The Black Battalion
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1958Production year
1957Premiere
13 June 1958Runtime
85 minDirector
Vladimír ČechCategory
filmGenre
drama, warTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Černý praporCzech title
Černý praporEnglish title
The Black BattalionSynopsis
Former members of the French Foreign Legion of Czechoslovak origin are returning home. The mother of Václav Malý from Plzeň is waiting for her son at the airport, but he is not among the home-comers. In a fortress in the middle of the jungle, he's made friends with his fellow countryman Petr, Tadeusz from Poland and Gerhardt from Germany. They all want to desert, because they can't take the cruel treatment from Sergeant Storch any longer. Storch lost a golden statuette gambling, but didn't accept his loss. Václav became an accidental witness to the treacherous murder of Storch's opponent, lived through a dangerous fight in the jungle, and witnessed a massacre in a village. Retreating, he found wounded Lieutenant Wolf in the jungle, and saved his life. Wolf took over the command of the troop, and offered Václav the position of his batman. Václav accepted the offer, despite his friends' disapproval. But when he found out that Wolf was an ex-SS officer who served in Plzeň at the end of the war, he realized that this was the man who murdered his sister and his father. He decided to kill Wolf. He joined Wolf on a reconnaissance in the jungle as a volunteer. Neither one of them returned. The next plane is landing in Prague. Petr is on board. However, he can't bring himself to tell Václav's mother the truth.
Photos
Cast
Jaroslav Mareš
legionář Václav Malý
František Peterka
český voják Petr
Günther Simon
německý voják Gerhardt
Hannjo Hasse
poručík Wolf
Kurt Oligmüller
seržant Storch
Tadeusz Schmidt
polský voják Tadeusz
Jerzy Duszyński
Antek
Karel Jelínek
Jocker
Ladislav Chudík
major, velitel pevnosti
Jami Blanc
pobočník
Marie Brožová
Václavova matka
Štěpán Bulejko
Lord
Rudolf Deyl st.
Petrův otec
Luděk Eliáš
legionář
Vladimír Brabec
mladíček
Zdeněk Kryzánek
Ketham
Karel Meister
doktor
Jindřich Narenta
König
Jiří Hein
Dietrich
Maurice Orion
legionář služba
Nikola Lako
Bellini
Jiří Schulz
poručík
Miroslav Levý
podporučík
Lubor Tokoš
seržant, šéf PM
Miloslav Novák
kaprál PM
Alex Přítel
radiotelegrafista
Hafid Ihadadem
radiotelegrafista
Manuel Alonso
sluha
Miriam Hynková
Karlova dívka
Viktor Vosátka
Karel
Oldřich Slavík
mladíček
Luong Van Tich
vietnamský voják
Lieu Čo
vietnamská dívka
Trinh Van Phu
otec dívky
Al. Vujuklekis
strážný věznice
Vladimír Linka
legionář
Christopher Kekes
legionář
Egidio Bonanno
legionář
Jan Brychta
legionář
Ján Bártfay
legionář
Marcel Boar
legionář
Miloš Vavruška
legionář
Renato Recansone
legionář
A. Barbieri
legionář
Vladimír Žáček
legionář
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Screenstory
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Vladimír Řezníček, Jaroslav Kupšík
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Consultant
Ervín Páleš, Ivette Dubois, plk. František Nevěřil, Jaromír Lauda
Cooperation
Karel Skoumal (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Karla Krautgartnera (Music Conducted by Karel Krautgartner), Ladislav Černý /sólo na violu/
Songs
Le petit chemin
Song Composer Bohumil Šmída
Writer of Lyrics Maurice Orion
Singer Maurice Orion
Pierres du passé
Song Composer Bohumil Šmída
Writer of Lyrics Maurice Orion
Singer Maurice Orion
Pohádková země
Song Composer Bohumil Šmída
Writer of Lyrics Jaromír Hořec
Production info
Original Title
Černý prapor
Czech Title
Černý prapor
English Title
The Black Battalion
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama, war
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1958
Production Year
1957
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 11 February 1957
technical Screenplay approved 4 August 1957
start of filming 15 August 1957
end of filming 12 December 1957
projection approval 17 March 1958
Premiere
preview 6 June 1958 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
gala premiere 6 June 1958 (kino Sevastopol, Praha)
premiere 13 June 1958 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Blaník /4 týdny/, Flora /1 týden/, Kyjev /1 týden od 20. 6./, Veleslavín /1 týden od 27. 6./ a Arbes /1 týden od 4. 7./, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Šmída – Kunc, František Břetislav Kunc (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
85 min
Original length in metres
2 424 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,37
Colour
black & white
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech, German, French, Polish
Subtitles languages
Czech
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 1. festival českých a slovenských filmů Banská Bystrica
1959
Banská Bystrica / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Festival: 11. mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary
1958
Karlovy Vary / Czechoslovakia
Vítěz
Festival: Mezinárodní filmový festival Mexico City
1958
Mexico City / Mexico
