The fact that director Antonín Kachlík had converged with the new norms in Czechoslovak cinematography imposed under the “normalisation” period was demonstrated by this 1973 historical feature. Despite its title, the film is essentially not related to the crime genre. Its narrative – devised according to a secondary plot found in Ivan Olbracht’s novel Anna proletářka (Anna the Proletarian) – outlines the exposed dirty practices of social democrats that have been targeted at working people. The story of a corrupted MP, Jandák (Karel Šebesta), who has enriched himself through a sinister business involving fire extinguishers, is connected to dramatic events centred on Hungarian revolutionary Kerekes (Vladimír Kostovič). In an act of vengeance, he kills a guard who has tortured him in jail… Script editor and screenwriter Václav Šašek, formerly associated with cinema’s Czechoslovak New Wave, wrote the screenplay for this feature. It offers a typical interpretation of modern history through “class”.
It is the year 1920. A newly established Czechoslovak Republic is still very unstable. Workers in Prague revolt mainly against profiteers and unfair money-lenders. Jandák, a Parliament member for the social democrats, throws a party in his luxurious villa. He gained the wealth together with his brother by unfair trade with extinguishers. He is afraid of being revealed, and this is why he refuses to join his brother in another dirty business. Jandák's son Jaroslav, a law student and editor of the social democratic daily Právo lidu (People's Rights) meets a Hungarian revolutionary Sándor in an old house gateway. Sándor narrowly escaped death in a Hungarian jail. Regardless his father's protests, Jaroslav puts Sandor up in his apartment. Later he gets a shelter at carpenter Plecitý's workshop. Sándor coughs up blood. Upon a medical examination, the doctor finds out that he has tuberculosis that cannot be treated at this stage. Jandák has a firm political influence, and the opposition decides to remove him from public life. An opposition representative Hradský shows him a compromising photo of his taken at a night club and documents on his unfair sales of extinguishers. Jandák is asked to publicly retract from his revolutionary ideas, threatening to go public with the compromising materials. Walking in Prague streets, Sándor recognizes a cruel jail officer Bélaffy, following him to the Blue Star Hotel, where he kills him. Jandák takes care of his defence at the court, but his plea becomes an accusation and condemnation of revolution. Depressed Jaroslav leaves home. However, Plecitý assures him that their fight will go on in a new revolutionary party.
poslanec JUDr. Karel Jandák
posluchač práv Jaroslav, Jandákův syn
maďarský revolucionář Sándor Kerekes
sekční šéf ministersta vnitra Hradský
MUDr. Brock
Zdena, Karlova žena
Marta, dcera Jandákových
dr. Benda
Plecitý, bývalý rudoarmějec
hrabě Emerich Bélaffy
obchodník Machač, svědek u soudu
sociální demokrat Mařík
kriminálník István Turay
pekař Jan Jandák, Karlův bratr
obhájce
soudce
novinář Kolman z Národní politiky
prokurátor
radikál
radikál
radikál
radikál
radikál
tajný
tanečník
policejní rada Pochop
předseda
novinář z Práva lidu
prodavač u novinového stojanu
vrátný
tajný policista
infanterista
přísedící
klavíristka
Kosař
sazeč Dvořák
policista
švadlena
žebračka s dcerkou
teta Lola
sestřenice Dadla
zpěvák
hubený muž
barman
majitel obchodu
číšnice
státní žalobce
kamelot
kamelot
poslanec
muž v uniformě
hostinský
úřednice
funkcionář
funkcionář
funkcionář
novinář
novinář
přísedící
úřednice
muž u šibenice
muž u šibenice
tanečnice ohlašující čísla
tanečnice
tanečnice
tanečnice
tanečnice
tanečnice
tanečnice
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
dirigent
hudebník
divačka u soudu
Karel Brchel, Jana Vohryzková, Bohumila Velková
Ivan Olbracht (Anna proletářka – román)
Jaroslav Česal, Karel Kočí, Stanislav Krejča
Miroslav Jíra, Jiří Kasík, Jaroslav Klenot, Jiří Klenot, Otakar Rademacher, Jindřich Sejk, Oldřich Semerák, Zdeněk Srstka, Jaroslav Tomsa, Jan Váňa, Karel Vítek, Ludvík Wolf
Zdeňka Černá, Mach Oldřich (výroba)
Alena Lípová
Helena Matušková, Josef Kraus, Miloslav Mirvald
Bedřich Smetana (Večerní písně /Nekamenujte proroky/)
Štěpán Koníček (FISYO)
Stivín se točí /Ježíšmarjá/
Eduard Bass (Stivín se točí /Ježíšmarjá/)
Václav Vondráček (Stivín se točí /Ježíšmarjá/)
Zločin v Modré hvězdě
Crime in the Blue Star
film
feature
drama
Czechoslovakia
1973
1973
22 February 1974
long
88 min
Czech
Event: Cena Antonína Zápotockého
1974
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Antonín Kachlík