A prop maker's marriage crumbles in 1940s Prague — and the anonymous letter is just the beginning.
Theater props maker Karel Vajgant has a young wife, Magda, and two children, seven-year-old Pavlík and eleven-year-old Pepička. Magda is a caring mother, but she feels that her husband prioritizes work and his comfort. In a weak moment, Magda becomes unfaithful. Vajgant receives an anonymous letter that warns him of his wife's infidelity. His friend, the opportunist Tonda, advises him to throw away the letter and instead devote more time to Magda...
Acting
Štěpničková's silent suffering could stop your heart.
Direction
Čáp frames domestic spaces like emotional battlefields.
Director
František Čáp
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
1941 Czech cinema operated under Nazi occupation; films like this domestic melodrama offered subtle emotional resistance through intimate human stories.
František Čáp fled to Yugoslavia in 1943 after being accused of anti-fascist activities — this was among his last Czech films.
XC
