Suspicion
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1972Production year
1972Premiere
28 December 1973Runtime
105 minDirector
Jiří KrejčíkCategory
filmGenre
drama, crime, psychologicalTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
PodezřeníCzech title
PodezřeníEnglish title
SuspicionWorking title
KláraSummary
The Czechoslovakian censor was not slow to stir when it came to Jewish topics in newly produced films. Given this daunting difficulty, writer and director Jiří Krejčík omitted some motifs when it came to transferring to film Píseň Juditina (Judith´s song), a 1969 detective novel by Pavel Dejl (the artist’s pseudonym of Pavel Hejcman), which features a Jewish organisation pursuing Nazi criminals. The trade-off meant Krejčík’s 1972 motion picture, Podezření (Suspicion), avoided a production ban. But even this compromise did not allow him to continue unhindered in his filmmaking amid the restrictive era of “normalisation”. Podezření’s protagonist Klára Bornová is traumatised by her war experiences. She does not even feel safe as the wife of a Prague diplomat. And, as it happens, with justification, her husband is murdered by former Nazis. Bornová recognises one of them as Gill, the commander of the Dutch concentration camp. Slovak television announcer Jarmila Koštová stars in this improbable tale.
Synopsis
Klára Born has mixed feelings as she follows her husband, a diplomat, to his new assignment in Prague. She herself spent a happy childhood in the city, but during the Second World War her whole family was sent to the concentration camp by Eindhoven in Holland, and she was the only one who returned alive. Klára doesn't feel comfortable in the villa from which Born's predecessor Morton vanished in unexplained circumstances. At a large reception the woman meets a number of diplomats, among them the mysterious Gill. In the night Klára has her old recurrent dream. She is back in Eidhoven, but this time guests from the reception are there in Nazi uniforms. Gill shows great interest in her dream and wartime experiences. One evening Born leaves the house with a gun and money and is never seen again. Investigation yields no results. The embassy is reticent and the Czechoslovak Secret Police are not allowed to interrogate diplomats. It is only when Klára becomes a private person that Captain Chrástek can start a search. He is soon successful. He discovers that Born and Morton were murdered, exposes the murderers, too, and establishes the motive: both men were on the track of a German war criminal that is clearly living in Prague. Klára uncovers the truth as well. On the basis of Morton's book, photographs from the reception and reports from abroad, she recognizes Gill as the commander of the holland concentartion camp. When he tries to kill her, she shoots him dead.
Note
Fears that the film would be banned led to the original scenario being stripped of all Jewish themes – the origin of the characters and organizations searching for Nazi criminals.
Photos
Cast
Jarmila Košťová
Klára Bornová rozená Janotová
Václav Voska
diplomat Francis Gill
Ladislav Chudík
diplomat Dr. Jacques Born, Klářin manžel
Radoslav Brzobohatý
kriminalista kapitán Chrástek
Jiří Adamíra
Dr. Philip Milner, první tajemník ambasády
Miroslav Macháček
konzul Robert Carier
Vladimír Šmeral
profesor Josef Trojan
Jarmila Orlová
Voice by Libuše Švormová
Irma, Milnerova žena
Rudolf Jelínek
poručík Mareček
Valerie Chmelová
Marie, komorná u Bornů
Slávka Budínová
Karla Hofová
Radovan Lukavský
plukovník Havlíček
Lubor Tokoš
pohřební řečník Vaclík
Vladimír Stach
lékař-prosektor
Eva Bezděková
cizinka v letadle
Vladimír Linka
řidič Janečka zvaný Leopold
Alena Motyčková
Voice by Božidara Turzonovová
ošetřovatelka
Jan Prokeš
Voice by Lubor Tokoš
zřízenec prosektury
Kateřina Frýbová
prodavačka v bufetu/žena diplomata
Božidara Turzonovová
tuzexová dívka
Stanislava Bartošová
letuška
Taťána Dvořáčková
letuška
Naďa Konvalinková
letuška
Jindřich Hinke
diplomat na recepci
Vilém Pruner
diplomat na recepci
Jiří Zahrádka
diplomat na recepci
Zdenka Borovičková
manželka diplomata
Jitka Cerhová
manželka diplomata
Jana Drastíková
manželka diplomata
Olga Dudová
manželka diplomata
Alena Janošková
manželka diplomata
Julie Jenšíková
manželka diplomata
Yvonne Kodoňová
manželka diplomata
Daniela Pokorná
manželka diplomata
Hana Růžičková
manželka diplomata
Jarmila Hradová
cizinka na letišti
Hana Šilhánková
cizinka na letišti
Oldřich Peckiewicz
člen komorního kvarteta
Jiří Ptáčník
člen komorního kvarteta
Jan Štros
člen komorního kvarteta
Adolf Švorc
člen komorního kvarteta
Eduard Pavlíček
úředník ministerstava zahraničí
Dušan Konečný
velvyslanec
Eva Fiedlerová
manželka velvyslance
Jiřina Krejčíková
mladá žena na recepci
Karel Kvěch
řidič u Bornů
Bohumír Muchka
ceremoniář
Doris Papoušková
tanečnice na recepci
Dušan Konečný
tanečník na recepci
Václav Smetáček
dirigent Národního divadla
Milada Karasová
žena na recepci
Zdeněk Virt
fotoreportér na recepci
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Jiří Býček
Continuity
Screenstory
Based on
Pavel Hejcman (Píseň Juditina – detektivní román)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Jaromír Dědek, Václav Kozel, Vladimír Mácha
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Consultant
Cooperation
Jindřiška Novotná (klapka), Zdeněk Dukát (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Selected Music
Antonín Dvořák (Smyčcový kvartet F dur Americký)
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín), Orchestr Václava Hybše
Choreographer
Songs
Čechy krásné, Čechy mé
Song Composer Josef Leopold Zvonař
Production info
Original Title
Podezření
Czech Title
Podezření
English Title
Suspicion
Working Title
Klára
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama, crime, psychological
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1972
Production Year
1972
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 28 October 1971
technical Screenplay approved 1 March 1972
start of filming 1 December 1972
end of filming 8 December 1972
projection approval 22 December 1972
withdrawal from distribution 22 February 1974
Premiere
premiere 6 December 1973 /suitable for youths/ (kino Lucerna, Praha)
premiere 28 December 1973 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Karla Copa, Karel Cop (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
105 min
Original length in metres
2 965 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
black & white
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech, French
Subtitles languages
Czech
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
