Prague at Zero Hour
Country
Czechoslovakia, German Democratic RepublicCopyright
1962Production year
1962Premiere
7 June 1963Runtime
76 minDirector
Miloš MakovecCategory
filmGenre
dramaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Praha nultá hodinaCzech title
Praha nultá hodinaEnglish title
Prague at Zero HourCo-production title
Koffer mit DynamitWorking title
Mříž / Kufr s dynamitemSynopsis
In the 1930s, when Hitler assumes power in Germany, many Germans who Anti-Nazis finds political asylum in the democratic Czechoslovakia. After the Munich agreement of September 1938, however, Czechoslovakia is forced to surrender its border regions to Germany. On the 14th of March 1939 the Czechoslovak president Emil Hácha goes to Berlin and it is clear that Czechoslovakia is going to be occupied. At the Foreign Ministry, the officials are burning important documents to avoid turning them over to the Germans. The passports of the German emigrants are among these documents, but the boiler attendant Brázda hides them away. The Nazis prepare lists of people in Prague to be sent to prison. Their commander Franz Kluge has been promised a higher rank in the SS if the operation succeeds. The emigrants are gathering in the Libeň studio of the sculptor Landa. They are aware that they will all have to go into hiding. In the meantime, Brázda gives the suitcase with their passports to the old professor Adler. The professor, already frail and at the end of his physical and mental tether, hides the suitcase with his student, Honza Král. Honza lives with a German student, Toni. That dramatic night when German Nazi party militiamen shamelessly wreak havoc in Prague, it is Honza who, although wounded by the Nazis, takes the passports to safety with the help of the Czech and German anti-fascist resistance. It is the morning of the 15th of March 1939, and the German army is marching into Prague.
Photos
Cast
Ivo Palec
student Honza Král
Jutta Hoffmann
německá studentka Toni Halbeová
Lubor Tokoš
MUDr. Jiří Zeman
Vlastimil Hašek
komunista Josef Hrbek zvaný Lojza
Stefan Lisewski
německý komunista Otto Thüringer
Ernst Kahler
německý komunista Hermann Schneide
Vladimír Hlavatý
topič Brázda
Horst Preusker
gruppenführer Balthazar
Josef Bek
hochštapler Kilián
Hans Finohr
německý profesor Siegfried Adler
Vladimír Brabec
MUDr. Fahoun
Hans-Dieter Schlegel
nacista Franz Kluge, původně zubař
Emilie Urbanová-Jeřábková
bytná Pošová
Raoul Schránil
policejní komisař
Magda Maděrová
zdravotní sestra
Josef Bartůněk
strážník
Soběslav Sejk
strážník
Jiří Schulz
muž v davu
Ladislav Gzela
muž v davu
Karel Peyr
dr. Hák
Arnošt Faltýnek
muž s deštníkem
Vítězslav Černý
vrátný v nočním podniku
Paul Berndt
Jonas
Klaus D. Schwarz
Friedrich
Ferdinand Krůta
zřízenec na ministerstvu
Fred Delmare
sochař Landa
Werner Pfeifer
Sitte
Gisela Graupner
Sitteová
Jaroslav Melichar
ordner
Hannelore Telloke
zdravotní sestra
Albert Zahn
Furth
Helmut Schreiber
generálporučík SS Seidel
Richard Hilgert
Linert
Walter E. Fuss
emigrant
Carmen Melicharová
emigrantka
Albert Hahn
děda s kýlou
Friedrich Teitge
Králův soused
Ernst Kusch
opilec
Josef Beyvl
párkař
Walter Wigmann
nacista
Michael Hanisch
nacista
Günter Weyer
nacista
Manfred Pelz
nacista
Karl-Richard Schmidt
nacista
Bodo Weber
nacista
Günter Goetsch
nacista
Ursula Goin
sekretářka
Flori Graf
sekretářka
Heidelore Radtke
sekretářka
Jiří Benš
manekýn
Jiří Havel
německý student
Karel Hábl
německý student
Karel Hovorka
divák
Milan Kindl
strážník
Tino Muff
strážník
Zdeněk Skalický
strážník
Jan Prokeš
ordner
Pavel Robin
divák
Blažena Slavíčková
žena v davu
Jindřich Poledňa
kamelot
Josef Svátek
seriozní muž
Miroslav Svoboda
úředník
Zdeněk Týle
divák
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Based on
Jan Koplowitz (Herzstation – povídka)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Jaroslav Lehman, Václav Šebek, František Zajíček
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Christfried Sobczyk
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Irena Ikker, Josef Vorel, Josef Hudlička
Consultant
Konrad Schwalbe
Cooperation
Jana Střechová
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Smíšený kvartet (Music Conducted by Milivoj Uzelac)
Songs
Začíná bitva o Itálii
Singer Vladimír Hlavatý
Production info
Original Title
Praha nultá hodina
Czech Title
Praha nultá hodina
English Title
Prague at Zero Hour
Co-production Title
Koffer mit Dynamit
Working Title
Mříž / Kufr s dynamitem
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama
Origin country
Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic
Copyright
1962
Production Year
1962
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 7 May 1962
technical Screenplay approved 3 July 1962
start of filming 24 July 1962
end of filming 25 November 1962
projection approval 28 December 1962
withdrawal from distribution 31 July 1976
Premiere
premiere 7 June 1963 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 5 July 1963 /suitable for youths/ (kino Paříž /1 týden/, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
76 min
Original length in metres
2 156 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,37
Colour
black & white
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech, German
Subtitles languages
Czech
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
