The Cremator (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Starkly ambiguous starting from the first sequence in the zoo - which are more captive the humans or the animals? The initial shots is visually striking in tracking with the leopard spots behind the fence grid. The circumstances of the film shoot must be kept in mind - it started before the arrival of the Soviet tanks in August 1968, and the crew returned from hiding to finish. Nominally it seems to be about the evil and collaboration with the Nazis, but is really an allegory collaboration with evil in general and Communist state security in particular. The ultimate comment is that if one collaborates with evil, one will be able destroy what one loves most (and by extension one's country and fellow citizens). The ambiguity is heightened by the reference only to "The Party" - is it Nazi or Communist? The surrealism heightens the disorientation and leaves the viewer struggling to establish a point of view, literally and figuratively.I actually enjoy this film. It's more of a wake over beers than funeral with dirge, so typical of the Czechs. it says something profound while remaining lively and irreverent (to paraphrase Shaw on Mozart). In that regard, it's funnier than Don Giovanni, only somewhat darker. (Admittedly it veers deliberately into Horror genre) The Second Run DVD is beautifully produced. Had this film not disappeared from 1969 to 1989 it surely would have been considered a central classic of the Czech New Wave.

Quite an amazing film, this, by Juraj Herz. A kind of allegory of Nazism, nominally set during the Second World War, about an eccentric cremator (hypnotically played by Rudolf Hrusínský) who gradually becomes more and more megalomaniacal as the story proceeds, shot with deliberately expressionist techniques. It convincingly shows how people were able to make themselves believe in ideas of superiority and racial purity. Echoes of Polanski's 'Repulsion' are hard to resist, as well as comparisons with David Lynch, who you might imagine being influenced by it ... The excellent U.K. DVD (Second Run) has a nice little intro by the Quay Brothers. This review is based on my viewing of the U.K. Second Run DVD.

Quite an amazing, chilling film, this, by Juraj Herz. A kind of allegory of Nazism, nominally set during the Second World War, though you never actually see any German soldiers or fighting, about an eccentric cremator (hypnotically played by Rudolf Hrusínský) who gradually becomes more and more megalomaniacal as the story proceeds, shot with deliberately expressionist techniques. It convincingly shows how people were able to make themselves believe in ideas of superiority and racial purity. Of all the films I've seen that attempt to show the twisted logic that enabled anti-Semiticism to grow and become the monster it did, this is one of the most compelling. Echoes of Polanski's 'Repulsion' are hard to resist, as well as comparisons with David Lynch, who you might imagine being influenced by it ... The excellent U.K. DVD (Second Run) has a nice little intro by the Quay Brothers.

great czech new wave film....VERY DARK AND CREEPY for the genre....if you like this, czech out (pun intended) "witches hammer" and "the end of august at the hotel ozone"

Packaged well and new copy.Beautifully executed n expectedly dark comedy with unexpected twists. “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” by Mr. Lanthimos probably was partly inspired from this movie.This is what Kafkaeque storytelling entails. An artwork preserved in time by Mr. Herz.PS:This movie is not everyone’s cup of tea.

I have only watched this once but I was left speechless : the outstanding central performance, the artistic camerawork, the abrasive editing techniques, the haunting music, the complex historical,religious and political elements.This film requires multiple viewings.A true original - still has the power to shock and challenge 50 years later.A must-see!Excellent Bluray from Second Run

Funerary horror. The film has a dark and sinister plot and is full of all that is dark and macabre. The music is chilling and echoes all that is mysterious. The plot follows the story of a Crematorium Manager who is enticed into murdering members of his own family during Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia.

a toad-like protagonist in "meaningful" circumstances, ugh.

The Cremator (Spalovač mrtvol) (Juraj Herz, 1969, 95')A poltical film, based on a novel by Ladislav Fuks, screenplay by Herz and Fuks. Starring Rudolf Hrusínský, music by Zdeněk Liska, editing by Jaromír Janáček. The film was selected as the Czechoslovakian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 42nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. In 1972, it won the Festival de Cine de Sitges Best Film award, where it also received awards for its star Rudolf Hrusínský and cinematographer Stanislav Milota.The story is set in 1930s Prague, where the cremator Karel Kopfrkingl lives and works. The story combines features from black comedy and horror (comedy horror). It is often recognized as a follower of German Expressionist film and also as an example of the Czechoslovak New Wave. The film was banned after its premiere in 1969, and remained in the vault until the collapse of the communist system in Czechoslovakia in 1989. With the score of 90% on the Czech and Slovak Movie Database as well as praise from movie critics, The Cremator is considered to be one of the best movies ever made in Czechoslovakia.The movie takes place during the political radicalization of Europe in the 1930s, which would also kill the "golden era" of the First Czechoslovak Republic and culminate in the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia by Nazi Germany. Spiritually, the movie is in the aftermath of the death of Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama in 1933. Karl Kopfrkingl works at a crematorium in Prague. Obsessed with his duties, he believes he is not just cremating the dead, but liberating the souls of the departed. With Nazi forces gathering at the Czech border, he descends into a mania that allows him to enact his disturbed beliefs.There are only two editions available to the American market, the Second Run release of 2006, which includes an introduction by the Quay brothers and a booklet featuring an essay on the film, and the Dark Sky release of 2009 (with no additional features). 142 - The Cremator (Spalovač mrtvol) (Juraj Herz, 1969, 95') - 4/9/2012

Quite an amazing, chilling film, this, by Juraj Herz. A kind of allegory of Nazism, nominally set during the Second World War, though you never actually see any German soldiers or fighting, about an eccentric cremator (hypnotically played by Rudolf Hrusínský) who gradually becomes more and more megalomaniacal as the story proceeds, shot with deliberately expressionist techniques. It convincingly shows how people were able to make themselves believe in ideas of superiority and racial purity. Of all the films I've seen that attempt to show the twisted logic that enabled anti-Semiticism to grow and become the monster it did, this is one of the most compelling. Echoes of Polanski's 'Repulsion' are hard to resist, as well as comparisons with David Lynch, who you might imagine being influenced by it ... The excellent U.K. DVD (Second Run) has a nice little intro by the Quay Brothers.