Dařbuján a Pandrhola

Fairy tale classic, which relies on the acting mastery of Rudolf Hrušínský and Jiří Sovák. Filmed based on the eponymous work by Jan Drda. The 1950s are somewhat noticeable in the movie, the sets are also somewhat tacky, but still the overall impression is 75%. Especially considering the series of magical dialogues and quotes: "Here, one can't even hang oneself!" (05/01/2007)

A folk-proletarian fairy tale with a beautifully cheesy artistic stylization, a remarkably morbid story, a macabre sense of humor (when Death says things like: Cold water? Are you crazy? She could have died from it!), a tolerably engaged subtext and, of course, wonderful acting performances by Jiří Sovák, Rudolf Hrušínský and especially Standa Neumann. Martin Frič made a film that is relatively rough and realistic for a fairy tale, but in turn he also made a real story into a cute fairy tale. Anyway, it's great and pleasant fun. (09/02/2004)

This is a classic Czech fairy tale in the sense that it is shown every Christmas, and yet it is not a classic fairy tale at all. It's more of a village comedy with a strong moral lesson and a story about how a person tries to overcome death. However, the film is made in such a way that there's no pathos in it, and I don't mind the morality at all in fact. (12/26/2017)