JAN HUS (1954) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Otakar Vavra

Written by - Milos Vaclav Kratochvil, Otakar Vavra

Starring - Zdenek Stepanek

"OTAKAR VAVRA's JAN HUS is the first part of his Hussite Revolutionary Trilogy and also one of the most famous films of the Czechoslovak cinema. It tells the story of the titular Christian reformist, and focuses on the events surrounding his martyrdom - his being burnt at the stake was a catalyst for religious reform and social revolution in Bohemia. 

The film is presented in spectacular large scale sequences with many characters. Some of its aspects are outdated, especially its sets and art direction that seem stagey even for its time's standards. 

What is impressive about JAN HUS is the way in which it handles with great maturity and dramatic depth the many supporting characters which provide a general depiction and representation of the unhappiness and oppression experiences by the inhabitants of Prague at the start of the 1400s. This sweetens the historical aspect of the story itself, that remains a centre piece of the film, and is made in turn all the more powerful, with impactful lengthy monologues and a masterful lead performance by ZDENEK STEPANEK in the role of the priest."

Biopic, Czechoslovakia