Sign of the Cancer

An honest crime drama in which Juraj Herz portrays the hospital environment in such a way that even a chronic simulacrum would not want to spend a single night there. A number of really impressive scenes and acting performances, among which stand out Lubomír Černík dubbed by Jiří Sovák, the terminally ill Iva Janžurová and also Zora Božinová. (11/04/2015)

Sign of the Cancer cannot be considered a crime story; a doctor's murder within the hospital premises doesn't bring an agile team of investigators to the scene who would turn everything upside down and be at the center of the action. In fact, the detective duo is pushed into the background to the point of absurdity and becomes a certain weakness in an otherwise interesting film. The crime serves the director as a starting point for exposing the characters of the institution's employees and patients, who suspect, evaluate, and judge others. Herz works very well with musical motifs and camera work, and with the help of a strong cast, creates a gloomy atmosphere. It is not as flawless and impressive as he later demonstrated in The Cremator, but in his debut, it is evident that he was heading toward the genre of psychological drama and was fascinated by the dark corners of human nature. For a debut, it was surprisingly decent, and it indicated Herz's potential for the future. It is worth mentioning how the relationship between doctor and patient has changed since then. In the 60s, doctors still had a sense of professional superiority, automatically concealing important information about the patient's health for their own "good." Overall impression: 65%. (03/29/2016)