Death behind the Curtain
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1966Production year
1966Premiere
17 March 1967Runtime
85 minDirector
Antonín KachlíkCategory
filmGenre
crimeTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Smrt za oponouCzech title
Smrt za oponouEnglish title
Death behind the CurtainWorking title
Anděl hraje na violuSummary
In 1966, director Antonín Kachlík expressed an interest in the popular detective genre. His adaptation of the novel Anděl hraje na violu (An Angel Plays the Viola) by Pavel Hejcman offered spectators the attractive setting of the theatre. A team of investigators look into the murder of prima ballerina Havlová (Květa Fialová). Captain Chrástek (in an unusual role for Miroslav Horníček) eventually finds himself on the trail of an international gang trafficking heroin from France to Italy via Czechoslovakia. The gang even has members among the theatre’s staff… Jaroslav Satoranský plays the part of Chrástek's colleague Mareček. The popular singer Valdemar Matuška – who took on numerous acting assignments during the 1960s – plays French trafficker Orbigny. Smrt za oponou (Death behind the Curtain, 1966)was also filmed in the former East Germany.
Synopsis
The members of an organization of heroin smugglers are sending a consignment of the drug from France into Italy by a new route through Sweden, East Germany and Czechoslovakia. - In the Fibich Theatre in Prague the atmosphere is nervous before a ballet premiere. The performance is interrupted at the very beginning. The prima ballerina Milada Havlová is found dead in her dressing room. The autopsy and analyzis of a syringe show that Havlová has taken a lethal dose of heroin. Captain Chrástek, who is entrusted with the investigation, is convinced that the case is one of murder. Questioning and other searches in the theatre reveal all kinds of interests and intrigues that might hold the key to Milada's death. During a search of Havlová's flat, heroin is found in her powder compact. Chrástek is also interested in the implications of a box of sweets that was send to Havlová but delivered to the theatre after her death. It leads Chrástek to the Čedok travel agency and Alena Volná, a guide on trips to Rügen. Alena at first conceals the fact, but after her partner in Germany tries to strangle her, she confesses that she brought Havlová packages from East Germany. Hearing her testimony it is clear to Chrástek that the whole case concerns an international gang of smugglers that have a collaborator in the theatre. He therefore sets a trap for the murderer, and catches the choreographer Laube and his partner from abroad.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Miroslav Horníček
kapitán Chrástek
Jaroslav Satoranský
poručík Mareček
Jiří Mikota
nadporučík Antoš
Květa Fialová
tanečnice Milada Havlová
Lenka Fišerová
tanečnice Jana Pilátová
Gabriela Vránová
průvodkyně zájezdů Alena Volná
Stanislav Šimek
tanečník Procházka
Lubomír Lipský
choreograf Laube
Ilja Prachař
ředitel divadla Macek
Josef Langmiler
dirigent Krejčí
Jiří Vršťala
pašerák Filip Lavedan
Waldemar Matuška
pašerák Orbigny
Hannjo Hasse
německý policista Hans Kreibe
Karel Pavlík
kriminalista Havlíček
Marie Rovenská
důchodkyně Otílie Jelínková
Helga Čočková
Jitka
Květoslava Houdlová
Jitčina matka
Bohuš Pastorek
kriminalista Pirko
František Kubíček
vrátný Kotásek
Alena Kaslová
Voice by Alena Kreuzmannová
tanečnice Krista Máchová
Josef Stehlík
děda Vlasák, domovní důvěrník
Alexej Kusák
Ital
Arthur Jopp
velitel námořní policie
Antonín Jedlička
inspicient
Jiří Hoščálek
tanečník
Věra Chocová
tanečnice
Jana Heyduková
tanečnice
Milan Ječmínek
tanečník
Eva Kaprálová
tanečnice
Eva Hřebenářová
tanečnice
Jarmila Kostlivá
tanečnice
Miroslava Krčálová
tanečnice
Miroslav Kydlíček
tanečník
Petr Novák (2)
tanečník
Jiří Paclík
tanečník
Ludmila Rašpličková
tanečnice
Zdeněk Sudek
tanečník
Věra Sudková
tanečnice
Dana Špédlová
tanečnice
Pavel Vitinger
tanečník
Zdeňka Zvonařová
tanečnice
Jiří Žalud
tanečník
Marie Plášilová
tanečnice
P. Režná
tanečnice
Kaštánková
tanečnice
Dana Reimová
Irena
Marie Štichová
kostymérka
Jan Baloun
pianista
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Continuity
Based on
Pavel Hejcman (Anděl hraje na violu – kniha)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Oldřich Halaza, Ludmila Sovová, František Zajíček
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Martin Günther Britting, Josef Hudlička, Olga Mimrová
Unit Production Manager
Jaroslava Pražská
Cooperation
Pavla Marková (klapka), Miloslav Mirvald (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Choreographer
Věra Untermüllerová
Danced by
Balet Divadla J. K. Tyla v Plzni
Songs
Divocí koně
Song Composer Karel Mareš
Writer of Lyrics Jan Schneider
Singer Waldemar Matuška
Production info
Original Title
Smrt za oponou
Czech Title
Smrt za oponou
English Title
Death behind the Curtain
Working Title
Anděl hraje na violu
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
crime
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1966
Production Year
1966
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 30 March 1966
technical Screenplay approved 24 June 1966
start of filming 23 July 1966
end of filming 19 October 1966
projection approval 28 December 1966
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1975
Premiere
premiere 17 March 1967 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 24 March 1967 /suitable for youths/ (kina Metro /4 týdny/ a Kotva /1 týden/, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Šebor – Bor, Vladimír Bor (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
85 min
Original length in metres
2 412 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, French
Subtitles languages
Czech
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
