František Král escapes across the border in 1948 in search of adventure. He leaves his native Prague, his parents, brother Václav and his young wife Marie and their little son. The frivolous young man changes into a very hard person in the foreign country, and for money he joins the intelligence service. He burns his face in a serious car accident and plastic surgery entirely changes his appearance. He returns to Prague with a new identity and a cover occupation of a variety clown, so as to acquire microfilms during the tour and revive a spy network. He is hiding his past from his new professional and life partner Luisa, but cannot resist and finally goes looking for the members of his family. Meanwhile, Marie married František's brother Václav and told her son that his father died. The mother cannot forgive František for what he did, and the entire family receives him coldly and with dismissal. František has no luck with his spying task either; he's been discovered and followed. František already knows the game is lost, and ends his life in the wreck of a stolen car.
Voice by Gerry Wolff
František Král alias Franz König
lékařka Marie, Františkova žena
artistka Luisa Kopacek
klaun Rudy Kopacek, Luisin otec
dělník Václav, Františkův bratr
Kubeš, Františkův kamarád
Králová, Františkova matka
striptýzová tanečnice Maria
masér Smrček
Král, Františkův otec
příslušník VB
pohraničník
Karel Kopáček, Kopacekův bratr
Kubeš st.
tanečnice v baru
muž s aktovkou
dirigent varietní orchestru
varietní orchestr
vrátný ve varieté
muž ve vlaku
mladík u nehody v tunelu
dívka na baru
hlas konferenciéra ve varieté
hlas konferenciéra v baru
Jiří Cvrček, Karel Kočí, František Zeman
Miloslav Hůrka, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)
Jan Kališ, Vladimír Dvořák, Milan Nejedlý, Trikový ateliér FSB
Miroslav Pešan (fotograf), Vladimír Březina
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Karla Krautgartnera, Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Karel Vlach)
Song Composer Jiří Sternwald
Writer of Lyrics Pavel Kohout
Singer Karel Höger
Song Composer Pierre Degeyter
Writer of Lyrics Antonín MacekJosef Skalák
Singer sbor
Song Composer František Škroup
Smyk
Smyk
Skid
Mrtvý si přišel pro smrt
film
featuretheatrical distribution
drama, psychological, spy
Czechoslovakia
1960
1959—1960
literary Screenplay approved 17 June 1959
technical Screenplay approved 2 September 1959
start of filming 18 September 1959
end of filming 14 March 1960
projection approval 1 July 1960
withdrawal from distribution 6 April 1973
premiere 28 October 1960 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Alfa /8 týdnů/, Květen /1 týden od 18. 11./, Aero /1 týden od 25. 11./, Svornost /1 týden od 2. 12./, Belvedere /1 týden od 9. 12./ a Odboj /1 týden od 9. 12./, Praha)
Tvůrčí skupina Šmída – Kunc, František Břetislav Kunc (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Bohumil Šmída (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
99 min
2 833 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,66, 1:2,35
black & white
sound
stereo
Czech
Czech, English, German
Czech
Czech
Event: Státní ceny za rok 1963
1964
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Zbyněk Brynych
Event: Státní ceny za rok 1960
1961
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Československý film
Festival: 3. festival českých a slovenských filmů Ostrava
1961
Ostrava / Czechoslovakia
Exhibition: 3. světová přehlídka filmových festivalů Mexico City
1960
Mexiko City / Mexico
Event: Umělecká soutěž k 15. výročí osvobození Československé republiky a zrodu lidově-demokratické ČSR
1960
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Pavel Kohout
Festival: 12. mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary
1960
Karlovy Vary / Czechoslovakia
Jan Kališ
Festival: 12. mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary
1960
Karlovy Vary / Czechoslovakia
Zbyněk Brynych