Czech Films 2004-2005 2005 / Sametoví vrazi / Czech Republic 2005
A thriller about crime, love, and betrayal, loosely based on the so-called Orlík murders, regarded as the biggest criminal case of the Czech post-revolution era.
Jiří Svoboda’s crime thriller was loosely based on the most horrific case in modern Czech criminal history — the socalled Orlík murders of the early 1990s. Spurred on by a desire for money and a higher standard of living, a member of an elite police unit quits his job to become a bouncer, bodyguard and would-be hitman. The main storyline relates the motivations behind his and his cohorts’ brutal actions, their private lives, and close ties with the social infrastructure. The subplot involves the police investigation. The case shocked the public for its atrocity and cynical dimension: these cold-blooded killers ‘buried’ their victims in steel drums at the bottom of Orlík reservoir (south of Prague). But it also raised questions of basic morality. The director on the events that inspired the movie: “They are fascinating and riveting not only for the level of evil (or, more precisely, for the complete absence of anything whatsoever to do with good and the awareness of values) but also for the extent of the banality — it engenders an element of fanciful grotesque.”
133 min / Color, 35 mm
International premiere
Director Jiří Svoboda
/ Screenplay Jiří Svoboda
/ Dir. of Photography Martin Šácha
/ Music Jiří Chlumecký
/ Editor Adam Dvořák
/ Producer Hana Bílá
/ Production Czech Television
/ Cast Michal Dlouhý, Jan Dolanský, Richard Krajčo, Alice Veselá, Lucie Benešová, Dušan Urban, Pavel Řezníček, Luboš Veselý, Jan Vondráček, Dušan Škubal, Petr Motloch, Andrea Kulasová, Jiří Kodeš, Zuzana Kocúriková a další
/ Contact Czech Television - Telexport, MonteCristo Entertainment, Česká televize
www: www.sametovivrazi.cz
Jiří Svoboda (b. 1945, Kladno, near Prague) graduated in direction from Prague’s Film Academy (FAMU) in 1971. Since that time he has worked as a screenwriter for Barrandov Film Studios and, as of 1974, as a director. He is interested in psychological stories, and his work is characterized by an ability to build a powerful drama and by the effective use of cinematic means of expression. He debuted in features with the segment “Hostage” from the crime triptych A Motive for Murder (1974). His independent debut came with A Mirror for Kristýna (1975). Selected filmography: Girl with a Shell (1980), The Chain (1981), Encounter with the Shadows (1982), End of the Lonely Farm Berghof (1983), Scalpel, Please (1985), Papilio (1986), The World Knows Nothing (1987), The Damned House of Hajn (1988), About Family Affairs Only (1990) and The New Breed (2005). He has made several documentaries and more than 30 TV productions and TV movies. He teaches at FAMU.
Czech Television - Telexport
Kavčí hory, 140 70, Praha 4
Czech Republic
Phone: +420 261 137 047
E-mail: [email protected]
MonteCristo Entertainment
, , Praha 1
Czech Republic
Phone: +420 224 934 550, +1 21 222 32276
Fax: +420 224 934 712
E-mail: [email protected]
Česká televize
Kavčí hory, 140 70, Praha 4
Czech Republic
Phone: +420 261 131 111
E-mail: [email protected]
Martin Novosad
Cinema Representative, Distributor, Festival Organizer, Film Institution Rep., PR & Marketing, Producer, TV Representative, Tutor / Trainer
Michal Dlouhý
Actor
Adam Dvořák
Producer
Martin Šácha
Director of Photography
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