The Magic Quill / Certi brko

The story takes us to the town Pytlov at the foot of the Pervidle hill. Local people are usually craftsmen and peasants who are living an ordinary life. They may not even know that all their offenses and wrongdoings are being carefully monitored by the local hell office. Sins are written fairly and unmistakably by the devil's Magic Quill. One day the Quill stops working and therefore Lucifer sends there a confused devil Bonifac, for whom it is an opportunity to show off.   Unfortunately, after he comes to the town, he gets robbed of the Magic Quill.  The plot is then taken care of. The town of Pytlov is lead by the local sly cheaters and slackers, who eventually manage to imprison Lucifer. Now it is on Bonifac to find the best qualities in himself so he could free Pytlov and Lucifer and also find love with beautiful Marketa.

I appreciate the preservation of traditional themes of classic Czech fairy tale. I support the conservation of the classic Czech fairy tale but nowadays it’s something directors rarely follow. There are very nice tricks in the movie and I was very excited by the interesting portrayal of fairy tale hell. Also the whole story must be viewed positively, as it made sense and there was no unnecessary redundancy. The actors performed with enthusiasm, and rarely were the scenes overacted.

What troubled me a bit was the involvement of the current political situation in this fairy tale. Maybe some adults would like it, but I consider it a disturbing element. Anyway, I have to watch this fairy tale once again to find anything hidden and overlooked.

2019Czech film news

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