Canyon Full of Gold

This film was part of a loosely connected trilogy of short adventure films inspired by the stories of Jack London and transferred to the silver screen by screenwriter Jiří Křižan and director Zdenek Sirový. The trilogy comprised Kaňon samé zlato (A Canyon Full of Gold, 1970), together with Poslední výstřel Davida Sandela (David Sandel’s Last Shot, 1971) and Claim na Hluchém potoku (The Claim at the Deaf Creek, 1971). The films constitute an original miniature sub-section within their genre. Their creation during the height of the post-1968 “normalisation” brought together the inconvenient director of the banned film drama Smuteční slavnost (Funeral Ceremonies, 1969) and a budding screenwriter with an unsuitable parentage and class background. The film’s main protagonists are two gold diggers, Tom and Jack, who eventually annihilate each other following an absurd life-and-death struggle sparked by the lure of profit. The timeless morality play was delivered with some skill by the two leading actors who played the only roles in the film. Milan Sandhaus and Slovak actor Ivan Palúch were also both dubbed. Camera operator Jiří Kolín and soundtrack composer Luboš Fišer succeeded in evoking a credible Western atmosphere despite the lean production.