Romeo, Juliet and Darkness

Based on a literary work by author Jan Otčenášek, this 1959 love story is set against the backdrop of the oppressive reign of Nazi Protectorate Reich-Protector Reinhard Heydrich. In the spring of 1942, student Pavel Rumler hides in his attic a Jewish girl called Hanka Ledererová, who has managed to escape the forced transports. The young couple fall in love, but Pavel is unable to protect his secret love from the earth-shattering events taking place in the world outside. Made by director Jiří Weiss, Romeo, Julie a tma (Romeo, Juliet and Darkness) skilfully evokes the climate of wartime fear suffocating this star-crossed couple. Slovak actor Ivan Mistrík gained a major break in the role of Pavel. Dana Smutná plays Hanka in her onscreen debut. Additionally, experienced actress Blanka Bohdanová plays Miss Kubiasová, a traitorous betrayer, who easily forgets her patriotic duties while wrapped in the arms of a German Nazi officer.