(aka 'The Cremator')
Directed by
Juraj Herz
Czechoslovakia 1968
Juraj Herz’s film The Cremator has been described in many ways - as
surrealist-inspired horror, as expressionist fantasy, as a dark and disturbing
tale of terror.
This brilliantly chilling film, a mix of
Dr Strangelove and
Repulsion, is set in Prague during the Nazi occupation. It tells the
story of Karl Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrusínský), a professional cremator, for whom
the political climate allows free rein to his increasingly deranged impulses
for the ’salvation of the world’.
****
An enjoyably strange, undoubtedly original and occasionally terrifying film (9
1/2 out of 10)
On one level The Cremator can be enjoyed simply as something truly strange and
different. Although it is live action, the film has much of the oddness and
Gothic trappings of Czech animation. Director Juraj Herz actually studied
puppetry rather than film, and is a friend of the Czech surrealist filmmaker Jan
Svankmajer. This is a film full of strange angles and odd ways of looking at the
world. At its heart is Karl Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrusínský) the cremator of the
title. Though he loves his job dearly, his strangeness is emphasized in one of
the film's key early passages, a trip to a fair during which he s perked up by a
visit to an exhibition of gruesome waxworks.
But while you might expect a film this eccentric to be otherworldly, The
Cremator is actually grounded in politics. In what isn't a terribly surprising
twist given the late 30s setting, Kopfrkingl's interest in the purifying power
of the oven chimes in with the rise of Nazism. But the clunky premise - that
there is a fine line between rigid middle class conservatism and being a fascist
- is less important than the extraordinary atmosphere the film creates, and
Hrusínský's portrayal of the increasingly deranged Kopfrkingl.
Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE
Alt-DVD Cover, Book
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Theatrical Release: Czech Republic 16 January 2004 (re-release)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Second Run - Region 0 - PAL
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| Distribution | Second Run DVD - Region 0 - PAL | |
| Runtime | 1:36:03 | |
| Video | 1.68:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.93 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Audio | Czech (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
| Subtitles | English, None | |
| Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details: • Introduction
by the Quay Brothers (12:21) |
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| Comments: |
I suspect that this Second Run, dual-layered, anamorphic DVD duplicates pretty much exactly what this film looked like theatrically. It was shot with occasional close-ups followed by frenetic movement giving a hazy appearance to some of the scenes. The DVD exposes them accurately. It has a certain thickness that we notice with other PAL DVDS and the 2.0 track audio and optional subtitles are at Second Run's usual consistent standard. Having the Quays do the intro and the included Bird essay liner notes are perfect accompaniments to this package. I'm usually not particularly keen on horror films (not that you would technically refer to this as a 'horror') but I was really enjoying the chilling motifs and black comedy that this appeared to subtly export. This film had my complete attention wondering what was on the horizon. Second Run should again be commended for surfacing another eastern-block masterpiece. We recommend! Fascinating cinema! |
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| Distribution | Second Run DVD - Region 0 - PAL | |
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