Summary
Based on an eponymous play by Oldřich Daňek, the film version was brought to the screen in 1986 as the final film from experienced director Jiří Sequens. This musical comedy set in the 14th century, during the reign of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, has a trio of mercenaries as its main characters. Hřbet, Zajíc and Svatý are returning to Bohemia from Aquitania in order to join up with local forces there. During their trip through the Czech countryside, our heroes frequently get mixed up with the wrong side, and consequently repeatedly find themselves on the receiving end of a good thrashing. Yet, in all these battles and scuffles, they retain the moral high ground. The trio are played by actors Jaromír Hanzlík, Svatopluk Skopal and Radoslav Brzobohatý. The roles of the villainous noblemen, with whom the trio become entangled, are played by Josef Vinklář and Jan Čenský. The historical backdrop is enriched via the songs of Vítězslav Hádl, with lyrics by Vladimír Sís, reflecting the contemporary Czech fad for electronic music.
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