Summary
During the “normalisation” era of the 1970s, the outstanding actor Petr Čepek focused primarily on theatre and television work. The 1972 psychological drama Návraty (The Return), directed by Václav Matějka, is one of the few exceptions. The protagonist, Slávek Vondra, is an indecisive, morally corrupt intellectual, and a poser who becomes a victim of his own inflated ambitions. His ex-wife, medical nurse Tereza (Jana Gýrová), still holds some affection for him and tries to stay in touch with him, for the sake of their little son; but Slávek’s actions finally make her see the light. At first glance, the film seems to differ from Matějka’s other, politically conformist works; in actuality, it is a pointed criticism of intellectuals who were active in the liberal 1960s and refused to support the new regime.
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