It is 1941. Engineer Otakar Racek is a very careful man. However, he gets into a dangerous situation on the tram, when he is almost arrested for disrespecting the German flag. He is saved by his colleague from work, Josef Frouz. Racek doesn't find the same kind of courage when, soon after that, he has a chance to warn Frouz about the Gestapo. Racek accepts the position of manager of the new department and out of cowardice refuses to help Frouz's family. Racek's wife, Vlasta, mother of his two sons, is shocked by her husband's behaviour and tries to help. The family separates into two groups. Their thirteen year old son Bedřich is supporting Vlasta, while Otakar is defended by his rich mother, who can't stand her daughter-in-law because of her working-class background. Vlasta lets the illegal worker Rýdl stay in their small villa and she introduces him as her distant relative and helps him in his activities. The mother-in-law provokes Racek's jealousy and persuades him to rent a private detective. The detective is also a Gestapo agent and recognizes Rýdl as a member of the resistance wanted by the Gestapo. Rýdl manages to escape. In front of the Gestapo, who come to the villa, Racek renounces his wife and she is arrested. Bedřich runs away from their broken home.
The scenario, and later on also Beneš´s book, were based on a real event, first recorded by Jiří Weiss (according to the personal testimony of Jiří Weiss - September 2000). The introduction part of this film included a news-reel made up by director Weiss of period shots. That material is added to the combined duplicate negative.
Ing. Otakar Racek
Vlasta, Rackova žena
Bedřich, starší syn Rackových
Mirek, mladší syn Rackových
odbojář Ondřej Rýdl
Racková, Otakarova matka
náměstek Rudolf Kadera
gestapák
gestapák
vrátný Dobeš
dílovedoucí Josef Frouz
Tonička, Frouzova žena
Ing. Kubišta
krejčí Jaroslav Pour
dělnice Zdenka, Pourova žena
Tomeš
detektiv Brotánek
majitel detektivní kanceláře Alois Barvík
domovník
verkšuc
kominík
odbojář Berka
nacistka
sekretářka Müllerová
Jarda, syn Frouzových
žena na ulici
úředník u počítačky
německý voják
německý voják
Milada Řeháková
Hugo Huška, Alena Nová
K. J. Beneš (Rodný hlas – román)
kpt. Jaromír Malý, František Selinger
Ferenc Liszt (Preludia /Les Préludes/)
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Song Composer Karel Vacek
Hra o život
Hra o život
Life Is at Stake
Jediné východisko
film
featuretheatrical distribution
drama
Czechoslovakia
1956
1956
projection approval 4 August 1956
withdrawal from distribution 31 August 1976
premiere 23 November 1956 /suitable for youths/ (kina Blaník /6 týdnů/, Svornost /2 týdny/ a Arbes /1 týden od 7. 12./, Praha)
Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Daniel, František Daniel (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
97 min
2 776 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,85, 1:1,37
black & white
sound
mono
Czech
Czech, German
without subtitles
Czech