Inn at the Flying Dragon

I grew up on Sheridan le Fanu's book, and his collection of short stories, "In a Glass Darkly," still holds a place in my library. After all, the story that served as the basis for Bohumila Zelenková's screenplay is part of this book. Le Fanu is one of the founders, or rather predecessors, of modern horror, and his mysterious stories full of ominous premonitions derived from the gothic novel are ideal material for film adaptation. Eva Sadková relied on experienced actors who do a good job, and the television adaptation also rests on their performances. The set design is modest, but it doesn't detract from the impression of the production. However, I feel that the director could have worked with surprises, as it is too literal and the viewer sees everything before they should. In the story, the narrator describes the story from the perspective of the main character, who is manipulated and until the last moment does not suspect the trouble he is maneuvered into. Overall impression: 70%. (20.01.2015)

When great actors come together with something to act for, it doesn't matter what backdrops they act in and how televised the result looks, because it's simply worth it. The story of a naive young man in love, despite probably not surprising anyone today, is still thrilling and the horror finale is impressive. Jaromír Hanzlík, Jana Brejchová, Jiří Adamíra and Vladimír Šmeral are exactly as good as you expect them to be. (13.01.2019)