Cinema
The Cremator
Spalovač mrtvol
Juraj Herz · 1969
Synopsis
Prague, on the eve of the war. Karel Kopfrkingl, a model employee of the crematorium, attentive husband and family man, loves his dead and willingly speaks of the fire that frees souls and shortens suffering. An old acquaintance, won over to Nazism, suggests that he has German blood and holds out to him the prospect of a place in the order to come; the gentle Kopfrkingl then begins to look at his wife and children differently.
Context
The film follows the short story by Ladislav Fuks, published in 1967, who wrote the screenplay with the director; the cinematographer Stanislav Milota took part from the technical breakdown onwards, and the music is by Zdeněk Liška. During the shoot, the invasion of August 1968 led to the abandonment of an ending shot in contemporary Prague. Submitted by the country for the Oscar, the film was released in March 1969, was immediately locked away by the censors and returned to cinemas only in August 1990.
Who it is for
About ninety-six minutes, in black and white; a black comedy with the look of a horror film, where the horror lies in the character's calm.
Prizes and reception
Acting prize for Rudolf Hrušínský and prize for photography at the Sitges festival; Trilobit 1969; one of the most esteemed Czech films.