Known for Acting
This lavish Soviet/Czech co-production is based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's famous novel, The Gambler, which tells the story of a Russian living in Germany, in a gambling resort. This film is set at the turn of the century, and was filmed in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), Czechoslovakia. Played by Nikolai Burlyayev, the gambler succumbs completely to his addiction, using up every resource he has (human, spiritual and financial) in his wagering, finally becoming a rootless drifter.
An elderly couple is planning a big family gathering. The husband is thinking about what he can do to make his wife happy. While walking around town, he meets an old friend and they have a few drinks together. After a dose of alcohol, the man trades his brand-new coat for a fox-head fur coat for his wife, thinking it will please her. But his wife doesn't like the gift at all and gets angry with the man. The couple argue, exchange insults, and finally decide to cancel the celebration. The man wants a divorce "due to insurmountable resistance"...
This satirical micro-comedy condemns the petty bourgeois mentality, especially bragging. The ridiculous protagonists are two elderly neighbours who are constantly exaggerating the wealth and status of their now grown-up children, who have to submit to their whims - for example, they have to borrow a car to look quite affluent...
If a girl has such an uninteresting occupation that she sells flowers, she likes to indulge in daydreaming, where she can experience unsuspected adventures. But a real suitor who courts a girl is more attractive...
The winter Krkonoše Mountains have many pitfalls, especially if you are overly concerned about their treacherous splendour. The somewhat unheroic hero of this clumsily and uninterestingly shot film is a mail carrier who volunteers for the Mountain Service. Only in a blizzard does he overcome his fear of avalanches when he saves the lives of two hikers caught off guard by the suddenly deteriorating weather...
A mobile chapel of St. Florian is moved every week between the villages of Zbořov and Spáňovice. The farmer Florian Jírovec, who has to provide his horses for this event, is tired of it and therefore supports the proposal to build a proper brick chapel in Zbořov. The saint himself visits him at night and is rewarded for his efforts with a miracle. He sends him a golden cord from the sky, which can regulate the weather...
A Czech satirical comedy, filmed according to a script by the State Prize laureate Jiří Marek based on several of his satirical short stories. The film contains three stories, the first of which mocks careerism, the second takes aim at the inadequate attitude of some of our literary critics, and the final story is a satirical picture of how irresponsible construction work is still done in some parts of our country.
The employees of the furniture company MARS welcome a rare visitor with hired music. Their boast that they would put together an orchestra is taken seriously, so they receive a small gift - musical instruments for thirty musicians.
American agents hijack a plane on the Ostrava-Prague route to launch a campaign against the People's Democratic Czechoslovakia. The plane lands in West Germany, but the Americans have an unexpected problem convincing the hijackers to stay in the West. Based on a true story.
Strong-willed peasant girl Katka disobeys her father and heads to the city to work in a factory, where no one knows quite what to make of her.
