Summary
In May 1945, Germany was all but defeated – adding to the significance of the Nazi’s final stand during the Prague Uprising. In the final hours of the war, Nazi forces occupy an elementary school building in Prague’s Všehrdově náměstí, serving as a munitions storage facility. The ruthless occupiers take a number of Czech doctors and nurses as hostages. This high-budget 1980 film is based on a story and script by noted screenwriter Drahoslav Makovička. Directed by the equally experienced Václav Matějka, Svítalo celou noc (The Day Dawned All the Night) stars František Němec (as Dr. Soukup) and Jana Gýrová (as nurse Daniela). German and Soviet actors appear alongside their Czech counterparts in this film, which combines personal drama with intensely staged scenes of street battles.
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