Jaroslav Zrotal
Acting
Biography
No biography available for Jaroslav Zrotal.
Born: April 7, 1909
Place of Birth: Velké Mezirící, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]
Known For
Alena
Master armourer Tomás has young wife Alena, of whom he is very jealous. One day the ruler of town sees Alena and decides to win her over for himself. To get a free hand for his love affairs, he sends Master Tomás to acquire more skills in Flanders. Jealous husband does not know how to secure fidelity of his beautiful wife while he is away, and finally accepts aid of the devil, to whom he signs his soul as a reward. Devil in the disguise of Master Ondrej works in Tomás's workshop and protects Alena against various courtiers and the ruler of town. But finally he falls in love with Alena himself and becomes her lover.
Capek's Tales
Five crime stories connected by the narration of police superintendent Bartosek.
Malý Bobeš ve městě
A loose sequel to the film Little Bobes, it catches up with the title child hero in the town where he and his parents have moved. However, the expectations of a better existence are disrupted by the ever worsening social conditions in the 1930s, and living on the periphery of the big city allows even the little boy to see how evil the exploiters of the workers are. This is a graphic demonstration of how ideological features have also very insensitively crept into children's films. When Bobsha's father couldn't find work after an accident, he decided to sell the cottage and move to the city with his family. He lives in a small house on the periphery and the surrounding environment contrasts strongly with his former home. It takes Bobš a long time to get used to it. A loose sequel to the film "Little Bobesh".
Do You Keep a Lion at Home?
“And what did you do at school today?” In Pavel Hobl’s Czech fairytale, when Pepik and Honzik learn that school has been canceled they embark on an amazing odyssey around Prague that has them directing traffic, following the lead of a talking dog, breaking the spell an evil sorcerer has placed on a group of local musicians, rollerskating through a museum, and winning a magical car race. (University of Chicago Doc Films)
Silent Barricade
A fiction piece centered around the Czech resistance to the Nazis.
Joseph Kilian
The story is about Harold, an isolated figure in an overwhelming world of totalitarian bureaucracy. Harold tries to find the elusive Joseph Kilian, an old acquaintance, in Prague. When Harold stumbles across a state-run cat-lending store, he impulsively rents a feline for the day. Later, he attempts to return the cat and finds that the store no longer exists. Now with a furry companion, Harold continues his search for Kilian. Written and directed by Pavel Juracek, this 40 minute film effectively aims its allegorical shots at personality cults and the absurdities of a totalitarian regime.
Three Wishes
The sad hero of the story, Petr, an ordinary lawyer in a construction company, is crowded into a small apartment in Žižkov with his wife and grandparents, desperately struggling with the lack of money. One day he offers an old man a seat on a crowded trolley bus and is generously rewarded for his good deed, for the unknown old man is a fabulous grandfather. He gives Peter a magic bell and the opportunity to make three wishes, but the first two slip through his fingers. For the third, the astonished man must take time to think...
Krakatit
In early 20th century Czechoslovakia, a gravely ill chemist recalls his discovery of a powerful explosive and how it landed in the hands of anarchists.
Kidnapped
American agents hijack a plane on the Ostrava-Prague route to launch a campaign against the People's Democratic Czechoslovakia. The plane lands in West Germany, but the Americans have an unexpected problem convincing the hijackers to stay in the West. Based on a true story.
Tank Brigade
The fate of a tank crew on the most difficult part of the First Czechoslovak Independent Brigade's combat path during World War II. We also follow the fate of its commander, Sergeant Juraj Klimka. During the bloody battles for the Dukel Pass, he falls in love and it turns out that behind the mask of a sovereign, he is actually a shy and sensitive person.
Filmography
as Hrejza
as Bernát, director of steel mills
as Karášek
as The Doctor
as Hroník
as Pavlík