Summary
Director Zdeněk Sirový and screenwriter Jiří Křižan didn’t have an easy time in the “normalisation” period of the 1970s: due to their political beliefs, they had to settle for making only a trio of adventure films for young audiences, inspired by stories of Jack London – Kaňon samé zlato (A Canyon Full of Gold, 1970), Poslední výstřel Davida Sandela (David Sandel’s Last Shot, 1971) and Claim na Hluchém potoku (The Claim at the Deaf Creek, 1971) – and two films set in manufacturing environments – Hrozba (Threat, 1978) and Paragraf 224 (Paragraph 224, 1979) – essentially based on similar ground plans. But despite the minimalist plots, Sirový and Křižan produced some interesting work. Paragraf 224 takes place in a chemical plant, whose head researcher, Plaček (Josef Kemr), is being forced to retire. He is replaced by a younger colleague, Bernát (Alois Švehlík), who is, accused of gross negligence (in relation to the eponymous paragraph) after a fatal accident in his laboratory. Eventually, Bernát’s embittered, older colleague helps him.
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