Summary
This 1973 crime drama from director Ivo Toman and screenwriter Václav Gajer was inspired by real-life events. The story, set after the end of the Second World War, sees a group of crime investigators dust down a murder case file from 23 years ago – the unsolved shooting of a German anti-fascist, professor Lessing. But insufficient evidence exists to charge the suspected killer, Eckert. And so the investigators must undertake considerable footwork, travelling from the town of Mariánské Lázně to the Prague archives in search of evidence. The criminal drama unveils the details behind a politically-motivated murder, set against the attractive backdrop of the west Bohemian spa town. A co-production with East Germany’s DEFA, the film stars Václav Neužil in the lead role as inspector Šedý, and Josef Abrhám as assistant Hanousek. Karel Hlušička plays the accused Eckert.
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