Jindřich Láznička

"Using the same, three times repeating dialogue – dramatic conversation between man and woman – Jerzy Skolimowski from Poland, Slovak director Peter Solan and Czech director Zbynìk Brynych shot three different stories. The result was an extraordinary experiment in the world cinema, which we can call an insight in the relationships of men and women of different age groups, an analysis of love and marriage of those who are at the beginning, in the middle or going towards the end of their life."

Musical fairy tale tells the story of prince and princesses from neighbouring friendly countries who have to marry each other, as decided by their wise fathers with their advisors. However, the royal children want to decide their fate themselves. They meet in the royal garden, where princess pretends to be a maid and prince to be a herdsman. Prince under cover is imprisoned and helps princess with rebellion. She becomes sad all the time, because she does not want to marry anyone. Luckily, love finds way to their life . . .

A group of children discover the new continent of the world, uninhabited by adults. Soon, many other children are joining them in that new paradise, leaving their parents and other adults baffled on all remaining continents.

In this bitingly satirical film Peter Slovan, a continuous source of trouble for the film functionaries of the socialist Slovakia, tackles an evergreen topic – the corruptive effects of power. Barnabáš Kos, a triangle player at a symphonic orchestra, is suddenly promoted to serve as the head of the said institution, even though both he and his superiors deem him completely unfit for the task. Encouraged in equal parts by this unexpected recognition and the servile praise of his colleagues, Kos’s modesty starts to gradually vanish. The erstwhile bashful and aloof percussionist quickly becomes aware of the advantages of his new office, and begins to realise his increasingly ludicrous artistic ambitions. Ultimately, the submissive marionette turns into a source of public humiliation, and his astonishing career finds an abrupt end. Orchestra serves here as a microcosm that grotesquely reflects the absurd and tragicomic mechanisms of the paranoid apparatus of power.

Three soccer fans are determined to do literally anything to get to the soccer match between Czechoslovakia and the famous representation team of Brazil. Reaching their goal to see the dream match live cannot he precluded neither by a sudden work task nor family obligations. However, there is one more obstacle in their way: for some time, their enthusiastic behavior during soccer matches has been monitored by the police. This time, it will not be easy for them to get to the stadium.

On this naive and awkwardly narrated fairy tale it is remarkable that it also established the tradition of fairy tale stories in Slovakia. A certain refinement is the framing of the whole story with a puppet show that moves into the played scenes. The film carries out a folk tale of a stupid castle lord who lives in a ruined castle, a fraudulent painter and a lazy shepherd.

A comedy about a lost inheritance, love and a red umbrella, which, according to a local legend, belonged to St. Peter himself.

Set in Bratislava in the 1930s, about a clerk at a humanitarian foundation who is unjustly accused of embezzling a large sum of money.

Drama about the rebellion of the Trencín Infantry Regiment against its superior officers in the Serbian city of Kragujevac, at the end of the First World War. It was the biggest and deadliest rebellion in the Austro-Hungarian army.

In WWII Czechoslovakia, an old toymaker incorporates secret messages in his models to fool the Germans. They find him out and he flees. As the Gestapo officer hunts around he is attacked by the toys, who send him packing. Live action and stop motion short by Hermína Týrlová.

Leopold Kohák married a rich widow a long time ago and now has nothing to do compared to his energetic wife. He's growing old and troubled by the fact that he betrayed his first love Emča and his beloved river Sázava where he spent his childhood and youth. A visit from an old friend Lebeda brings it all back to him. After a nervous breakdown Leopold secretly visits his home instead of going to the spa. A wandering tramp suggest Leopold should bathe in the magical waters of the Sázava, and slowly his youth returns to him.

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.

Venice Film Festival 1941

The title refers to the office of records in the basement of a large company... sort of the place where a troublesome employee may be dumped in a dead end job. If fact, the story is a simple romantic comedy, with Burian as the kindly old stick-in-the-mud who helps the young man to sort out his romance with the daughter of the company's owner.

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

Alois Novák (Oldrich Nový), a minor clerk in a travel agency and the husband of a dowdy housewife Marenka (Natasa Gollová), lives a run-of-the-mill, dull life. In his soul, however, there resides an inextinguishable desire for adventure. And so once a month he poses as a playboy. As the mysterious and wealthy Mr. Kristian he goes to the exclusive Orient Bar where he does not skimp on generous tips and where he platonic-ally seduces beautiful and elegant women. In the salon he speaks of love and the magnificence of exotic lands, which he has supposedly come to know on his wanderings abroad. In reality he has read all of this in the travel agency's brochures.