''A Prominent Patient'' () is a 2016 Czech-Slovak

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Julius Ševčík Julius Ševčík (born 28 October 1978, in Prague) is a Czech Republic, Czech director and screenwriter. His 2016 film ''A Prominent Patient'' won twelve Czech Lions. Ševčík studied directing at Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing ...

. It was screened in the Berlinale Special section at the

67th Berlin International Film Festival The 67th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 18 February 2017 with Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven as president of the jury. '' Django'', directed by Etienne Comar, opened the festival. The Golden Bear was awarded to the ...

. It won twelve Czech Lions including the Czech Lion for Best Film. The film was first screened in Lucerna Kino.

Plot

The film is set from 1937 to 1939. It is loosely based on the life of

Jan Masaryk Jan Garrigue Masaryk (14 September 1886 – 10 March 1948) was a Czech diplomat and politician who served as the Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1940 to 1948. American journalist John Gunther described Masaryk as "a brave, honest, turbule ...

when he was the

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) ** Fourth Czechoslovak Repu ...

ambassador to the United Kingdom. The film starts with the death of the first Czechoslovak president and Jan's father

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech name, Czech and Slovak name, Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas (name), Thomas. Tomáš is also a surname (feminine: Tomášová). Notable people with the name include: Given name Sport *Tomáš Berdych (born 198 ...

. Jan becomes Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Czechoslovakia faces aggression from

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, which supports the

Sudeten Germans German Bohemians ( ; ), later known as Sudeten Germans ( ; ), were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part of Czechoslovakia. Before 1945, over three million German Bohemians constitute ...

. Masaryk tries to persuade the United Kingdom to help his homeland but the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...

is eventually settled and Czechoslovakia is forced to give up its borderlands to Germany. Jan Masaryk is devastated and leaves to the United States. He ends up in a sanatorium due to his psychological problems. He is treated by Doctor Stein. Their relationship is problematic because Stein is German. Masaryk is also helped by an American journalist,

Marcia Davenport Marcia Davenport (Birth name, née Glick; June 9, 1903 – January 16, 1996) was an American writer and music critic. She is best known for her 1932 biography of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the first American published biography of Mozart. ...

Cast

Karel Roden Karel Roden (born 18 May 1962) is a Czech actor, popularly known for his roles in ''Hellboy'' and '' The Bourne Supremacy'', and his voice work in ''Grand Theft Auto IV''. Life and career Roden followed his father and grandfather into acting. ...

Hanns Zischler Hanns Zischler (born 18 June 1947) is a German actor known for his cooperation with Wim Wenders's early films especially ''Kings of the Road'' (1976). Later he became an international star with his portrayal of Hans in Steven Spielberg's film ''M ...

as Dr. Stein * Oldřich Kaiser as

Edvard Beneš Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1939 to 1948. During the first six years of his second stint, he led the Czec ...

* Arly Jover as

* Jiří Vyorálek as Konrad Henlein *

Emília Vášáryová Emília Vášáryová, Doctor Artis Dramaticae ( hon.) (; born 18 May 1942) is a Slovak stage and screen actress, whom '' Variety'' and other publications refer to as the "First Lady of Slovak Theater". During a career of more than five decades ...

as Blaženka *

Eva Herzigová Eva Herzigová (; born 10 March 1973) is a Czech model and actress. Her career took a major turn in 1994 when she became the face of the Wonderbra campaign. The famous "Hello Boys" ad became iconic and contributed to her worldwide popularity. He ...

as Madla * Martin Hofmann as the President's Secretary * Zuzana Kronerová as

Alice Masaryková Alice Masaryková or Alice Garrigue Masaryk (3 May 1879 – 29 November 1966) was a Czech teacher, sociology, sociologist and politician. She is a prominent figure within the field of applied sociology and known to many as the daughter of Tomáš ...

* Jiří Ornest as

* Ján Greššo as Milan Hodža *

Dermot Crowley Dermot Crowley (born 19 March 1947) is an Irish stage, film and television actor. Life and career Theatre Crowley's stage work has included a leading role in an Olivier Award winning production of Conor McPherson's '' The Weir'', which playe ...

Lord Halifax Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax (16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959), known as the Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and the Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a British Conservative politician of the 1930s. He h ...

Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas (born Paul Oscar Beuselinck; 3 December 1944) is an English actor and singer best known for starring as Vince Pinner in the BBC television sitcom '' Just Good Friends'' (1983—86). The show won a BAFTA and Nicholas was nominated ...

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from ...

Gina Bramhill Gina Bramhill is a British actress. Background Gina Bramhill was born in Eastoft, where she grew up on a farm, and was educated at South Axholme Academy and John Leggott College. As a child, she appeared in several school plays. She was t ...

as Lady Annie Higgins * Stewart Moss as the bodyguard * Joan Blackham as Mrs. Fitzgerald

Production

Shooting consisted of two parts. In fall 2015, filming started in Slovakia and then moved to the Czech Republic in January 2016. Some scenes were also shot in the Netherlands. Shooting took 40 days overall. Scenes set in London were shot in Prague. There is a shot of the British parliament that was modeled from Czech realms by work of compositioners.

Reception

Critical reception

''A Prominent Patient'' has received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. It holds 68% at Kinobox aggregator. The film won twelve Czech Lion Awards and eight Sun in a Net Awards. Masaryk's participation in the Sun in a Net Awards received attention due to its success at Czech Lions. The film received lukewarm reviews from critics at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

. Critics criticised cheap sex scenes, aggravation of the film and confusing plot. They also criticised some supporting actors.

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prominent Patient, A 2016 films 2016 drama films 2016 biographical drama films 2010s historical drama films 2010s Czech-language films Slovak-language films English-language Czech films Czech historical drama films Czech biographical drama films Czech Lion Awards winners (films) Sun in a Net Awards winners (films) Czech Television original films Films scored by Michał Lorenc Slovak historical drama films Czech World War II films Slovak World War II films 2016 multilingual films Czech multilingual films Slovak multilingual films English-language Slovak films English-language historical drama films English-language biographical drama films