Give the Devil His Due

Sure, it's immoral to make a pact with devils, but when you get a group of the most lovable guys led by the (literally) demonic Karel Heřmánek, it's not hard to agree to the rules of this fairy tale. Hynek Bočan directs with clarity, the set design is impressive (hell especially), the great special effects are effective, and the mood of the film is in a pleasantly light spirit, with the Czech acting elite delivering divine catchphrases, opening the way to the peak of Czech/Slovak fairy tale production. (26/11/2006)

One of the unforgettable Czech fairy tales. It is one of the newer ones and yet it's almost thirty years old. It's a shame that nowadays we can't make anything that would be so great in terms of acting, storytelling, and humor in this not only Christmas genre. The sentences spoken here have often become part of everyday language and will mean something to you, even if you don't associate them with this fairy tale. Absolutely fantastic characters portrayed by great Czech actors. (26/12/2013)

This Czech fairy tale is absolutely perfect. It is incredibly funny and full of memorable lines, which you can quote, and so when the men in the warehouse drop some of the boxes, the first thing I hear is, "You dropped something Machal, I think it is the wind," and I cannot help smiling. Karel Hermanek is the best ruler of hell I have ever seen in a fairy tale and other actors like Petr Narozny excel. This iconic movie has second place in my Top Ten because I rarely miss watching it when it is on. (02/04/2015)

Hynek Bočan is probably a Satanist in every way. How else do you explain such a sympathetic hell headed by the absolutely characterful Lucifer in the very crazy package of Karel Heřmánek? This story is moldy. If it weren't for the hideous Princess Adélka and her castrate chants, it wouldn't have a single mistake. It's got something naturalistic and non-fairytale in it, and yet it caresses like a wolf's tail. Moreover, it has truly top-notch choreography that will not get lost even next to something Pirates of the Caribbean (isn't Peter Koza responsible for it?). The characters besides the aforementioned grazed princess are one and the same, especially Janek, the devil with the rank of a crow and the choleric General Nárožný... Oh, and also the bark of Václav Vydra. He became more human. Just like this entire fairytale non-fairytale. (30/05/2005)

This is the best Czech fairy tale as far as I’m concerned. It has both a fantastic cast and script. It’s one of three films I watch every year at Christmas, and I always have a great time despite knowing all the lines word for word. There’s hardly a better Lucifer in Czech fairy tales than the one portrayed by Karel Heřmánek. Josef Kemr was perfect, Vladimír Hrubý's Drápal the sycophant has acquired legendary status by now, and Petr Nárožný also gave an excellent performance. The only disappointment was Princess Adélka. Monika Stará’s performance was lackluster and bland, but not even she could spoil the overall effect. (28/12/2016)