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| The Cremator | |
|---|---|
 Czech theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Juraj Herz |
| Written by | Ladislav Fuks Juraj Herz |
| Produced by | Ladislav Hanuš |
| Starring | Rudolf Hrušínský Vlasta Chramostová |
| Cinematography | Stanislav Milota |
| Edited by | Jaromír Janáček |
| Music by | Zdeněk Liška |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Central Office of Film Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Czechoslovakia |
| Languages |
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The Cremator (Czech: Spalovač mrtvol) is a 1969 Czechoslovak dark comedy horror film directed by Juraj Herz, based on a novel by Ladislav Fuks. The screenplay was written by Herz and Fuks. The film was selected as the Czechoslovakian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 42nd Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[1] In 1972, it won the Festival de Cine de Sitges Best Film award, where it also received awards for its star Rudolf Hrušínský and cinematographer Stanislav Milota.
Set in 1930s Prague, Karel Kopfrkingl slowly devolves from an odd but relatively well-meaning cremator of the dead into a murderer of his family and mass murderer who proposes to run the ovens at extermination camps due to the influence of the Nazi party and Tibetan Buddhism, as he believes his murders are "liberating" the souls of the deceased into a better life. The film consists mostly of monologues from Kopfrkingl that follow his descent into madness. Influenced by German Expressionist film,[2] it is often cited as an example of the Czechoslovak New Wave. The film was withdrawn from circulation in 1973 and not seen again until 1990, after the collapse of the communist system in Czechoslovakia in 1989.[3]
With a 90.2% score on the Czech and Slovak Movie Database[4] as well as praise from film critics, The Cremator is often considered to be one of the best films ever made in Czechoslovakia. It has also gathered a prominent cult following.[5]
- ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^ "Kinoeye - Czech Horror: Juraj Herz interviewed". Kinoeye.org. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "The Cremator: "No One Will Suffer"". www.criterion.com. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
- ^ "Žebříčky". Csfd.cz. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Reimer, Robert Charles; Reimer, Carol J. (1 January 2012). Historical Dictionary of Holocaust Cinema. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810867567 – via Google Books.