Summary
Many of director Karel Kachyňa’s works feature children in central roles, offering their point-of-view on the grown-up world that surrounds them. Práče tells the story of a nine-year-old orphan boy at the end of the Second World War, who manages to find a new home under the shelter of anti-Nazi forces. Made in 1960, the film naturally presents contemporary ideological viewpoints. Young František, nicknamed “Práče” – or child soldier, based on the names given to children used in battle during Hussite times – ends up in the frontline laundry room, but soon shows himself to be an welcome presence. The boy even helps to foil Nazi spies, thus helping bring about victory in the Dukla Pass in the Carpathian Mountains. Michal Koblic takes the title role; in the ensuing two years he would make a further eight film appearances. Experienced actors star in the adult supporting roles, including Vladimír Menšík as the good-natured army cook Pekárek.
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