On the Trail of Blood

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1969

Production year

1969

Premiere

27 March 1970

Runtime

94 min

Category

film

Genre

detective

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Po stopách krve

Czech title

Po stopách krve

English title

On the Trail of Blood

Working title

Vrah na volné noze / Krev

Summary

Major Kalaš, the investigator who features in a quartet of crime films made by director Petr Schulhoff, is among the most popular characters in the realm of Czech detective stories. A substantial part of his charisma, of course, is down to the actor who portrays him: Rudolf Hrušínský. But Schulhoff's approach also made a significant contribution to the indisputable quality of the series. In the four detective stories – Strach (Fear, 1963), Vrah skrývá tvář (The Murderer Hides His Face, 1966), Po stopách krve (1969), and Diagnóza smrti (Diagnosis of Death, 1979) – Schulhoff created a prototype for high-quality, classic Czech detective tales with an impressively dismal atmosphere. In Po stopách krve, Kalaš investigates the murder of a Roma boy in the northern Bohemian town of Dubá. When another victim is discovered, the Prague-based investigator realises he is up against a serial killer – and a paedophile to boot. Tackling the case is made more complicated due to the absence of his trusted partner, Varga.

Synopsis

Major Kalaš from the Prague criminal intelligence service has been sent to a small town of Dubá in North Bohemia to help with the investigation of the puzzling death of a child. A Gypsy boy has been killed three weeks ago and his body found under a rock. After a thorough investigation and checking the testimonies, Kalaš and his local colleague Lieutenant Vlach can gradually rule out some of the suspects: the boy's stepfather, the aggressive hooligan Vavroch, and Burda, who was caught in flagrante not far from the scene of the crime. Bricklayer Fojt, a friendless widower, is also among the suspects. His son lives in Prague, but has been hospitalised after a road accident. As the investigation continues, another dead boy is found. The boy has bled to death after someone cut his artery with a handsaw. Both deaths are obviously the work of a murderer - a perverted paedophile, sadist who gets sexual satisfaction from the sight of a young boy's blood. Then the wife of the young Fojt also dies. Her death appears to be a suicide by gassing, but is finally exposed as murder. It seems that the young woman was done away with as an unwanted witness. The young Fojt's alibi falls through when it is confirmed that he left the hospital on several occasions. He makes one last attempt to throw the blame on his father but the surveillance camera recording from the hospital waiting room shows him hiding a boy's bloody bandage that he has pulled out of the rubbish bin, and his guilt is proved.

Film online

Cast

Rudolf Hrušínský

major VB Kalaš

Vladimír Ptáček

poručík VB Vlach

Ilja Prachař

podplukovník VB Tesař

Karel Dellapina

hajný Frič

Vladimír Huber

MUDr. Vít, lékař v Dubé

Milada Ježková

Šindlerová

Michal Kožuch

cihlář Fojt

Luděk Nešleha

Fojtův syn

Hana Brejchová

hostinská Vlasta Veselá

Vladimír Kudla

kočí Antonín Vavroch

Miloš Willig

vyšetřovatel Suchánek

Václav Postránecký

Honza Burda, Vlastin milenec

Jana Vaňková

Fojtová, žena mladšího Fojta

Stanislav Hájek

policista v civilu

Vladimír Foukal

řidič Tatry 603

Bohumil Koška

nadstrážmistr VB

Josef Koza

technik VB v kombinéze

Jaroslav Radimecký

mistr Tůma, Vavrochův šéf

Václav Halama

Vavrochův domácí

Vladimír Hrabánek

policejní fotograf

Jindra Kvardová

spěchající žena

Pavel Navara

promítač

Hynek Němec

Otradovec

Jiřina Bílá

zdravotní sestra

Jana Sedlmajerová

zdravotní sestra

David Schneider

chlapec v nemocnici

Eva Vlachová

matka v nemocnici

Marie Štrampachová

manipulantka v tiskárně

Vincenc Vávra

příslušník VB

Jan Víšek

policejní lékař u Fojtové

Jan Vyčítal (2)

chlapec

Václav Němec

technik VB

B. Čeleda

příslušník VB

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

František Matoušek

Assistant Director

Stanislava Hutková

Continuity

Marta Kunstová

Screenstory

Petr Schulhoff

Screenplay

Petr Schulhoff

Shooting Script

Petr Schulhoff

Director of Photography

Emil Sirotek

Camera Operator

František Kučera

Production Designer

Karel Lier

Assistent Production Designer

Libuše Jahodová

Set Designer

Vladimír Ježek, Karel Kracík, Ladislav Winkelhöfer

Costume Designer

Zdena Kadrnožková

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Horázná

Sound Designer

Miloslav Hůrka

Special Effects

Trikový ateliér FSB

Production Manager

Jiří Krejčí

Unit Production Manager

Josef Mojžíš, Věra Winkelhöferová

Unit Production Manager

Vlasta Mathauserová

Consultant

mjr. Jaroslav Buchar, MUDr. Zdeněk Šňupárek

Cooperation

Věra Rathová (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Pavel Blatný

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj Uzelac)

Production info

Original Title

Po stopách krve

Czech Title

Po stopách krve

English Title

On the Trail of Blood

Working Title

Vrah na volné noze / Krev

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

detective

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1969

Production Year

1969

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 28 November 1968
technical Screenplay approved 16 June 1969
start of filming 19 August 1969
end of filming 4 November 1969
projection approval 23 December 1969
the first film copy approved 23 December 1969
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1975

Premiere

premiere 27 March 1970 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
gala premiere 8 April 1970 (kino 64 U Hradeb, Praha)
premiere 9 April 1970 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina 64 U Hradeb /2 týdny/, Blaník /4 týdny od 23. 4./, Klub /1 týden od 21. 5./ a Veletrhy /1 týden od 4. 6./, Praha)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Novotný – Kubala, Bedřich Kubala (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Ladislav Novotný (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

94 min

Original length in metres

2 660 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66, 1:2,35

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech