Summary
Director Martin Frič and popular comedian Vlasta Burian by no means collaborated frequently, but in 1940 they came up with two films. In addition to Baron Prášil (Baron Műnchhausen), they also produced another successful comedy, namely Katakomby (The Catacombs). It starred Burian in yet another role as a clever clerk who manages to climb the ladder to a better life. The subordinate position held by civil servant Borman is aptly reflected by his workplace in the land registry’s subterranean offices. A coincidence gets the ageing official, along with young colleague Marek (Antonín Novotný), into a party for the registry’s management. A passionate card player, Borman impresses his seniors with his outspoken character, while Marek catches the eye of the director’s worldly mistress Nasťa. The role of the fashionable beauty was tailored – just like the robes made by the studio of designer Hana Podolská – to Adina Mandlová. Vlasta Burian is not the only person who sings in the movie, as he is joined by the popular formation Kocourkovští učitelé (The Teachers of Kocourkov).
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