Crime in a Music Hall

Das ist ilerelevere… ilere… ilereve… ile… Das ist Quatsch! Der Humor ist vielleicht zu trocken, er ist aber da. Die Satire ist vielleicht zu offensichtlich, sie ist aber auch da. Und sie ist bissig. Dank Josef Škvorecký gibt es beides im Drehbuch, dank Jiří Suchý in den Liedern. Crime in a Music Hall gefällt mir einfach und es hängt nicht nur damit zusammen, dass ich das Theater Divadlo Semafor mag. Mir gefallen all die kurzen und langen Momente, der Kampf von Jiří Šlitr und Zdeněk Svěrák im Gerichtssaal, Jan Libíček, welcher die Tür einschlägt, Eva Pilarová, die schließlich gesungen hat… Die Szene mit dem letzten Wunsch und dem Lied "Balada pod šibenicí" gehört zu dem Besten, was Jiří Menzel je gedreht hat. (11.11.2015)

It is amusing to read the incomprehensible criticism here about "failed crime movie" and "weak comedy". Škvorecký and Suchý were after something completely different. This film is a critique of a regime that bends law and justice to suit itself, which is especially evident in the last act, where it completely switches genres. And we should take into account the era in which it was made: the tense time of the autumn of 1968, in the fearful anticipation of things to come (purges in artistic circles, forced emigration), which is bloody evident in the result. That's why the humour often misses the mark, the actors are clueless and the slightly gloomy atmosphere of a funeral home pervades the film. But thanks for the nice songs and Eva Pilarová, who looks really hot here. (16.10.2013)

Crime in the Night Club is a classic 1960s hodgepodge. Under the influence of a certain mood, the Škvorecký / Menzel authorial team, the Suchý / Šlitr authorial-interpretive team, performers Grossmann / Smoljak / Svěrák, and Pilarová singing (plus a number of other disparate faces of the time) all came together on one film. According to Menzel, it was supposed to be another crime film written by Škvorecký, this time in a retro version in the style of Martin Frič. On paper, the idea remained halfway between the Lieutenant Borůvka films, which never became a trilogy. Well, that didn't work. Regardless Suchý was grateful for having another film for the people. The withdrawal from movie theaters was primarily due to Škvorecký's emigration, and some people would like to believe that this failed crime drama could perhaps be considered provocative. However, not everything from the golden sixties has to be considered genius. (16.02.2009)

A film that it’s interesting for the original concept with which it criticises Socialism, but that mixes several genres and tedious musical numbers that grind and bore. Menzel hits the spot with some funny scenes and all the actors are well cast (especially Libíček and the debuting Svěrák), but the overstuffed result is annoying rather than smart. However, as an attempt to blend the new wave and the films of Oldřich Lipský, interesting… (07.11.2018)