Director Petr Schulhoff created a popular series of crime dramas with plainclothes detective Major Kalaš as the central character. The crime thriller Vrah skrývá tvář (The Murderer Hides His Face, 1966) was followed by Po stopách krve (On the Trail of Blood, 1969) and Diagnóza smrti (Diagnosis of Death, 1979). The first two stand out for their bleak and “paranoid” atmosphere, which audiences seemed to connect with, and the excellent performance by Rudolf Hrušínský in the role of Major Kalaš. Together with his trusty sidekick First Lieutenant Varga (Radoslav Brzobohatý) Major Kalaš endeavours to unravel the murder of a nurse. They uncover links to another murder committed three months previously which point the investigation towards a sexually motivated mass murderer. When another crime is committed the circle of suspicion narrows but the perpetrator is only discovered thanks to a brilliant crime reconstruction staged by Kalaš… Popular psychiatrist, doctor Plzák appeared as himself, just as he did in Takže ahoj (So Bye-bye, 1970) and V hlavní roli Oldřich Nový (Starring Oldřich Nový, 1980).
In the forest near the village of Drahovice, a nurse from the local health centre, Marcela Brychová, is found murdered. Three months ago, another young woman died nearby and a sexual motive was proved in the case of her murder. In the case of Brychová, the motives are not so clear. Two criminologists from Prague - Major Kalaš and Lieutenant Varga - patiently collect all available leads and question the villagers. Marcela's husband, who is serving his military duty, might have a motive - having had learned from his mother that his wife had been cheating on him. The detectives also find Marcela's lover, window-dresser Kyncl. Gamekeeper Bureš and divorced physician Wintr, the latter being Marcela's employer, are also suspects. Moreover, the imbecile horse herdsman Michal was in the forest in the critical time. The alibis of all the suspects are gradually proved. Then, the body of the young woman accountant from the local cooperative is found murdered. Before she left to visit her mother, the cooperative manager Král advanced her one thousand crowns, and robbery is thus a possible motive. The autopsy, however, again proves sexual violence. Michal may know something, but he falls down from an attic. The circle tightens. The investigators are helped by the psychological portrait of the murderer. Král's brother Jiří, governing the local chateau, has a very young step-daughter named Radka. She, too, was attacked a year ago, but survived the assault. During the re-enactment of the girl's attack, the investigators break through her psychological trauma. Radka's reaction proves her step-father's guilt of the sexual attack.
major SNB Kalaš
nadporučík SNB Varga
poručík VB Louda
Jiří Král, správce ze zámečku
Králová, správcova žena
Radka, dcera Králové
vedoucí statku Král, Jiřího bratr
hajný Bureš
MUDr. Wintr, drahovický doktor
pasák koní Michal, místní blázen
Táňa Válková, přítelkyně Brychové
reklamní aranžér Jiří Kyncl
psychiatr
Voice by Oldřich Velen
lékař z pitevny
tchán Brych
tchyně Brychová
vojín Brych, manžel Brychové
Horáková, Michalova babička
nadrotmistr VB
zaměstnankyně statku
rotmistr VB
radista
řidič Tatry 603
Voice by Karel Pavlík
lékař kriminálky
Marcela Brychová
Kramářová
Stanislava Hutková
Karel Kracík, Ladislav Winkelhöfer
Vlasta Kolbasová, Josef Mojžíš
Milena Andrejsková
kpt. Josef Vaněček, MUDr. Miroslav Plzák, MUDr. Zdeněk Šňupárek
Hana Cillerová (klapka), Jaroslav Chlasták (fotograf)
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Singer ženský sbor
Vrah skrývá tvář
Vrah skrývá tvář
The Murderer Hides His Face
film
featuretheatrical distribution
drama, crime
Czechoslovakia
1966
1965—1966
literary Screenplay approved 30 July 1965
technical Screenplay approved 8 September 1965
start of filming 11 October 1965
end of filming 7 March 1966
projection approval 17 May 1966
withdrawal from distribution 1 September 1974
premiere 7 October 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina 64 U Hradeb /1 týden/ a Blaník /5 týdnů od 25. 11./, Praha)
premiere 28 October 1966 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
92 min
2 626 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,66, 1:2,35
black & white
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Event: Odměna vedení Československého filmu za nejúspěšnější film roku 1966
1967
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Petr Schulhoff