Krakatite is the name of an explosive with unimaginable destructive power. Its inventor, the engineer Prokop, is himself horrified by it, but for many others it is a coveted instrument of absolute power.

In Karel Čapek's 1924 novel of the same name, Prokop's experiments and their consequences were purely the author's vision. In contrast, the film adaptation, made not long after World War II and the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, clearly reflects some of the actual events. Aside from its powerful moral appeal, it still captivates today with its delirious atmosphere and visual ingenuity in real-life outdoor shots and fantastical sets.

This film will be shown as part of the series "Czech Film Wednesday" , as always in the original version with German subtitles.

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Tickets and reservations

This is the first film from the 1940s to be shown on Czech Film Wednesday. Czechoslovakia was occupied for the first half of this decade, and free filmmaking was therefore not possible. From February 1948, the communists came to power, and almost exclusively films with a strong propaganda focus were produced under them. In this respect, filmmaking was only able to develop relatively freely in the years 1945 to 1947.

Director and screenwriter Otakar Vávra is a very interesting figure in Czech film history and is considered the most controversial film director of the century. He began his work in 1936, during the First Republic. He was able to continue his work with various films during the occupation and was even awarded the Shield of Honor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia by the Nazis. Nevertheless, he was able to continue his career unhindered after the war and made a large number of films during the communist era, including many with a strong propaganda character. In 1955 he was named an Honored Artist of the State. But even after the Velvet Revolution he continued to be celebrated and, for example, received the "Prize for Extraordinary Contribution to World Cinematography" in Karlovy Vary in 2001.

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Czechoslovakia, 1948, 97 min, OmU

Director: Otakar Vavra
Original: Karel Čapek (book from 1924)
Screenplay: Otakar Vávra, Jaroslav R. Vávra

Starring: Karel Höger, Florence Marly, František Smolík, Nataša Tanská, Miroslav Homola, Jaroslav Průcha, Jiří Plachý st., Eduard Linkers, Bedřich Vrbský

(This is an automatic translation by Google Translator.)