In the 1950s, Karel Kachyňa built his career on “manly” themes revolving around border guards or soldiers. Apart from his undeniable professional skill as a director, he also had a good sense of the psychology of his characters. All of this applies to this drama set in the hilly Šumava (Bohemian Forest) border region in 1948. Despite its sharply tendentious propagandistic tone, Král Šumavy (Smugglers of Death) takes on a balladic nature derived from the dark beauty of the local scenery. The main character – a mysterious smuggler who takes illegal refugees across the border to Germany through dangerous marshes – is endowed with almost mythical qualities. Appearing in the main roles among the heroic defenders of the socialist fatherland are Radovan Lukavský and Jiří Vala. The part of the unhappy Marie is given to Jiřina Švorcová, who particularly in the 1950s tended to play ardent, one-dimensional, politically engaged characters.
It is 1948. Life as a border guard on the Czechoslovak state border in the Šumava Mountains is not easy. Despite the presence of dangerous swampland near the border, secret border crossings continue, even after the death of the smuggler Kilián, known as the King of the Šumava Mountains. He alone was reported to have crossed the swamps. The new arrival, guards chief Karel Zeman, has fallen in love with Marie Rysová, a shop assistant. Marie lives alone, her husband having fled across the border to escape punishment. Karel and Marie become lovers. One day Marie's husband, Rys, steals into the village. He kills the staff sergeant Cigánek and forces Marie to leave with him. An unknown man leads them across the swamp. Marie tries to escape but falls into the mire. Karel, who is following the group, can only look on helplessly as Marie disappears below the surface. The unknown man shoots Rys and flees. Karel needs to take revenge for Marie's death and doggedly seeks a guilty party. He discovers the madman Galapetr to be a saboteur who, after his arrest, betrays the identity of the new King of the Šumava Mountains – the forester Paleček who is planning another crossing of the swamp and border. The border guards reach him in time and capture the saboteur.
vrchní strážmistr SNB Václav Kot
strážmistr SNB Karel Zeman
prodavačka Marie Rysová
respicient finanční stráže Josef Beran
řidič Pavel Rys, Mariin manžel
polesný Paleček
muzikant Petr Kala zvaný Galapetr
poručík SNB Burda, okresní velitel
rotný SNB Ladislav Cigánek zvaný Mařenka
strážmistr SNB Žáček
strážmistr SNB František Buryška
strážmistr SNB Lojzík Hromádka
strážmistr SNB Vítek
strážmistr SNB
strážmistr SNB František Říha, novomanžel
novomanželka Julča Říhová
nová prodavačka
agent
hostinský
uprchlík
mladý kopečkář
mladý kopečkář
mladá kopečkářka
vlčák Blesk
Věra Plívová, Jaroslava Koudelová, Magda Číhalová
Vojtěch Kuthan, Jaroslav Kupšík
Vratislav Innemann, Olga Himmerová
Jan Bočánek
Karel Hrdlička (vrchní osvětlovač), Jaroslav Chlasták (fotograf)
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Song Composer lidová píseňMiloš Vacek /úprava/
Writer of Lyrics Rudolf Kalčík /úprava/
Singer sbor
Song Composer František Soukup
Writer of Lyrics František Soukup
Singer mužský sbor
Song Composer Jaromír Vejvoda
Král Šumavy
Král Šumavy
Smugglers of Death
film
featuretheatrical distribution
adventure, drama
Czechoslovakia
1959
1959
literary Screenplay approved 2 September 1958
technical Screenplay approved 31 January 1959
start of filming 10 April 1959
end of filming 11 July 1959
the first film copy approved 16 August 1959
projection approval 28 September 1959
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990
gala premiere 10 December 1959 (kino Lidový dům, Sušice)
preview 11 December 1959 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 25 December 1959 /suitable for youths/ (kina Pasáž /4 týdny/, Hvězda /2 týdny/, Flora /1 týden/, Arbes /1 týden od 1. 1. 1960/, Kyjev /½ týdne od 1. 1. 1960/, Orlík /½ týdne od 6. 1. 1960/, Kotva /2 týdny od 8. 1. 1960/, Mír /1 týden od 8. 1. 1960/ a Varšava /1 týden od 15. 1. 1960/, Praha)
Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
89 min
2 544 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
black & white
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Event: Výroční Cena Víta Nejedlého pro rok 1968
1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
František A. Dvořák
Event: Filmová anketa čtenářů týdeníku Mladý svět o nejlepší československé filmy natočené v roce 1959
1960
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Event: Umělecká soutěž k 15. výročí osvobození Československé republiky a zrodu lidově-demokratické ČSR
1960
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Event: Cena československé filmové kritiky za rok 1959
1960
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Event: Umělecké odměny ministerstva školství a kultury a Československého filmu za nejlepší filmy v roce 1959
1960
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Josef Illík
Festival: 2. festival českých a slovenských filmů Plzeň
1960
Plzeň / Czechoslovakia
Event: Umělecké odměny ministerstva školství a kultury a Československého filmu za nejlepší filmy v roce 1959
1960
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Karel Kachyňa
Festival: 2. festival českých a slovenských filmů Plzeň
1960
Plzeň / Czechoslovakia