The Inheritance

What can I add about this? Polívka doesn't even have to act much, because this is exactly how he would have turned out if he had never taken up acting, Donutil is unforgettable as always even in a supporting role, and Věra Chytilová conducts the film of her life with amazing fluency and, especially, with a punch. All the jokes, innuendos and even Bohouš's moral lessons, however crude and far-fetched, have, hand in hand with a heavily laden glass of plum brandy, incredible power and have rightly become a firm part of our culture. I doubt I’ll ever watch it again, but I can be sure that its legacy is always guaranteed to lift my spirits. (15/08/2012)

I've been putting off the cult classic The Inheritance for a very long time, and since it's one of the most quoted Czech comedies, the film didn't have much to surprise me anymore. The script by Věra Chytilová and Bolek Polívka is full of memorable gems, no doubt about it, but on the other hand there are some pretty futile parts with a supremely awkward touch, especially in the first third of the film. The Inheritance would certainly not be what it is if it wasn’t for Polívka in the lead role, who managed to portray the drunken and boorish Bohuš in a very convincing way – quite possibly he didn't even have to act much and was just being himself. Besides him, there the film features other memorable characters: the mini-aunt, Bohuš's mates, his two "femme fatales" Irenka and Vlastička. In the end, I found the film incredibly absurd – imaginative, yes – but somewhat bizarre and out of step with the overall concept. I can definitely understand any rating for The Inheritance. I liked the film as a humorous probe into the lives of the village hicks who are confronted with the seductions of the material world, but I was also tempted to turn the film off several times just because of these overly boorish characters. (10/08/2020)

The cult around this film completely passed me by from the beginning. I consider it one of Chytilová's weaker films, with a poorly written script, and the majority of enthusiastic admirers do not perceive it as a morality tale, but rather admire the protagonist's coarseness and "bravado" on a superficial level. I admire Bolka Polívka for completely different roles. This humor was more from the basement, and I actually find the character repulsive. Overall impression: 40%. (17/06/2006)

One of the best so-called post-revolutionary Czech films. Like The Firemen's Ball, I had to laugh at The Inheritance from beginning to end. I laughingly resist thinking for two hours about how timely and, yes, harshly true this film is. Each of us knows someone like Bohuš... And many people often are him. (19/11/2009)

I don't know, I was never entertained or captivated. I just kind of "missed it". I don't need this movie to live, I even breathe better when I don't have to say the title... They just had a certain lack of appeal for each other, and it's certain we'll never get past it. I don't mind, and I'm sure the movie doesn't either. And just to clarify a bit how much I dislike the movie (in case anyone cares), if I had to choose between it and, say, Pokémon, I choose you, Pikachu, you cute electric rat from Japan.... (23/01/2009)