Summary
The Klement Gottwald coal mine in Vinařice serves as the backdrop for this dramatic story about Hepnar, an aged miner who has devoted his whole life to toiling underground. He dwells on how in 1967 the state decided that coal extraction would have to be reduced because several coal deposits were nearly exhausted. To prevent the mine from being closed, Hepnar decides to search, on his own accord, for a new coal seam using old maps. His son Ivan is killed during this risky endeavour, but the seam is discovered and the colliery is saved from closure… It was in 1977 that Zbyněk Brynych took on the task of shooting this “building a better socialist future” drama. The fictitious story of an individual was supposed to support the state’s decision to persist with uneconomic coal extraction. Václav Neužil, also known for his performances in films such as Zbraně pro Prahu (Weapons for Prague, 1974), Lidé z metra (People from the Subway, 1974) and Vítězný lid (The Victorious People, 1977), takes the film’s leading role. The protagonist’s sons in this state-ordered propagandistic period movie are played by Jiří Štěpnička and Tomáš Töpfer.
Read more