Princ a chuďas

This impressive fairy tale story where necessity turned into virtue, utilizing black-and-white footage, which was already an anachronism on a global scale at that time, helped create a dark, raw atmosphere of the medieval period. The period-authentic music featuring pipes and flutes plays a significant role. Lastly, the film's success was guaranteed by its quality casting - Roman Skamene is excellent, as are the actors in supporting roles. It's a case of a film where a lot was made for very little money. Recently, I saw a British modern version, undoubtedly much more expensive, yet the result was roughly half as effective. Overall impression: 80% for its overall stylish spectacle. (12/30/2007)

The first episode is sensational. Roman Skamene handled the double role well, I really liked the uncharacteristically negative character of Josef Bláha and then of course the cast of the royal court led by Vladimír Šmeral and Martin Růžek. Ludvík Ráža managed to conjure up a very believable Old English atmosphere from very little. The second episode is just as good. The particularly distressing stay in the dungeon was a success. And I have a feeling that the smile of Václav Postránecký's character will unfortunately sometimes be dreamt of. (07/05/2012)