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.
mlynář Spálený
kaplan Probus
regent Valečský z Valče
myslivec Filip
Jan, Spáleného syn
děvečka Martina
pastýř ovcí
biskup Dittrichštejn
dráb na poli
mladší pacholek/myslivec v retrospektivě
Jakub
mlynář v retrospektivě
mlynářova žena v retrospektivě
farář v retrospektivě
kostelník
písař
velitel rejtarů
šafář
robotnice
dráb
starší pacholek
Katka
Bětka
mladý šafář
Andulka
Lidka
bubeník
Zdena Pavlátová, Milan Kadlec
Alfred Technik (Mlýn na ponorné řece – román)
Miroslav Sinkule
Jan Drvota, Jiří Cvrček, Jan Vrňata
Miroslav Dousek
Oldřich Okáč, Jitka Šulcová, Růžena Nováková
Ďáblova past
The Devil's Trap
film
feature
ballad
Czechoslovakia
1961
1961
20 April 1962
Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala, Ladislav Novotný
long
86 min
Czech
Event: Umělecká soutěž k 20. výročí osvobození Československa
1965
Praha / Czechoslovakia
František Vláčil
Festival: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival Locarno
1962
Locarno / Switzerland
František Vláčil