Der Wächter

Der Nachhall der sechziger Jahre ist in vollem Gange. Auch wenn die subjektivierte Erzählung nicht den gleichen Grad an Teilhabe und Meisterschaft erreicht wie in Herz' Meisterwerk Der Leichenverbrenner, erhält der Film doch genügend Suggestivität durch den hervorragenden Jiří Hrzán, der die Figur des lebenslangen Verlierers und überreifen Kindes, das sich törichten Träumen hingibt, mit voller Überzeugung darstellt. Renčs Darstellung des merkwürdigen "Erwachsenwerdens" eines Gefängniswärters mag stellenweise ungeschickt gestelzt sein, aber die Entwicklung der Hauptfigur und einige wirklich beeindruckende Kompositionen machen alles Negative wieder wett. Formal könnte man vieles bemängeln, auch die Tatsache, dass der Film nur vom Erbe der Klassiker aus einem der besten Jahrzehnte des tschechischen Kinos profitiert, aber das ändert kaum etwas daran, dass Der Wächter so etwas wie ein verstaubtes, unscheinbares Juwel ist, das definitiv zum goldenen Fundus des tschechischen Kinos gehört. Josef Vildomec erreicht zwar nicht die verstörende Exzentrik von Fuksas Roman Kopfrkingl, aber seine seltsame Instabilität und unterdrückte Brutalität, die am Ende zu einer wahrhaft tragikomischen Verzweiflung eskaliert, hat eine innere Logik und genügend Dramatik... Die tiefe Komplexität beschreibt Vildomec’ Wandel perfekt. (22.09.2005)

In one documentary dedicated to the life story of Jiří Hrzán, the narrator mentioned that at the beginning of his theater career, Hrzán was supposed to appear on stage in an insignificant role. However, he turned it into such an exhibitionist performance that he practically stole the show for himself and caused outrage in the lead actor. Overnight, a new star was born. This memory came to mind as I watched his acting concert in the role of the guard. That is because the success of the film stands or falls with Hrzán. The screenplay has significant flaws. It wanted to be a parable about how an ordinary, easily manipulable village fool, exposed to the influence of the external environment and in a position where he can abuse his power, gradually turns into a tyrannical monster. However, this is not The Cremator 2 because the potential message is successfully disrupted by comedic elements and side motives, such as an escaped recidivist who openly makes fun of the guard, or the motif of an unequal romantic relationship, appropriately punished. The screenplay simply lacks the proper punch, but even so, it is an interesting and in many respects provocative film, and a testimony to the high level of Czech cinema of its time. Overall impression: 80%. (12.02.2013)

One of the last reverberations of the Czech New Wave, already when the normalization regime was beginning to fully tighten its claws and the purges among filmmakers were gradually taking on their monstrous proportions. In places, the directing is rather inept, sometimes even slapdash, but the premise and the script, perfectly mapping the decline of the character of one domineering young man (in Jiří Hrzán's precise grasp), is so great that these flaws can be overlooked. It was Ivan Renč's feature debut, but his parable was so bold and so against the wishes of the approvers of the time that it was also his last feature film. (30.09.2013)