Ballad for a Bandit

Ivan Olbracht's novel about the infamous robber was adapted into a musical in 1970s, as performed by Divadlo na provazku, a theatre in Brno. The filmed performance takes place in a natural amphitheatre where the country songs of the drama about Nikola Šuhaj and his beloved Eržika intertwine with the reactions of the audience. “They killed a guy from Koločava”, says the prologue about the dead bandit. Then, the story of fateful love, which is disrupted by machinations of the authorities as well as betrayal by Nikola's friends, unfolds. The libretto was written by Milan Uhde, whose work was banned at that time, so his name is missing in the credits. The role of a slick usurer is excellently portrayed by Bolek Polívka. (Febiofest)