Směšný pán

I like the works of Karel Kachyňa and the scripts by Jan Procházka. The collaboration of both creators brought, among others, the excellent Coach to Vienna to Czech cinema. In this case, however, I am uncertain about this film, because even having the best intentions, A Ridiculous Gentleman didn't resonate with me, and both gentlemen are to blame for it. It is a film about old age, disillusionment, dying, and above all, a life that is thwarted by outside influences. I find the screenplay too diluted because this would have been enough for a medium-length, let's say, 35-45-minute film, ideally combined with other thematically related short films into one anthology film. Kachyňa's typical poetic style slowed down the film with constant camera trips to the facades of houses, Prague towers, and city streets. The film is carried by the brilliant music of Zdeněk Liška and the acting of film veteran Vladimír Šmeral. Thematically, the story corresponds to the central motif of Procházka's work, which is coming to terms with the political excesses of Czech post-war history, in this case, the political trials of the 1950s. Overall impression: 45%. (07.11.2010)