The Devil's Trap

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1961

Production year

1961

Premiere

20 April 1962

Runtime

86 min

Category

film

Genre

ballad

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Ďáblova past

Czech title

Ďáblova past

English title

The Devil's Trap

Synopsis

1722. The freeborn miller Spálený is a thorn in the side of the regent Valečský. The regent does not like that people respect the miller for his wisdom, goodness and knowledge of nature. Therefore the regent reacts with hatred to the miller's warning against the construction of a new darn at a place that is called "The Sunken Spot". He even tells his guest, Bishop Diettrichstein, that the miller and his family are suspected of witchcraft. A long time ago, Swedish soldiers put the mill on fire but the miller's family escaped as if by a miracle. The bishop sends a fanatic priest, probably a significant Church dignitary, to help the regent. The priest, too, thinks that the miller is detrimental to the reputation of the Church. He therefore searches through the mill, talks both to the miller and his son Jan and tries to convict them. He recruits the gamekeeper Filip, who is fond of Jan's girlfriend Martina. The priest's hatred gets even stronger when the miller succeeds in finding a spring of water during the droughts and the regent's new barn sinks in the course of the village dance. After this accident, the miller disappears. The priest tries to bully the villagers into turning against him, but he fails. Therefore he rides with the regent and Filip to the mill. There, Jan finds a letter in which his father describes the way to the underground. Soon afterwards, the priest, the regent and Filip walk into the underground and set off down the corridor that the father warned Jan against. All three die. Jan and Martina are freed.

Cast

Vítězslav Vejražka

mlynář Jan Spálený

Miroslav Macháček

kaplan Probus

Čestmír Řanda

regent Valečský z Valče

Vlastimil Hašek

myslivec Filip

Vít Olmer

Jan, Spáleného syn

Karla Chadimová

děvečka Martina

František Kovářík

pastýř ovcí

Bedřich Karen

biskup Dittrichštejn

Josef Hlinomaz

dráb na poli

Jaroslav Moučka

robotník Jakub

Zdeněk Kutil

mladší pacholek/myslivec v retrospektivě

Ladislav Kazda

mlynář, děd mlynáře Spáleného v retrospektivě

Dagmar Kofroňová

mlynářova žena v retrospektivě

Zlatomír Vacek

farář v retrospektivě

Jiří Vršťala

velitel rejtarů v retrospektivě

Milan Kindl

mladý šafář

Jiří Bělohoubek

dráb

Antonín Novotný

starší pacholek

Monika Indingerová

děvečka Katka

Pavla Polášková

děvečka Bětka

Bakalářová

děvečka Andulka

Holohlavská

děvečka Lidka

J. Skružný

bubeník

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jaroslav Beránek

Assistant Director

Milan Kadlec

Continuity

Zdena Pavlátová

Based on

Alfred Technik (Mlýn na ponorné řece – román)

Shooting Script

František Vláčil

Director of Photography

Rudolf Milič

Second Unit Photography

Miroslav Sinkule

Camera Operator

Rudolf Milič ml.

Production Designer

Karel Škvor

Assistent Production Designer

Oldřich Okáč

Set Designer

Jiří Cvrček, Jan Vrňata, Jan Drvota

Costume Designer

Theodor Pištěk ml.

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Assistant Film Editor

Jitka Šulcová

Sound Designer

František Fabián, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)

Production Manager

Věra Kadlecová

Unit Production Manager

Karel Škorpík, Václav Havlík

Unit Production Manager

Miroslav Dousek

Cooperation

Růžena Nováková (klapka), Antonín Heřman (vrchní osvětlovač), Antonín Stránský (fotograf), Josef Kříž (ateliérový technik), Ludvík Sojka (ateliérový technik)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Kühnův smíšený sbor

Production info

Original Title

Ďáblova past

Czech Title

Ďáblova past

English Title

The Devil's Trap

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

ballad

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1961

Production Year

1961

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 6 April 1961
technical Screenplay approved 18 May 1961
start of filming 19 May 1961
end of filming 24 October 1961
the first film copy approved 31 October 1961
projection approval 29 December 1961

Premiere

preview 13 April 1962 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 20 April 1962 /suitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /3 týdny/ a Mír /3 týdny/, Praha)
premiere 20 April 1962 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

86 min

Original length in metres

2 438 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Event: Umělecká soutěž k 20. výročí osvobození Československa

1965
Praha / Czechoslovakia
František Vláčil

Vítěz

Festival: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival Locarno

1962
Locarno / Switzerland
František Vláčil