A Pact with the Devil

A cannonade of catchphrases and an incredibly playful girly adventure that works better within the confines of the genre than most contemporary teenage stuff from all corners of the world. I did not even want to believe that something like this was created in Czechoslovakia at a time when the tanks of friendly countries were slowly coming toward us. It’s too bad about the ending when the individual stories fizzle out without exception. However, I have no complaints about any of the other components. 4 ½. (18/04/2010)

I watched this film as part of a television series, and because it currently has a decent 73% on FilmBooster, I had the impression that I would discover a hidden treasure. However, as the minutes passed, doubts and a feeling that the film had deservedly collected dust in the archives crept in. Forman's Black Peter is timeless and you don't get the impression that it has aged. In addition, the combination of drama and comedy works excellently in it. The same cannot be said for A Pact with the Devil. The film has aged and the dramatic and comedic elements clash in an unfortunate way. The film is strangely inconsistent as if it was directed not by two, but three directors, and was written by several screenwriters who could not agree on anything. It belongs to the kinds of films where the individual details work well, but as a whole, it only causes doubts at best. A good gag is followed by an awkward joke, alongside which the following serious situation feels inappropriate. The failed party scene resembles Before Tonight Is Over and is one of the more successful parts, but again, we encounter that inconsistency that kills the atmosphere. In such cases, the potential of the top actors is partially wasted, with the exception of Menšík, who stands out. Overall impression: 45%. (12/02/2020)

Probably the most typical thing about all this 60s crap is the subsequent fate of Zachar in the hands of Carlo Ponti and the retrospective assessment of his work in the crisis years as a pornography director. While in Czechoslovakia he directed only a bunch of teenage girls in bloom, for distribution in the West he was able to produce more interesting things. After all, the theme of virginity knocking on the brain is in one way or another too much of a theme for Czech would-be art films of this unusually proud decade, to the point of embarrassment. While A Pact with the Devil is an interesting film in terms of the ratio of Czech and Slovak components, the group of "new discoveries" that emerged from the demanding casting process is mind-boggling. Turbová, Kocúriková, Rašlová and the unusually impossible Karbanová are simply too much. (10/12/2020)

A very successful tragicomedy from the second half of the sixties, which may be a bit of a tribute to the time of its creation, but I had a great time with it even today. Jaromír Hanzlík's performance was comparable to that of Vladimír Pucholt in Krejčík's film Wedding Under Supervision and I laughed a lot. Of the five virgins, Ivana Karbanová was the best. Her good-natured banter with the also excellent Vláďa Menšík was unmistakable. Marian Labuda's subtly captivating performance is also certainly worth mentioning. The plot could have been a bit more elaborate, but that didn't spoil the overall impression. (80%) (16/03/2021)