Spalovač mrtvol
Directed by:
Juraj HerzCinematography:
Stanislav MilotaComposer:
Zdeněk LiškaCast:
Rudolf Hrušínský, Vlasta Chramostová, Jana Stehnová-Čechová, Miloš Vognič, Ilja Prachař, Zora Božinová, Eduard Kohout, Jiří Lír, Dimitrij Rafalský, Jan Vlček (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Prague at the end of the nineteen-thirties. Mr Kopfrkingl works in a crematorium. He is happily married and has two children - Zina and Milivoj. He looks after his family carefully and is conscientious in his job. He has a number of friends in the Society of Friends of Cremation and meets them at evening parties. One of them is the fascist Walter Reinke, who publicly rejoices at the annexation of Austria to the Greater German Reich. He tries to persuade Kopfrkingl that he too has German blood in his veins, and Walter's Nazi propaganda begins to make an impression on a man whose psychological state is affected by the constant presence of death in his life. Kopfrkingl becomes a member of the Nazi party, takes an active part in persecuting Jews and informs on his colleagues and friends to the Gestapo. One day Walter reminds him that his mother-in-law had been of non-Aryan origin and this could present an obstacle to Kopfrkingl's future career. Kopfrkingl therefore hangs his wife, with perverted tenderness. When Walter points out that his children also have Jewish blood, he resolves to kill them as well. He brutally slaughters Milivoj, but Zina manages to escape. Thus purefied, Koprfingl accepts an opportunity to join in preparations for mass cremations. He believes that in this way he will contribute to the salvation of the world. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (8)
I don't remember a movie ever chilling me this much the entire time, even without anything scary or disturbing happening. Rudolf Hrušínský's presence alone left me frightened whenever he appeared in a shot. The highlight is the scene of the funeral speech in the closing, where his masterful acting is brought to perfection. Top-notch filmmaking quality; it would require a bit of courage to watch it again.
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One of the ten most significant Czech films of all time, with the best direction by Juraj Herz and the strongest performance by Rudolf Hrušínský on screen. The gradual and subtle transformation of a model small-town citizen into a collaborator and fascist is also a reminder of many Czech fates during the authoritarian Second Republic and the occupation (Moravec), as well as a foreshadowing of the shift in attitudes of our elites during the normalization period. It is no wonder that this film had a rough ride... Excellent work with detail, camera, and especially editing. The morbid atmosphere is understandably not for everyone, but it is outstanding filmmaking through and through. Overall impression: 100%.
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What more can I say? This film is big! Thanks to Rudolf Hrušínský, great thanks to Ladislav Fuks' book, which Herz was able to translate into an equally suggestive image in an absolutely incredible way. The overall stylization and the very sleek, regular pace of storytelling accurately mirror Roman Kopfrkingl's heart, where everything unfolds in concentric circles, where the same sentences and the same thoughts are repeated over and over again, and where a morbid obsession gradually emerges. First death, then your own specialness. The inner life of a man whose whole world is built on a game, to deny reality and transform it into something bizarrely humble, kind, and sleek, including death. Hrušínský as a half-empty vessel, gradually filled with the poison of ideology and conviction of his own importance, is inhumanly convincing. So is Herz's entire film... The most suggestive portrait of the madness of man and time period that I know.
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The Cremator is really an incredible film. But there was little doubt about that. History has already thoroughly tested it. The way Juraj Herz uses the camera, capturing various details, the constant presence of Hrušínský's voice with a slight echo - these are just the foundations of the creeping horror that slowly seeps into your heart. An incredibly professionally and comprehensively mastered work that truly has no parallels in Czech and Slovak history.
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A blissful, heavenly movie, even. The hypnotically dreamy atmosphere goes hand in hand with the innovative technical angle. A blessed thing, so to speak, of human dimensions, without a rival in the whole of our enchantingly beautiful country. And you will find many better movies even in the beautiful outside world. And Rudolf Hrušínský? A blessed actor who no longer has to feel that he didn’t do enough for us.
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