sculpture, for the power station in Prague. This short experimental film focuses on a kinetic sculpture by Zdenek Pešánek. For a period of eight years it issued beams of light from the outside wall of a t ...

Modern shoe production (1931)

CzechMate: In Search of Jiří Menzel (2018)

An epic exploration of the Czechoslovak New Wave cinema of the 1960s and 70s, structured around a series of conversations with one of its most acclaimed exponents - Closely Observed Trains director Jiří Menzel. ...

Searching for Ester (2005)

Ester Krumbachová - a costume designer, screenwriter, director; one of the boldest personalities of the Czech New Wave. She worked in theatre, she was a writer and an illustrator. She co-created films such as O slavnosti a hostech (1966), Sedmikrásky (19 ...

Moje Praha (2002)

Otakar Vávra walks through Prague in front of the camera and with the camera, and remembers those who in the 1930s determined the pulse of the cultural and political life of that time. ...

The Great Movie Robbery (1987)

The film is essentially a feature-length commercial for an exhibition to mark the 40th anniversary of the nationalisation of the Czechoslovak film industry, to be held at the Prague U Hybernu venue. The protagonists of the piece are comedians Oldrich Kaise ...

Barrandovské nokturno aneb Jak film tančil a zpíval (1985)

The 50th anniversary of the Barrandov studios was celebrated with a spectacular show: many directors and other important people gathered in the expensive decorations of the Variety Theatre auditorium (built for the Circus Humberto series). They smiled and ...

A Box of Film (1958)

A film about filmmaking. ...