I grew up on army bases in West German during the early ’70s when dad was stationed in the divided country. This was at the height of the Cold War so there was quite a bit of tension. Few things were scarier than the time we took a car trip near the borders of East Germany and Czechoslovakia. Signs warned us of various things including a chance of being shot if you got too close. There was something frightening about the countries that formed the Warsaw Pact including Czechoslovakia (which is now Czechia and Slovakia). Prague Nights is a haunted portmanteau film about a westerner’s visit over the border.
Fabricius (The Mysterious Castle In the Carpathians‘ Milos Kopecký) has been in Prague for weeks setting up a major business deal with several local officials. On his last night in the city, he skips another adventure in drinking with his hosts with the excuse that he must look over the paperwork. Instead of going up to his room and checking every word in the contracts, Fabricius sneaks back down to the lobby. He’s ready to play on his last night. He hits on the woman behind the hotel counter. He goes outside and gets picked up by a woman only gives him a ride since she’s got to pick up her own man. While roaming the empty streets, he meets Zuzan (Murder in the Excelsior Hotel‘s Milena Dvorská). She seems rather wealthy judging from her luxury car and chauffer. The two get along quite well although the first place she takes him is a cemetery. While laying on a grave, she proceeds to tell him the story of a Rabbi who must revive a Golem on a royal decree. As the night gets later, she gives him a story of a Countess in the city who gets invited to a masked ball by her officer lover. Her only demand is she wants shoes made of bread to go with her baker’s wife costume. This turns weird when the cobbler/baker takes her to a room that supposedly was once occupied by Faust. She might have made a bad bargain for her edible heels. Back at the hotel room, Zuzan recounts a woman who had a knack for poisoning her dates which isn’t a great thing to be told about during a first date. Fabricius doesn’t care as Zuzan draws him into her stories until he becomes part of one.
Jirí Brdecka, Milos Makovec & Evald Schorm each directed a segment in the film. The three bring a different touch to their stories so the supernatural elements vary on the screen. The frame tale is black and white so you know when Zuzan is dealing with the businessman. The Golem is menacing as the Rabbi and his minions perform various rites. The Countess tale plays a bit with the editing. The poisoning epic has a comic tinge as the bodies hit the floor. Each ghostly story feels historical and local as if they were the tales that would be told by a native who wants to share what’s kept out of the tourism brochures. It’s interesting to think that these stories made it past the Czechoslovakian government censors. They were probably more concerned with any anti-Soviet sentiments to bother with the plot. The censors didn’t slice away all the supernatural scary moments. Perhaps they too were seduced by Zuzan’s stories.
Prague Nights is part of a quartet of Czechoslovakian films being released by Deaf Crocodile. The others are The Mysterious Castle In the Carpathians, Adela Has Not Had Supper and The Golden Fern. While each is a separate release, together, the four films make an entertaining home film festival of what was being shot on the other side of the border.
The Video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfer looks great and brings out the details of Prague after dark in 1968. The Audio is Czech LPCM 1.0 mono. The sound is great with Milena Dvorská’s narration drawing you in even if you can’t understand Czech. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary with Terza Brdeckova about the film and her father with Irena Kovarova. The film was an attempt to break into the European market and even had Swiss producers. She mentions that while the movie was being made during Prague Spring in 1968, by the time the film was released, the country was being occupied by Soviet and Warsaw Pact troops. This cut into any hopes of international releases at the time. Kovarova is a curator who has a major role in the four Czech films coming out from Deaf Crocodile.
Pomsta Revenge (14:04) is an animated short from Jiri Brdecka. The film has a pen and ink feel as it deals with a character using dark magic to get revenge.
There Was Once a Miller on the River (10:58) animates traditional paintings to tell the story in song. A man returns home and poses as a stranger to see if his family will recognize him after being away for so long. It goes dark rather quick as his relatives want to rob him.
Interview with Terza Brdeckova (47:39) has her talk about her father’s career in filmmaking with Dennis Bartok in a Zoom interview.
Booklet with an essay by Terza Brdeckova
Deaf Crocodile presents Prague Nights. Directed by Jirí Brdecka, Milos Makovec & Evald Schorm. Screenplay by Vratislav Blazek, Jirí Brdecka, Milos Makovec, Evald Schorm & Frantisek Uldrich. Starring Milena Dvorská, Milos Kopecký, Jirí Hrzán, Milena Zahrynowska, Josef Bláha, Kveta Fialová, Natasa Gollová, Milan Nedela & Zdenek Díte. Running Time: 100 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: March 11, 2025.
