Five middle-aged men fake ancient Egypt to escape their wives. What could go wrong? Everything. Beautifully.
Comedy, 1974 (Czech Republic) : The movie takes place in England. A group of married middle-aged gentlemen have founded a pretense amateur Egyptology society to maintain some degree of freedom from their wives. The elaborate trick gradually escalates into more and more tangled web of lies and tricks, until they have no option but to disband the society for good.
Acting
Kopecký's magnificent theatrical swagger as the ringleader
Writing
Razor-sharp escalation of mutually assured deception
Director
František Filip
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Adapted from Arnold Bennett's 1905 novel 'The Card,' later retitled 'Denry the Audacious' in some markets.
Filmed during Czechoslovakia's Normalization period—its apolitical British setting let filmmakers explore social satire that would be censored if set locally.
XC
