A Prominent Patient

It is a pleasure to see Julius Ševčík's journey through Czech cinema, and yet it is also worth asking whether three films in the space of a decade are really enough to prove his talent. Very briefly: Masaryk is a necessary film, whether for its genre or the choice of the person it follows. It is skillfully shot, interesting, fits into the color of the Munich stigma, and offers up another shard. Those less familiar with the subject will at least be introduced to the nature of Jan Masaryk's foreign travels and hear Roden speak in foreign languages. For me, it’s a yes. (15/07/2017)

For its quality, I gave A Prominent Patient the same number of stars as Anthropoid, but these are two different movies. A Prominent Patient is not an action flick, nor does it contain playboys or a love story. It is political, contains sex and drugs, and half of its runtime takes place in a psychiatric hospital. As such, it was made for viewers who appreciate a more unique artistic touch. It is not about captivating the audience with an emotional story, but depicting a collection of historically significant events around one character in the most dignified way possible, technically at a world-class level. All of the film’s Czech Lion nominations are well deserved, starting with the script, which cleverly links the study of the disillusioned Masaryk’s personality with those key historical events that interest me, through the successful depiction of the period and gloomy atmosphere of all of the locations (mainly the interiors of palaces, where the backlit curtains are simply outstanding), to the (naturally) great actors. It’s a more detached movie experience, but it’s worth it. (17/03/2017)

One thing that Masaryk cannot be denied at first glance is its unmistakable ambition, which is welcome if well used and capitalized on. Fortunately, that is the case this time, resulting in a film that definitely stands out from the average by Czech standards. The twelve Czech Lions are in order, though it's true that I haven't seen all the competing films, but Masaryk has set the bar pretty high anyway. I have no complaints about the cast, everyone played their roles to perfection and I liked the linguistic layering and authenticity. As far as the technical aspect is concerned, this is a solid film, mixing many evocative shots with an unmistakable musical score. A skillfully made and believably acted excursion into a bygone era that wasn't exactly easy or safe. (02/04/2017)

An absolutely world-class movie that will however only be appreciated by a Czechoslovak. As one could expect, it’s full of fundamental dialogues that will best be absorbed by a historian or a Czech with an interest in history. Personally, I found interesting the conversation with Konrad Henlein, which wasn’t really fundamental for the movie, but a person in the know will immediately notice it and they will take in every single word that he exchanges with Jan Masaryk. To this I can add that I read through several opinions of historians regarding this film and I am glad that the authors tried to be as historically accurate as possible. On the other hand, I’m a bit sad that the beautiful cinematography, which in my opinion is of world-class quality, that takes the viewer to the USA, England but also to Nazi-occupied Prague, wasn’t a bit more dynamic. But everything was made up for by the acting performances: Karel Roden was absolutely excellent, but Oldřich Kaiser as Edvard Beneš was even better. All in all, I have to say that the last time I saw such a good and stylish movie in the Czech Republic was when In the Shadow came out. At the same time, I am glad the authors clarified several historical situations and I would like to thank them for making it possible for a movie like this to be made. (15/03/2017)

I was surprised by how well and professionally the film is shot. If it weren't for the Czech spoken, I'd easily say it's an American production. The actors are all excellent and I didn't find a single weak performance. The screenplay may be somewhat fictionalized, and I was disappointed that it's a film about Munich, not so much about Masaryk and maybe his death, but I still enjoyed the film, even though it can hit you with quite the bit depression. (06/04/2017)