''Satan's Stratagem'' () is a Czech crime mystery miniseries that premiered on Czech Television in February and March 2009. It was written by Arnošt Vašíček and directed by Jiří Strach.
Commissioner Sumara and his new colleague Šímová investigate an attempted ritual murder that has some connection to archaeological excavations at the Podlažice Monastery. They ask religionist Dr. Runa for help. Members of
Schola Gregoriana Pragensis
Schola Gregoriana Pragensis (English: ''The Gregorian School of Prague'') is an ''a cappella'' male voice choir from the Czech Republic, founded in 1987 by David Eben. Their core repertoire consists of Gregorian chant, Bohemian plainchant, and ea ...
appear in a small roles of Benedictine monks singing Gregorian chant.
The series is sometimes compared to
The Da Vinci Code
''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is “the best-selling American novel of all time.”
Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon—the first was his 2000 novel '' Angels & Demons'' ...
, and Dr. Runa to Robert Langdon.
Plot
A student who worked with her classmates and teachers on an archaeological excavation in the Podlažice Monastery is found frightened and covered in blood (but unharmed) and with number 666 written by blood on her forehead. Chief Commissioner Sumara, who is known for his alcohol problems, and his new colleague are taking over the investigation. They enlist the help of the religionist Dr. Runa. A murdered young man is soon found, again with the number 666 on his forehead, and a pentagram with the number inside is drawn near him. A friend of Dr. Runa's daughter Iveta is arrested because he was near the crime scene during both crimes. But then another murder happens. Dr. Runa comes up with a code by which the killer searches for victims (related to the numbers in the pentagram), and it turns out that his daughter, who has just disappeared, is in danger. Together with her friend, he then tries to save Iveta. The solution to the mystery is mystical and related to the
Codex Gigas
The ''Codex Gigas'' ("Giant Book"; ) is the largest extant medieval illuminated manuscript in the world, at a length of . It is a Romanesque Latin Bible, with other texts, some secular, added in the second half of the book. Very large illumin ...
book, the magic square 6×6, the
Porta coeli Convent
Porta coeli (, Latin: ''Heaven's Gate'') is a 13th-century convent located in Předklášteří, near Tišnov, South Moravian Region, Czech Republic. Situated in the valley of the Svratka River, this Cistercian convent was founded in 1233 by Qu ...
and the murder of
Wenceslas III in 1306.
Cast
*
Ivan Trojan
Ivan Trojan (born 30 June 1964) is a Czech people, Czech actor, widely considered to be one of the greatest Czech actors of all time. With four Czech Lion Award for Best Actor in Leading Role, Czech Lions for Best Actor in a Leading Role, he has ...
as PhDr. Michal Runa, Ph.D.
*
Jiří Dvořák as commissioner Petr Sumara
*
Anna Geislerová
Anna Geislerová is a Czech actress. The recipient of five Czech Lion awards, three for Best Leading Actress and a further two for Best Supporting Actress, Geislerová is best known for her role of Eliška in the Academy Award-nominated movie ...
as Lenka Šímová
*
Tereza Voříšková
Tereza Ramba, née Voříšková (born 29 June 1989, Prague) is a Czech film and television actress. She has notably played the role of Beruška in the 2008 film ''The Country Teacher'' (). She has also played roles in ''Zemský ráj to na pohled' ...
as Iveta Runová, Runa's daughter
*
Vojtěch Dyk
Vojtěch Dyk (born 23 July 1985, in Prague) is a Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three ...
as Daniel Ferinčák, Iveta's boyfriend
Episodes
References
External links
Official WebsiteIMDb Site
Czech crime television series
Czech mystery television series
2009 Czech television series debuts
2009 Czech television series endings
Czech Television original programming
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