Spalovac mrtvol (1969)

Director:

Juraj Herz

Writers:

Ladislav Fuks (novel)
Ladislav Fuks (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 March 1969 (Czechoslovakia)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Kopfrkingl enjoys his job at a crematorium in Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s. He likes reading the Tibetan book of the dead...

Plot Keywords:

German | Czechoslovakia | Crematorium | Tibetan Book Of The Dead | Half Jewish

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Rudolf Hrusínský	...	Kopfrkingl
Vlasta Chramostová	...	Lakmé / Dagmar
Jana Stehnová	...	Zina
Milos Vognic	...	Mili
Zora Bozinová	...	Reinkeová
Ilja Prachar	...	Walter Reinke
Eduard Kohout	...	Bettleheim
Jirí Menzel	...	Dvorák
Míla Myslíková	...	Hloupá zena
Vladimír Mensík	...	Manzel hloupé zeny
Jirí Lír	...	Strauss
Václav Stekl	...	Hudebník / rozhodcí boxu / majitel panoptika
Helena Anýzová	...	Bledá dívka
Jindrich Narenta	...	Nacista ve smokingu
Marie Rosulková	...	Zena dozadující se rakvicky

Also Known As:

The Cremator (USA)

Runtime:

95 min | Netherlands:102 min

Country:

Czechoslovakia

Language:

Czech

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15

Filming Locations:

Pardubice, Czech Republic

Company:

Filmové Studio Barrandov

Very horrifying Czech new wave masterpiece.

"The Cremator" is a film that is dark and unforgettable with its horrifying images. At times it's an extremely dark comedy, but mostly a psychological horror satire. In Wold War II Czechoslovakia, Kopfrkingl is a rich and wealthy cremator. He's obsessed with his job to the point of sadistic insanity. He thinks that cremating people is a way to free them for the afterlife. His hunger for power causes him to join up with the Nazi occupiers. That's when he really goes nuts, he even thinks his family needs to be killed; including his son Milli for being too flamboyant. He takes over the crematory by murdering the head director. He longs to build a larger crematorium, where he can pretty much dispose of anyone not living up to the Reich's standards. Again in his own sick mind, he wants to free them for the afterlife and reincarnation. The film is extremely disturbing in it's psychological atmosphere. Director Juraj Herz builds tension as the film progressively gets worse as it goes on. Amazing cinematography, surreal images and a hallucinatory feel. Herz has created a masterpiece that still remains undiscovered to many. Also the film was pretty groundbreaking for its time with its sexual content and macabre violence. So watch "The Cremator"; it's worth tracking down a copy.