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Daleká cesta

Distant Journey | Der weite Weg
Berlinale Classics 2020
© Národní filmový archiv, Prague
The film traces the path of Czech Jews to Germany’s extermination camps, using the fictional narrative of the Kaufmann family from Prague. The daughter, Hana, is a doctor. After the Nazis occupy Czechoslovakia, she marries her gentile colleague Dr Antonín Bureš. But the marriage does not save Hana’s parents from being deported to Theresienstadt. When Antonín secretly infiltrates the camp, he is forced to confront not only the degrading conditions there, but also that his in-laws have already been “sent east”, meaning to Auschwitz, Majdanek, or Sobibor … Director Alfréd Radok was himself interned in a work camp and lost close relatives to the concentration camps. With Daleká cesta, he created an artistically effectual portrayal of the horrors of the Holocaust. The narrative is continually interrupted by documentary footage, linking the fate of the individuals to contemporary history, and concentrating the narrative segments into a nightmarish, expressionist danse macabre. Daleká cesta disappeared from Czech cinemas shortly after its release in 1949 and was not shown again until 1991. World premiere of the digitally restored version.
by Alfréd Radok
with Blanka Waleská, Otomar Krejča, Viktor Očásek, Zdeňka Baldová, Eduard Kohout, J. O. Martin, Josef Chvalina, Anna Vaňková, Jiří Plachý, Saša Rašilov Czechoslovakia 1949 Czech 103’ Black/White Documentary form | Digitally restored version 2019

With

  • Blanka Waleská
  • Otomar Krejča
  • Viktor Očásek
  • Zdeňka Baldová
  • Eduard Kohout
  • J. O. Martin
  • Josef Chvalina
  • Anna Vaňková
  • Jiří Plachý
  • Saša Rašilov

Crew

Director Alfréd Radok
Screenplay Mojmír Drvota, Erik Kolár, Alfréd Radok
Story Erik Kolár
Cinematography Josef Střecha, Jaromir Holpuch
Editing Jiřina Lukešová
Music Jiří Sternwald
Sound Josef Vlček
Art Director František Tröster, Jan Pacák
Costumes Jan Kropáček, František Mádl

Produced by

Československý státní film

Additional information

DCP: Národní filmovy archiv, Praha, restoration supervised by Národní filmový archiv and carried out at Universal Productions Partners (UPP).