I, Justice

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1967

Production year

1967

Premiere

12 April 1968

Runtime

86 min

Category

film

Genre

drama, fantastic, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Já, spravedlnost

Czech title

Já, spravedlnost

English title

I, Justice

Summary

The eclectic author Miloš Macourek made his screen debut with the script for the playful comedy Kdo chce zabít Jessii? (Who Wants to Kill Jessie?, 1966). After his initiation with Václav Vorlíček, he chose to work with the director Zbyněk Brynych for this ambitious adaptation of a “serious” 1946 novel by Miroslav Hanuš. Já, spravedlnost (I, Justice, 1968) is an imaginative story that explores the possibilities of a parallel history: A Czech doctor named Heřman discovers that Adolf Hitler has survived his suicide and is a prisoner in the private sanatorium of Professor Hartig, who subjects him to repeated psychological abuse in retribution for his crimes... The film’s unsettling atmosphere is capably sustained by Czech film icon Karel Höger in the role of Heřman. Hitler was played by East German actor Fritz Diez. Due to his resemblance to the dictator, he also played the role in the five-part war epic Osvobození (Liberation, 1967–1971), Volbě cíle (Take Aim, 1974), three episodes of the series Sedmnáct zastavení jara (Seventeen Moments of Spring, 1973) and the mini-series Vojáci svobody (Soldiers of Freedom, 1977).

Synopsis

At the year 1946, the time of the Nuremberg Process. One of the main actors of the Second World War, who reportedly committed suicide, Adolf Hitler is, however, missing. The Czech doctor Heřman is kidnapped from Prague and driven to the sanatorium of Professor Rolf Harting. The sanatorium is a disguised military stronghold, most probably occupied by a Nazi garrison, with prison cells and an execution chamber in the basement. At night, Heřman is taken to a patient in whom he, to his horror, recognizes Hitler. He refuses to cooperate with Harting and decides to flee. But he is well-guarded. During a car ride, he meets Inge who indicates that she is working against Harting. After some time, Heřman finds out that Harting and his people are not in fact Hitler's followers - on the contrary, they want to punish him for his crimes. In their opinion, one death is not enough for Hitler. They therefore make up a simulated "attack" on the sanatorium by American and Soviet troops. Hitler is then thrown into an underground cell, "sentenced" to death and drawn into the executor's cell where he has to experience the horror of the upcoming death. He is "liberated" at the last minute by Harting, so the torture might continue later. Harting asks Heřman to blind Hitler, being afraid that the fuhrer will realize what a kind of play has been played with him. Heřman agrees, but instead of operating on Hitler, he injects him poison. Inge, who wanted to liberate the fuhrer then shoots Heřman dead.

Cast

Karel Höger

MUDr. Josef Heřman

Angelica Domröse

Inge Stahlová

Jiří Vršťala

profesor Rolf Harting, bývalý důstojník SS

Fritz Diez

Adolf Hitler

Jindřich Narenta

muž v brýlích

Karel Peyr

garážmistr

Rudolf Macharovský

muž s klíči

Oldřich Stodola

holohlavý muž

Ervin Zolar

žalobce

Paul Leclér

vrátný

Jan Schánilec

Bormannův muž

Jiří Fuchs

sluha Inge

Rajmond Gabriel

příslušník MP /americké vojenské policie/

Petr Oliva

příslušník MP /americké vojenské policie/

Zdeněk Matouš

muž číslo 1

T. Lederer

muž číslo 2

Jiří Svárovský

muž číslo 3

H. J. Müller

muž číslo 4

Vladimír Zoubek

muž číslo 5

Karel Špička

muž číslo 6

Jan Diviš

muž číslo 7

Karel Dellapina

muž číslo 8

Milan Sandhaus

muž číslo 9

Jaroslav Tomsa

muž číslo 10

Vilém Pruner

muž číslo 11

Karel Hábl

muž číslo 12

Miroslav Nosek

muž číslo 13

J. Rek

muž číslo 14

Ludvík Wolf

muž číslo 15

Jan Váňa

muž číslo 19

Jindřich Sejk

muž číslo 20

Viktor Oktábec

muž číslo 21

Jiří Cimický

muž číslo 22

Ivan Foltýn

muž číslo 24

Jan Kropáček

americký důstojník

Jaroslav Klenot

příslušník amerického komanda číslo 1

Pavel Navara

příslušník amerického komanda číslo 2

Jindřich Vítek

příslušník amerického komanda číslo 3

Karel Vítek

příslušník amerického komanda číslo 4

Otakar Rademacher

příslušník amerického komanda číslo 10

P. Stejskal

příslušník amerického komanda číslo 11

Josef Schneider

sovětský voják číslo 1

Jiří Kasík

sovětský voják číslo 2

Karel Engel

sovětský voják číslo 3

Josef Bárta

sovětský voják číslo 4

Jaroslav Vlk

sovětský voják číslo 5

J. Maroušková

dubl za Angelicu Domröse – pád ze schodiště

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Jaromír Borek

Assistant Director

Viktor Karásek

Continuity

Hana Cillerová

Based on

Miroslav Hanuš (Já, spravedlnost – román)

Director of Photography

Josef Vaniš

Second Unit Photography

Václav Helliman

Camera Operator

Bohumil Vodička

Production Designer

Milan Nejedlý

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Sedláček

Costume Designer

Jan Kropáček

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Sound Designer

Ladislav Hausdorf

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Eliška Nejedlá

Unit Production Manager

Vladislav Špidra, Jiří Zika

Unit Production Manager

Milan Klacek

Consultant

Bohumil Černý

Cooperation

Jiřina Srbová (klapka), Miloslav Mirvald (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Sternwald

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), skupina Jana Hammera, Hudba Československé lidové armády

Production info

Original Title

Já, spravedlnost

Czech Title

Já, spravedlnost

English Title

I, Justice

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, fantastic, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1967

Production Year

1967

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 10 February 1967
technical Screenplay approved 15 April 1967
start of filming 18 May 1967
end of filming 31 August 1967
projection approval 6 December 1967
withdrawal from distribution 1 September 1974

Premiere

premiere 12 April 1968 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 19 April 1968 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Paříž /2 týdny/, Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

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

86 min

Original length in metres

2 459 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

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 6. mezinárodní festival vědecko-fantastických filmů Terst

1968
Terst / Italy

Vítěz

Event: Peněžitá odměna za film v rámci hodnocení produkce Filmového studia Barrandov v roce 1967

1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Zbyněk Brynych

Vítěz

Event: Peněžitá odměna za film v rámci hodnocení produkce Filmového studia Barrandov v roce 1967

1968
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Miloš Macourek