Pilots

This Czechoslovak-Soviet war drama coproduction from 1988 is hardly ever remembered despite its rarely pursued theme – it is indeed one of only a handful of films that deal with the subject of Czechoslovak pilots fighting for the Allies during World War II. The film’s protagonist, Jan Trejbal, joins the exodus of many people leaving their home country following the Munich Agreement. Trejbal goes on to become a military pilot in France and later switches to the British airforce before transferring to the Soviet Union in 1944. Among those under the command of Trejbal is young second lieutenant Jandák. His frontline experiences as well as a romance with female sergeant Alena are followed by the story… Otakar Fuka (for whom Piloti [Pilots] was the last film in his filmography), and the Soviet Union’s Igor Bityukov co-directed this motion picture. Performances by the film’s international cast included the prominent roles of Czech actors Petr Štěpánek (Trejbal), Karel Greif (Jandák) and Ilona Svobodová (Alena).