The Blizzard (Vánice)
| Program section: | Czechoslovak Noir |
|---|---|
| Directed by: | Čeněk Duba |
| Year: | 1962 |
| Country: | Czechoslovakia |
| Length: | 80 min. |
| Cast: | Ivo Palec, Zuzana Fišárková, Josef Mixa, Michaela Bendová, Vladimír Menšík, and others. |
Screening:
- 19. 8. 2026 | 15:00 - Central Bohemia Hall (castle - gothic kitchen) / EN subs /
- 21. 8. 2026 | 10:00 - Central Bohemia Hall (castle - gothic kitchen) / EN subs /
Production: Filmové studio Barrandov
Script/Based on: Jiří Mucha
Director of Photography: Jaromír Holpuch
Score: Miloš Vacek
During a compact 78-minute runtime and with the help of many recognizable actor faces, this Czechoslovak film gets as close to the survival genre as is possible within the environment of a local mountain range and the 1960s. An unusually large ensemble of characters, including a young couple facing tensions in their relationship, students enthusiastic about a carnival and a traumatized member of the mountain rescue service, faces a deadly change of the weather that divides and traps them on mountain ridges and ski slopes. Impressive shots of rolling snow and sharp winds contrasting with cozy yet increasingly more and more tense interiors create a convincing image of a chaotic and dangerous situation. This is not the only „mountain“ film in the fairly small filmography of Čeněk Duba, which, coincidently, concludes with Blizzard – the protagonists of Sons of the Mountains (1956), based on real events, also fight for survival in treacherous mountain conditions. (bk)
