Give the Devil His Due

This is the best Czech fairy tale as far as I’m concerned. It has both a fantastic cast and script. It’s one of three films I watch every year at Christmas, and I always have a great time despite knowing all the lines word for word. There’s hardly a better Lucifer in Czech fairy tales than the one portrayed by Karel Heřmánek. Josef Kemr was perfect, Vladimír Hrubý's Drápal the sycophant has acquired legendary status by now, and Petr Nárožný also gave an excellent performance. The only disappointment was Princess Adélka. Monika Stará’s performance was lackluster and bland, but not even she could spoil the overall effect. (12/28/2016)

One of the unforgettable Czech fairy tales. It is one of the newer ones and yet it's almost thirty years old. It's a shame that nowadays we can't make anything that would be so great in terms of acting, storytelling, and humor in this not only Christmas genre. The sentences spoken here have often become part of everyday language and will mean something to you, even if you don't associate them with this fairy tale. Absolutely fantastic characters portrayed by great Czech actors. (12/26/2013)

In my list of the best Czech films, this devilishly entertaining adventure will probably remain at the absolute top for good. First of all, thanks to the performances, of which, apart from Vladimír Dlouhý, the most noteworthy is Petr Nárožný, whose role is absolutely brilliant and probably the biggest reservoir for catchphrases in the history of Czech cinema. Then also thanks to the gorgeous sets and costumes, which gave us the most magnificent hell that has ever appeared and will ever appear on screen, all under the baton of the most likeable hellraiser, Karel Heřmánek, whose evil speeches always send chills down my spine. And thirdly, thanks to what is easily the most perfect script that Czech fairytales have ever seen and which, as our national jewel, deserves its place of honour in a showcase of the National Museum. And they say we have nothing to be proud of! (08/18/2012)

Sure, it's immoral to make a pact with devils, but when you get a group of the most lovable guys led by the (literally) demonic Karel Heřmánek, it's not hard to agree to the rules of this fairy tale. Hynek Bočan directs with clarity, the set design is impressive (hell especially), the great special effects are effective, and the mood of the film is in a pleasantly light spirit, with the Czech acting elite delivering divine catchphrases, opening the way to the peak of Czech/Slovak fairy tale production. (11/26/2006)

The highly successful attempt to rekindle the golden era of classic Czech film fairy tales, which utilizes the special position of the devilish household in our folk literature. Until then, fairy tales were filled with princesses, princes, and kings, but nobody dared to make one of the two heroes a devil, moreover with a positive character. A quality script, experienced direction, an uncut budget, thanks to which hell really looks hellish and the castle looks castle-like. The success was then guaranteed by the casting, which is so precise in terms of types that it's almost genius... Even great actors have shown themselves in small roles (Václav Vydra as an unsuccessful suitor). Overall impression: 95%. (12/30/2007)