Spalovac mrtvol (1969)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Juraj Herz

Writers:

Ladislav Fuks (novel)
Ladislav Fuks (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 March 1969 (Czechoslovakia)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Kopfrkingl enjoys his job at a crematorium in Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s. He likes reading the Tibetan book of the dead...

Plot Keywords:

German | Czechoslovakia | Crematorium | Tibetan Book Of The Dead | Half Jewish

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Rudolf Hrusínský	...	Kopfrkingl
Vlasta Chramostová	...	Lakmé / Dagmar
Jana Stehnová	...	Zina
Milos Vognic	...	Mili
Zora Bozinová	...	Reinkeová
Ilja Prachar	...	Walter Reinke
Eduard Kohout	...	Bettleheim
Jirí Menzel	...	Dvorák
Míla Myslíková	...	Hloupá zena
Vladimír Mensík	...	Manzel hloupé zeny
Jirí Lír	...	Strauss
Václav Stekl	...	Hudebník / rozhodcí boxu / majitel panoptika
Helena Anýzová	...	Bledá dívka
Jindrich Narenta	...	Nacista ve smokingu
Marie Rosulková	...	Zena dozadující se rakvicky

Also Known As:

The Cremator (USA)

Runtime:

95 min | Netherlands:102 min

Country:

Czechoslovakia

Language:

Czech

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15

Filming Locations:

Pardubice, Czech Republic

Company:

Filmové Studio Barrandov

creepy, disturbing, gets under your skin and STAYS there

Kopfrkingl is a man who runs a crematorium in pre-world war 2 Czechoslavakia. He has a wife & two children, a comfortable home, and a more than a couple of loose screws. He enlists a man as his agent to entice people to arrange for cremation upon their deaths, and his business seems to be doing well.

But, there are German soldiers that are gathering at the borders, and no one knows what will come of all this. An old school friend of Kopfrkingl's extols the virtues of joining "The Party", and talk of cleansing and getting rid of undesirables starts to circulate. Eventually, Kopfrkingl comes over to that way of thinking and begins to find fault with all around him & decide that it could all do with a good cleansing. And Kopfrkingl seems to think that it is his duty to begin with his family. And eventually Kopfrkingl's help is enlisted by Germany to create something very important for them, which, if you've ever read history books, you'll know about.

I can't quite say this is like any other film I've seen, and the subject matter and the execution (so to speak) are highly original.

This is a very disturbing and creepy film, and it's very subtle, so the "willies" creep up on you perhaps AFTER you watched it, like it did with me. Kopfrkingl is so mild-mannered & matter-of-fact about everything yet he's CREEPY, and there's obviously something wrong with the man but it's certainly not on the surface. The black and white photography suits this film perfectly & the grim atmosphere & feeling of impending doom don't exactly make this the "feel good movie of the year", but it's HIGHLY worthwhile for those who like Czech "new wave" films (as I do) and I would recommend it. 10 out of 10.