Restored

Murdering the Devil

+ intro by Marketa Uhlirova, Director of Fashion in Film Festival

Vražda ing. Certa

An eccentric gem from a regular contributor to the most acclaimed films of the Czech New Wave of the 1960s, including Věra Chytilová’s Daisies.

  • Director

    Ester Krumbachová

  • With

    Jirina Bohdalová, Vladimír Mensík, Ljuba Hermanová

  • Czechoslovakia 1970. 75min

  • Digital 4K (restoration)

  • English subtitles

A woman meets an old friend some years after their last encounter and cooks a feast for him. Despite a few hellish surprises, she hopes he will marry her. Ester Krumbachová’s sole directorial effort brilliantly combines her numerous talents, which include costume and set design. Considered too anarchic and subversive at the time, the film deconstructs patriarchal structures and satirises conventional female roles, even bringing in a touch of occultism. We can now appreciate it for the quirky delight that it is.

Restoration carried out by Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in collaboration with the Národní filmový archiv, Prague and the Czech Film Fund in UPP and Soundsquare, funded by Mrs Milada Kucerová and Mr Eduard Kucera. In collaboration with the Czech Centre.