Aktion Kugelblitz

Diese Komödie reift wie Wein! Eine hervorragende Idee mit einem massiven, bewegenden Ereignis, das Menschen zusammenbringt, die sonst völlig "aus dem Rahmen fallen", wurde von dem Duo Smoljak-Podskalský stilvoll umgesetzt. Dank der hervorragenden Leistungen der Schauspieler sind alle Charaktere ausreichend authentisch, und durch das Drehbuch hat der Film den typischen S+S-Humor. Die Gags mit dem brasilianischen Kaffee, der Direktionalität und der Feuerkontrolle gehören zu den unvergesslichen Momenten der tschechischen Komödie, genau wie der ganze Film Ball Lightning. (10.02.2004)

Perfect movie for everyone who thinks that kind and yet morbid humor cannot be combined. Smoljak is a brilliant connector. (08.12.2006)

Ich bedauere ziemlich, dass ich mich so lange gegen Aktion Kugelblitz gewehrt habe, was man dem zurechnen muss, dass ich irgendwann mit zehn Jahren die ersten zehn Minuten dieses Films gesehen und angeödet den Fernseher abgeschaltet hatte mit dem Eindruck, größeren Mist hätte man gar nicht drehen können. Heute sehe ich das anders, ganz toll Abrhám und Hrušinský, feiner Humor, ein paar Sprüche, die wohl in die Geschichte des tschechischen Films eingegangen sind. (14.03.2012)

Fantastic excursion into the surreal strangeness of normalization thinking. Doctors, engineers, workers, and old grannies move their inferiority complexes from one hole in the wall to another in a "duodecaexchange" organized by a sociopath who constantly hides in war analogies. And in all this bustle there is a constant interruption by an old artist who doesn't really know what's going on around him. Ball Lightning is interesting, among other things, for its not-quite-typical documentary techniques for the time. It observes many events from a distance, as if from the position of an accidental third observer. The camera is often handheld, even in the confined spaces of small apartments, and adapts to the actors, so that they in turn appear distinctive and vital in their characters. The benchmark not only of this film, but of Czech cinema in general, is the scene of the practice move. It has my beloved German-esque semi-crazy chaos with a bunch of comic details. The search for light switches in the corridors, the spatially confusing editing, and the lighting of the scene by a passing elevator is a formal masterpiece of the time and beyond. I noticed that Smoljak, just like as in Run, Waiter, Run!, actually shoots each scene where it is set, even if it is only a prelude to something else. Ječný moves to Nusle, Severin lives in Baba, Jechová under the Charles Bridge, the Knoteks in Malé náměstí, Opatrná at the Nusle steps (we can tell by where he packs her up), etc. Even though the individual scenes have practically no exposition and Prague is portrayed in them like a chaotic anthill, a native can tell that a given scene always takes place in the geographically correct place. Opatrná actually has her wedding at the Nusle town hall, Severin and Radostá drive to Severin's villa from Ječný via Vítězné náměstí, Knotek actually looks at Prague from the attic of his house at the angle from he actually would have looked from the attic of his house, etc. etc. Actually, I wonder if this was common in Czech cinema at the time, perhaps based on the fact that the audience was sensitive to the correct locale, or if it is a downright Smoljakian feature. (14.11.2018)

Another treat by Smoljak & Svěrák showing their comedic genius and bringing a whirlwind of great ideas and memorable lines. Ball Lightning, like the title suggests, just keeps rolling uncontrollably, making everybody around burst out laughing. I do believe that there are people who don’t like the film, which doesn't mean I understand that. :) (26.06.2016)