Summary
This 1978 anthology feature, directed by Vladimír Čech, strongly reflects the “normalisation” period's politicised storytelling demanded by Prague's Barrandov film studios. Čech previously proved himself in this regard with Vysoká modrá zeď (The High Blue Wall, 1973) and Akce v Istanbulu (Operation in Istanbul, 1975). Silnější než strach (Stronger than Fear, 1978) tells several separate stories, the first of which is Instrukce (Instruciton), set in 1944. It relates the fate of a captured resistance fighter (Zeněk Řehoř), who successfully resists a Nazi interrogator. The second story, Tvrdohlavci (Stubborn) features the uncompromising chairwoman of an agricultural cooperative during the “collectivisation” era of the 1950s. Kandidát (Candidate) tells the story of a communist physician (Oldřich Vízner) who stands up to criminals trying to leave the republic illegally. Rudolf Hrušínský sparkles in the role of malevolent Gestapo officer Hybes.
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