Scars of the Past

In 1958, after making a series of biographical films, director Václav Krška recorded an uncompromising snapshot of the contemporary present day based on a screenplay by Oldřich Daněk. Karel Höger portrayed another one of his "torn-apart intellectuals", this time as an engineer named Štěrba, who, in the beginning of the film, seems to groundlessly reject an important proposal by his young colleague. Only gradually do we begin to understand the reasons for Štěrba's hostile behaviour towards his environment and his inclination towards alcohol. The film was so suggestive and critical that, shortly after the infamous Banská Bystrica conference, it ended up locked away in a safe for several years. Although today some elements (e.g. the music) seem relatively archaic, the film Scars of the Past remains one of the most important works of Czechoslovak post-war cinema. The voiceover by the main character, the oblique cinematography which illustrates his frame of mind, the series of night scenes, the play of light and shadow, the femme fatale... all these things entitle us to include Krška's film in the noir cycle. (Noir Film Festival)