In the forest near the village of Drahovice, a nurse from the local health center is found murdered. Three months ago, another young woman died nearby and a sexual motive was proved in the case of her murder. In the case of the nurse, the motives are not so clear. Two criminologists from Prague - Major Kalas (Rudolf Hrusínský) and Lieutenant Varga (Radoslav Brzobohatý) - patiently collect all available leads and question the villagers.
Acting
Hrušínský's world-weary silences speak entire monologues.
Direction
Schulhoff makes mundane spaces feel quietly menacing.
Director
Petr Schulhoff
Rudolf Hrušínský
major SNB Kalaš
Radoslav Brzobohatý
nadporučík SNB Varga
Jiří Pleskot
poručík VB Louda
Ludmila Roubíková
Králová, správcova žena
Zuzana Ondrouchová
Radka, dcera Králové
Jaroslav Moučka
hajný Bureš
Josef Bláha
MUDr. Wintr, drahovický doktor
František Peterka
reklamní aranžér Jiří Kyncl
Miroslav Plzák
psychiatr
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during the Czech New Wave's peak, this represents state-studio genre filmmaking that smuggled moral ambiguity past socialist-realist expectations.
Schulhoff directed several crime films but never achieved the international recognition of Forman or Menzel; this was his most commercially successful.
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