Černí baroni

Ich mag die Black Barons. Der Film hat vielleicht nicht viel mit der Atmosphäre der 50-er Jahre zu tun, doch er ist ein satirischer, idyllischer Film, und als solcher sollte er auch gesehen werden. Es ist ein Film voller zeitgenössischer Pathos, den Švandrlík buchstäblich beherrscht, ein Film voller hervorragender Schauspieler und Nicht-Schauspieler, eine großartige Sammlung von Sketchen und wirklich idiotischen Figuren aus dem Panoptikum der Zeit. Alles wird mit Leichtigkeit, Sicherheit und Glaubwürdigkeit gemacht. Eine gute Komödie. (20.04.2006)

A very decent cast, professional direction, production, and distribution. If I remember correctly, it was the first privately made Czech film - and naturally, the choice of subject was a safe bet. The book by Miloslav Švandrlík of the same name was a cult phenomenon, which couldn't fail on screen while at least maintaining an average level. The film doesn't have that semi-amateurishness and clumsiness of later Czech commercial films. It's not a great piece of filmmaking, but it is an honestly made folk comedy. Overall impression: 75%. (30.11.2007)

A classic book adapted to the screen with rarely seen precision and perfection. The brilliant performances dominate a story from the ranks of the Czech People's Army that doesn’t spare apt humour and perfectly lightens the then hated socialist regime. (31.08.2012)

A cult film that I have watched only today. It's a bit of a shame, but I have really been avoiding Czech films a lot. The film has excellent lines that have become popular. The perspective on the war, what it was and what it wasn't back then, is simply excellent. Why not watch it with a sense of humor? Sometimes I should read the book "The Black Barons". I think I would enjoy it even more, but the acting performances here are absolutely excellent in all cases. (07.01.2014)