The popular actress Iva Janžurová introduced the movie Coach to Vienna in person today. This important work of Czechoslovak cinema was filmed in 1966 by Karel Kachyňa and was already screened once in Karlovy Vary. "It was the festival's 15th year and it was so good that due to the political climate it received no award at all," joked Marek Eben during the introduction.
Coach to Vienna is an intimate drama from the last days of World War II, when a country girl Krista is forced to transport two German Wehrmacht soldiers to the Austrian border. "Although it is a serious film, we had a lot of fun during the filming, which took place in poor conditions," Janžurová recollected during the introduction.
She also recalled that Karel Kachyňa was a very strict director. When the actress excused herself from shooting for two days, later while practising the fall from the coach Kachyňa really knocked her down. "I'm glad the film still has life. I very much appreciate the fact that it is one of the more serious roles I got in my career as more of a comedic actress," she added in conclusion.
