1722. The freeborn miller Spálený is a thorn in the side of the regent Valečský. The regent does not like that people respect the miller for his wisdom, goodness and knowledge of nature. Therefore the regent reacts with hatred to the miller's warning against the construction of a new darn at a place that is called "The Sunken Spot". He even tells his guest, Bishop Diettrichstein, that the miller and his family are suspected of witchcraft. A long time ago, Swedish soldiers put the mill on fire but the miller's family escaped as if by a miracle. The bishop sends a fanatic priest, probably a significant Church dignitary, to help the regent. The priest, too, thinks that the miller is detrimental to the reputation of the Church. He therefore searches through the mill, talks both to the miller and his son Jan and tries to convict them. He recruits the gamekeeper Filip, who is fond of Jan's girlfriend Martina. The priest's hatred gets even stronger when the miller succeeds in finding a spring of water during the droughts and the regent's new barn sinks in the course of the village dance. After this accident, the miller disappears. The priest tries to bully the villagers into turning against him, but he fails. Therefore he rides with the regent and Filip to the mill. There, Jan finds a letter in which his father describes the way to the underground. Soon afterwards, the priest, the regent and Filip walk into the underground and set off down the corridor that the father warned Jan against. All three die. Jan and Martina are freed.
mlynář Jan Spálený
kaplan Probus
regent Valečský z Valče
myslivec Filip
Jan, Spáleného syn
děvečka Martina
pastýř ovcí
biskup Dittrichštejn
dráb na poli
robotník Jakub
mladší pacholek/myslivec v retrospektivě
mlynář, děd mlynáře Spáleného v retrospektivě
mlynářova žena v retrospektivě
farář v retrospektivě
velitel rejtarů v retrospektivě
kostelník
Voice by Karel Houska
písař
šafář
mladý šafář
robotnice
dráb
starší pacholek
děvečka Katka
děvečka Bětka
děvečka Andulka
děvečka Lidka
bubeník
Milan Kadlec
Zdena Pavlátová
Alfred Technik (Mlýn na ponorné řece – román)
Miroslav Sinkule
Jiří Cvrček, Jan Vrňata, Jan Drvota
František Fabián, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)
Růžena Nováková (klapka), Antonín Heřman (vrchní osvětlovač), Antonín Stránský (fotograf), Josef Kříž (ateliérový technik), Ludvík Sojka (ateliérový technik)
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Kühnův smíšený sbor
Ďáblova past
Ďáblova past
The Devil's Trap
film
featuretheatrical distribution
ballad
Czechoslovakia
1961
1961
literary Screenplay approved 6 April 1961
technical Screenplay approved 18 May 1961
start of filming 19 May 1961
end of filming 24 October 1961
the first film copy approved 31 October 1961
projection approval 29 December 1961
withdrawal from distribution 30 April 1991
preview 13 April 1962 (kino Sevastopol /1 týden/, Praha)
premiere 20 April 1962 /suitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /3 týdny/ a Mír /3 týdny/, Praha)
premiere 20 April 1962 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
86 min
2 438 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
black & white
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Event: Umělecká soutěž k 20. výročí osvobození Československa
1965
Praha / Czechoslovakia
František Vláčil
Festival: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival Locarno
1962
Locarno / Switzerland
František Vláčil