Directed by:
Oldřich LipskýCinematography:
Vladimír NovotnýComposer:
Vlastimil HálaCast:
Vladimír Menšík, Jaroslava Obermaierová, Josef Abrhám, Bohuš Záhorský, Stella Zázvorková, Jiří Steimar, Martin Růžek, Bedřich Prokoš, Josef Hlinomaz (more)Plots(1)
The edge of the guillotine separates the condemned man's head from his trunk, but the head immediately jumps back and unites with the body and the butcher Bedřich Frydrych comes back to life. With a good deal of temperament, he begins to tell his story "backwards" and returns to the events preceding his execution - as far back as to his dramatic first meeting with his future wife Julie. - At the court, Bedřich is sentenced to death for the murder of his wife. He was caught by a constable, while he was carrying her quartered body in a suitcase. The following sequence describes - through running the camera backwards - the "assembly" of his wife's body into its original state and the story continues to the beginning of Bedřich's life. He lives comfortably with Julie but a wild jealous scene reveals that Julie is unfaithful to him. Bedřich searches out his wife's lover, a Mr Ptáček whom he had heroically saved from drowning during their honeymoon by the sea. Bedřich's marriage with Julie is preceded by his split with his lover. Although Julie's mother agrees with the wedding, the girl attempts to commit suicide. The story goes back to the beginning, to the first acquaintance of Bedřich with Julie, who saves Julie from a fire. In the film, however, it looks as if Bedřich threw Julie into the fire; then he descends the ladder and, by kissing the hand of his former lover, attains a happy end. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Oldřich Lukeš
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
Lemonade Joe (1964)
The Assassination (1964)
Happy End (1967)
Miloš Macourek
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
Oldřich Velen
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Marecek, Pass Me the Pen! (1976)
All My Compatriots (1968)
Joachim, Put It in the Machine (1974)
Viktor Očásek
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
Lemonade Joe (1964)
The Good Soldier Schweik (1956)
Happy End (1967)
Jan Maška
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
The Good Soldier Schweik (1956)
Happy End (1967)
Case for a Rookie Hangman (1969)
Ilona Cicvárková
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
Milena Jandová
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
Le Corps de Diane (1969)
Jiří Kasík
Best movies:
Lemonade Joe (1964)
The Snowdrop Festival (1983)
Happy End (1967)
Vojtěch Kheck
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
Náš dědek Josef (1976)
Hvězda (1969)
Milan Kindl
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
Four Murders Are Enough, Darling (1970)
The Devil's Trap (1961)
Josef Krameš
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
The Return of the Prodigal Son (1966)
Courage for Every Day (1964)
Ivan Kraus
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
The End of a Priest (1968)
Private Torment (1967)
Jan Kraus
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
The Cremator (1968)
Happy End (1967)
The Stolen Airship (1966)
Jiří Sýkora
Czechoslovakia
Best movies:
Sňatky z rozumu (1968) (series)
Happy End (1967)
The End of a Priest (1968)
Kateřina Krausová
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
Helena Rychterová
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
Otakar Kuttner
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
Ladislav Gzela
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
Higher Principle (1960)
Witchhammer (1969)
Once Upon a Time, There Was a King... (1954)
Vlastimila Vlková
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
My Sweet Little Village (1985)
Joachim, Put It in the Machine (1974)
Happy End (1967)
Jan Fleischer
UK
Best movies:
Happy End (1967)
Straw Hat (1971)
Mikola a Mikolko (1988)