Volání rodu

Well, yeah. Another one of those favourite films from my childhood, which time has gnawed away like a dog's bone, another of my ingrained childhood fantasies that time has crushed to dust. I still like Štorch's books to this day, but this adaptation by Schmidt, which has only the name of the main character Ravenpierk in common with the written text, has nothing to offer today. The production design, especially in this last part, is very austere, with shots of one hut alternating with shots of actors in furs crunching through the countryside in Šumava and around Mělník, and the Stone Age atmosphere was completely absent. The whole execution seemed somehow artificial and unnatural, the filmmakers could only dream of depicting the rawness and wildness of that era. The script wasn’t very good either, and the actors had nothing to work with. Of the entire trilogy, the first Settlement of Crows was the most enjoyable, but then the quality declined sharply. I would warn potential viewers, this film adaptation says nothing about the quality of Štorch's books, which are actually very nice to read. But even an attempt is appreciated, especially considering the time it was made. The two stars are mainly for the courage to embark on something so daring as to bring the language of the Stone Age to life. (29.12.2004)