Pacientka Dr. Hegla

Looking at the fact that this is the first film based on Pujmanová's 1931 adaptation of the novel of the same name, winner of the 1937 State Prize, one might dismiss the fact that, from another perspective, it was in fact a routine continuation of the acting pairing of Korbelář and Mandlová. They had already worked side by side to create the main characters in The Innocent Girl (1939) by de la Cámara. Korbelář had already proved himself as a doctor in The Golden Man (1939). And in this film, we do find many echoes of these older films. The young Svatopluk Beneš is tender as the unhappy fiancé, the older-generation actors are all wonderful, from Baldová to Šlemrová, while Svozilová is routine and perfectly cold, and even the supporting role given to Zorka Janů is not bad. But the title role, given to Mandlová at a crucial time in her film maturation, seems to have taken her somewhat by surprise. She is almost unbearable in about half of the scenes, and one cannot really speak of her being considered the only modern actress of her generation. (22/09/2020)