Protector

I don’t get it. Formally brilliant and complete (the harmony of music and image should serve as an example to other Czech films), and when listening to the dialogues you do not feel like someone is jamming a rusty corkscrew into your ear canal (even during the “I you love" expressions). When you are watching the story you feel that someone put some thought into it and presented to the viewer something that is noticeably missing. A plastic and non-hysterical image of succumbing to the magic of ideology, however primarily motivated by good intentions. A psychologically elaborate drama in which much more general features of the relationship between man and "history" are revealed on a protectorate backdrop. It's sarcastic, sophisticated and it has power. The image of riding a bicycle when watching it again is a phenomenally simple, and at the same time corresponding metaphor of any totalitarianism for me. Without the peddling man who seemingly has no influence on what is happening behind him, the illusion would not be perfect. Protector is a film that for years I have been longing for - mature, reflective, and it is free of Czech nonsense and stagnation. I forgive the mistakes. Love is blind. (16/09/2009)

The best Czech film I've seen in years - and not just in the movie theater. There is not a single needless scene, and the direction, the superbly stylized and deliberately color-poor cinematography and the music complement each other perfectly. All this with likeable actors who really know how to act. I applaud and I will definitely go see it again. I hope as many people as possible do the same - this film shouldn't get lost. I give it a big chance at foreign festivals. (23/09/2009)

A beautiful and incredibly original movie. Who would have thought that we can shoot an interwar-era movie in such an original way in our small country… Marek Najbrt came up with an innovative directing, Miloslav Holman came up with an innovative camerawork and the band Midi Lidi along with Petr Marek put together a soundtrack that will probably lure me in for a listen for the rest of my life. And, of course, I can’t forget to mention Tuček, Najbrt a Geisler who wrote a perfectly ingenious script, and also the acting performances of the actors and actresses like Jana Plodková and Marek Daniel. Not only is Protector, without a doubt, a job well-done, but it might also be one of the most original movies that our little country had the honor to film. I congratulate and thank the creators for this grand movie experience. (17/07/2015)

I’d give it 7/10, but I don’t feel at all like rounding up this time. Visually, this is an exceptionally beautiful film, the performances are flawless and so is the direction, but it lacks pace in a terrible way. Yes, it’s boring! I liked Normal a lot more than this tarted-up romance, and I’m also not really sure what it is (primarily) about… (12/12/2009)

I can't say that I didn't like the movie outright, but I also can't say that I was enthusiastic about it in any way. In my opinion, it is a purely average film, and, due to the lack of funds and perhaps even the filmmaker's creativity, it feels more like a TV film. The theme of the Protectorate and the motive of the Jewish genocide contribute to this, but these concepts have been used many times in the past, and often better. All that is left for me is to sigh - if this is one of the most acclaimed post-November films and according to many enthusiastic comments even one of the peaks, then the state of Czech cinema is even more serious than I thought. Jana Plodková is interesting and unfamiliar, and her stylization of the character of a First Republic film star is quite convincing, but that is not enough for a great film experience. Overall impression: 60%. (14/05/2011)