A Prominent Patient

It is a pleasure to see Julius Ševčík's journey through Czech cinema, and yet it is also worth asking whether three films in the space of a decade are really enough to prove his talent. Very briefly: Masaryk is a necessary film, whether for its genre or the choice of the person it follows. It is skillfully shot, interesting, fits into the color of the Munich stigma, and offers up another shard. Those less familiar with the subject will at least be introduced to the nature of Jan Masaryk's foreign travels and hear Roden speak in foreign languages. For me, it’s a yes. (16/07/2017)

I went to see A Prominent Patient in the movie theater with my school. To start, I want to say that when I look back at recent Czech biographical films, most of them aren’t that great, but A Prominent Patient is one of the few exceptions. In co-production with Slovakia, the result turned out quite above average for local standards. Julius Ševčík, in the director’s seat, surprised me—considering his age, he chose a rather challenging topic, but he handled it very well. Karel Roden was a perfect choice for the lead role, and I bought his performance entirely. Roden’s acting talent really shined in the scenes set in the psychiatric hospital. I might have toned down the portrayal of his bohemian lifestyle a bit, as it felt somewhat exaggerated at times, but I can let that slide. The film's overall tone, which doesn’t come across as joyful but rather quite pessimistic, deserves praise, as it fits the era and circumstances perfectly, and I believe it has a stronger impact on the viewer because of it. In the supporting role as President Beneš, Oldřich Kaiser shined, helped by excellent makeup—a fantastic performance all around. The only thing that slightly affects my final rating is the overly long runtime in the hospital scenes, where I would have trimmed a few minutes. Other than that, I have no complaints, and I give it 83%. (21/05/2017)

For its quality, I gave A Prominent Patient the same number of stars as Anthropoid, but these are two different movies. A Prominent Patient is not an action flick, nor does it contain playboys or a love story. It is political, contains sex and drugs, and half of its runtime takes place in a psychiatric hospital. As such, it was made for viewers who appreciate a more unique artistic touch. It is not about captivating the audience with an emotional story, but depicting a collection of historically significant events around one character in the most dignified way possible, technically at a world-class level. All of the film’s Czech Lion nominations are well deserved, starting with the script, which cleverly links the study of the disillusioned Masaryk’s personality with those key historical events that interest me, through the successful depiction of the period and gloomy atmosphere of all of the locations (mainly the interiors of palaces, where the backlit curtains are simply outstanding), to the (naturally) great actors. It’s a more detached movie experience, but it’s worth it. (18/03/2017)

If you want to get your feet in it, it requires more than general knowledge in pre-Munich political plots. In other words, it´s more for knowledgeable viewers. But at the same time, it's not even for those who has a basic idea about the topic, because it doesn't offer them anything they wouldn't already know. It does not go into too much details in this regard. The same can be said about the plot frame that is done through the mentally broken Masaryk as a person who feels betrayed and at the same time he feels that he has betrayed as well. It is not that this mode is not interesting, but it does not get under your skin so simply put, it does not do the job. And then all the art-like shots of shattering waves, etc. In any case, as a feature film version of the Czech Century TV series, it's not really bad at all. (18/03/2017)

One thing that Masaryk cannot be denied at first glance is its unmistakable ambition, which is welcome if well used and capitalized on. Fortunately, that is the case this time, resulting in a film that definitely stands out from the average by Czech standards. The twelve Czech Lions are in order, though it's true that I haven't seen all the competing films, but Masaryk has set the bar pretty high anyway. I have no complaints about the cast, everyone played their roles to perfection and I liked the linguistic layering and authenticity. As far as the technical aspect is concerned, this is a solid film, mixing many evocative shots with an unmistakable musical score. A skillfully made and believably acted excursion into a bygone era that wasn't exactly easy or safe. (03/04/2017)