''A Prominent Patient'' ( cs, Masaryk) 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 the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

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. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

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 Lion The Czech Lion Awards ( cs, Český lev) are annual awards that recognize accomplishments in filmmaking and television. It is the highest award of achievement in film awarded in the Czech Republic. The jury is composed of members of the Czech Fi ...

s including the Czech Lion for Best Film. The film was first screened in Lucerna Kino.

Plot

The film is set in the years 1937-1939. It shows 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, turbul ...

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 Repub ...

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 and Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas. It may refer to: * Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937), first President of Czechoslovakia * Tomáš Baťa (1876–1932), Czech footwear entrepreneur * Tomáš Berdyc ...

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

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, which supports the Sudeten Germans. Masaryk tries to persuade the United Kingdom to help his homeland but the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

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 (born Marcia 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. Dave ...

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 portrayal of Hans in Steven Spielberg's film ''Munich''. According to the Internet Movie Database, Zischler has appeared in 171 movies since 1968. He is known in Sweden for his r ...

as Dr. Stein *

Oldřich Kaiser Oldřich Kaiser (born 16 May 1955) is a Czech television, film, and stage actor known mostly for his comedic roles. Education and career Kaiser graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 1978. He began his acting career with th ...

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 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 194 ...

Arly Jover Araceli "Arly" Jover is a Spanish actress. She is best known for her role as the villainous vampire Mercury in the 1998 superhero film ''Blade''. Life and career Araceli Jover was born in Melilla, a Spanish region. After living there for five ...

* Jiří Vyorálek as

Konrad Henlein Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein (6 May 1898 – 10 May 1945) was a leading Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia. Upon the German occupation in October 1938 he joined the Nazi Party as well as the '' SS'' and was appointed ''Gauleiter'' of the ...

Emília Vášáryová Emília Vášáryová, Doctor Artis Dramaticae (hon.) (; born 18 May 1942) is a Slovak stage and screen actress, referred to as the "First Lady of Slovak Theater". During her over five decades long career, she has received numerous awards includ ...

as Blaženka *

Eva Herzigová Eva Herzigová (born 10 March 1973) is a Czech-Italian supermodel and actress. Early life and career Herzigová was born in Litvínov, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), the daughter of an accountant mother and an electrician father. Growing ...

as Madla * Martin Hofmann as the President's Secretary * Zuzana Kronerová as Alice Masaryková * Jiří Ornest as

* Ján Greššo as

Milan Hodža Milan Hodža (1 February 1878 – 27 June 1944) was a Slovak politician and journalist, serving from 1935 to 1938 as the prime minister of Czechoslovakia. As a proponent of regional integration, he was known for his attempts to establish a demo ...

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 played ...

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 senior British Conservative politician of the 19 ...

Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas (born Paul Oscar Beuselinck; 3 December 1944) is an English actor and singer. He started out with a pop career, but soon changed to musical theatre, playing the lead role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' at the West End’s Palace T ...

as Neville Chamberlain * Gina Bramhill as Lady Annie Higgins * Stewart Moss as the bodyguard *

Joan Blackham Joan Blackham (15 May 1946 – 6 September 2020) was a British actress with a long stage, film and television career. Education Blackham attended The Alice Ottley School, Worcester and was head of Carroll house. Career Blackham was a profess ...

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 (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

. 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