The Devil Knows Why

Colour, 35 mm
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, 2003, 98 min
Section: Czech Films

Synopsis

This epic fairy tale sweeps the viewer off to the realm of King Dobromil the Good, who has returned home after a long military campaign. While he was fighting in faraway lands, his daughter Annie grew up into a charming young woman ready for marriage. But his kingdom is falling apart: honest work, decency and respect among people are no longer valued and the region is ruled by the forces of hell. Many are fleeing the crumbling kingdom and only the muddle-headed herbalist Apollonia believes in salvation. Indeed, she has a dream about a young man who will arrive on an ass, marry Princess Annie, and bring decency, justice and happiness back to the land. But before Apollonia’s dream can be fulfilled, Philip (the dream hero) must win out not only over the crafty Lucifer and his devilish minions, but also over a perfidious minister seeking the royal throne. He must also defeat Kvido, a treacherous former servant who betrayed their friendship for the promise of power and riches. And as we expect from a fairy tale, good triumphs over evil: Philip’s courage, humour, and true love for Princess Annie enable him to save the kingdom from the forces of hell. Shooting locations include various landscapes and castles of Bohemia.

About the director

Roman Vávra (b. 1965, Prague) graduated from the School of Economics and in documentary filmmaking from Prague’s Film Academy (FAMU). At school he was commended for a portrait of a larger-than-life gravedigger, Once Upon a Time (1994), the documentary The Battlers (1995) about a gang of “mowers” struggling to eradicate giant hogweed, and In the Rye, a short he later developed into an award-winning feature through the addition of two other stories (1998). Since 1992, Vávra has directed various programmes, portraits and documentaries for Czech Television, and contributed the script for most of them. In 2000 he co-directed the feature-length documentary Battle for Life, which took the annual FITES Award. The Devil Knows Why (2003) is his second feature.