A virtuoso drowning in vodka meets a patron who thinks he can save him—spoiler: nobody's getting saved easy.
Story of an extraordinary musician, violinist, who was famous, but his alcoholism led him to poverty. Now he is playing time from time to rich people. Then Albert meets count Delesov, who tries to change Albert's life. Two different characters, two ways of life confront... Will Albert change? Should he?
Acting
Jaroslav Filip's raw, unromanticized descent—no actorly vanity, just wreckage.
Direction
Vláčil's claustrophobic framing makes every room feel like a trap.
Writing
Chekhov's story adapted with brutal economy—no wasted breath.
Director
František Vláčil
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jaroslav Filip was primarily a musician, not actor—his violin performances are authentic, making the role uncomfortably close to autobiography.
One of Vláčil's final works, made for Czechoslovak television during the Normalization era—its bleakness slipped past censors because it was 'just' a literary adaptation.
XC
