Černí baroni

Ich mag die Black Barons. Der Film hat vielleicht nicht viel mit der Atmosphäre der 50-er Jahre zu tun, doch er ist ein satirischer, idyllischer Film, und als solcher sollte er auch gesehen werden. Es ist ein Film voller zeitgenössischer Pathos, den Švandrlík buchstäblich beherrscht, ein Film voller hervorragender Schauspieler und Nicht-Schauspieler, eine großartige Sammlung von Sketchen und wirklich idiotischen Figuren aus dem Panoptikum der Zeit. Alles wird mit Leichtigkeit, Sicherheit und Glaubwürdigkeit gemacht. Eine gute Komödie. (20.04.2006)

A very decent cast, professional direction, production, and distribution. If I remember correctly, it was the first privately made Czech film - and naturally, the choice of subject was a safe bet. The book by Miloslav Švandrlík of the same name was a cult phenomenon, which couldn't fail on screen while at least maintaining an average level. The film doesn't have that semi-amateurishness and clumsiness of later Czech commercial films. It's not a great piece of filmmaking, but it is an honestly made folk comedy. Overall impression: 75%. (30.11.2007)

A classic book adapted to the screen with rarely seen precision and perfection. The brilliant performances dominate a story from the ranks of the Czech People's Army that doesn’t spare apt humour and perfectly lightens the then hated socialist regime. (31.08.2012)

It’s great to remember that in the field of entertaining films full of good and unforgettable quotes, we Czechs are among the best—one of the few genres where we can consider ourselves masters. The Black Barons portrays what life was like in the military at the beginning of the 1950s (though with a heavy satirical twist) when communism ruled. It’s a bit of a shame that I didn’t understand all the references since that era passed me by, so not everything resonated with me, but it was still great fun. I’ll remember Pavel Landovský for a long time, as his role as the Slovak major is impossible to forget. Of course, Miroslav Donutil as Troník was the highlight for me, and his speeches and facial expressions almost tore my sides with laughter. Jiří Schmitzer as Hamáček also shone. The cherry on top was the general’s visit, which was hilarious. I think the overall cast deserves five stars, but the story and everything around it is more of a three for me. It's a great comedy wrapped in an amazing cast and witty lines, but for me, the plot wasn’t as captivating. If I had lived through it myself, I’d probably rate it differently (though I don’t blame the creators at all). The main thing is that I had fun, and sometimes even royally. I give it 78%. (01.08.2017)

A cult film that I only saw in its entirety today. It's a bit of a shame, but I avoided Czech films for a long time. The film has excellent catchphrases that have become iconic. The portrayal of the war, as it was and wasn't back then, is simply excellent. Why not look at it with detachment? I should read the book sometime. I think I would enjoy it even more, but the performances by the actors are absolutely excellent in all cases. (07.01.2014)