Divided We Fall

Childless husband and wife Josef and Marie Čížek begin hiding a Jewish refugee, David Wiener, in the secret pantry of their apartment in 1943. Čížek is aware of the danger into which he has brought his household and his neighbours, but he takes helping his neighbours in need for granted.

Musíme si pomáhat
Czechia 2000
131 min.
Přístupný
  • This film is available until 31. 7. 2025 in these territories: Czechia, Slovakia.
About

This highly successful occupation comedy is another co-operative effort from the creative team of screenwriter Petr Jarchovský and director Jan Hřebejk. The filmmakers look at the period of Czech occupation under the Nazis with detachment, comic exaggeration and an understanding of human weakness. The story, which contains moments of surprising tension, was drawn from actual events. Josef Čížek is the film’s melancholy hero, a pensioned, small-town clerk forced by circumstances to hide a young escaped Jew and then suffer grievously from the fear that his heroic deed will be exposed. The situation is dramatically complicated mainly by the Czech-German collaborator Prohaska who can’t hide his predilection for Josef’s charming wife Marie. The film was a box-office hit, it won five Czech Lions and the Czech Film Critics’ Award, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The movie also contains a short animated recreation of a period newsreel by the Czech illustrator Pavel Reisenauer.

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Credits
Director: Jan Hřebejk
Screenplay: Petr Jarchovský, Jan Hřebejk
Cinematography: Jan Malíř
Music: Aleš Březina
Sound: Karel Jaroš
Editing: Vladimír Barák
Production Design: Milan Býček
Producer: Ondřej Trojan, Pavel Borovan
Costumes: Katarína Hollá
Cast: Bolek Polívka, Csongor Kassai, Jaroslav Dušek, Anna Šišková, Jiří Pecha, Martin Huba, Simona Stašová, Vladimír Marek, Jiří Kodet, Richard Tesařík
Awards

Czech Lions

2000 – Best Film

Czech Lions

2000 – Jan Hřebejk (Best Director)

Czech Lions

2000 – Bolek Polívka (Best Actor)

Czech Lions

2000 – Anna Šišková (Best Actress)

Sydney Film Festival

Sydney Film Festival

2001 – Jan Hřebejk (Prix UIP)

Vancouver International Film Festival

2000 – Jan Hřebejk (Most Popular Film)

Links
  • This film is available until 31. 7. 2025 in these territories: Czechia, Slovakia.