Hřbitov pro cizince

When I first saw this television play in the early 90s, it didn't make a particularly strong impression on me; I would have rated it an average three stars back then. Eighteen years later, I revisited it, and the result was slightly better, but I still don't share the general enthusiasm because my original reservations remain. It deserves full marks for its subject and theme, as we Czechs owe a great deal to the pilots from the Western Front, and the post-war political elite in Czechoslovakia treated them extremely unfairly. However, the execution has its flaws, especially the caricature-like portrayal, particularly noticeable in the negative characters who support the regime and members of the state apparatus. Sometimes it borders on grotesque, and I'm unsure if that was intentional. The character of the courier who eavesdrops through a pipe or the official of the national committee played with heavy theatrics by Rudolf Hrušínský Jr. are really just caricatures that don't fully capture the complexity and hardship of the situation at the time. Josef Dvořák saves the day, surprisingly portraying a civilian and likable in his role as a man who tries to integrate with the system for a long time, only to realize there are boundaries he doesn't want to cross. Overall impression: 70%. (25.05.2009)