The Secret of Blood

One of those legendary biographies from the '50s. Martin Frič bet on certainty, used Vladimír Neff's theme (the fictionalized version of the script was not published until 1955), and cast Vladimír Ráž in the lead role. The result is a film from the better half of the infamous phase of Czechoslovak cinema. It is an engaging color film about the difficult journey of a blood group discoverer whose life was not easy, and although he started as an excellent student, he did not succeed during the Austro-Hungarian Empire or during the Republic era. The black-and-white portrayal of the conditions before 1921, when Janský dies (and the Communist Party is founded), must be seen as an obligatory tribute to the 1950s. But because it is Frič's film, certain qualities are preserved under all conditions. Frič also maintained continuity in his collaboration with colleagues and memorials of the times before 1945, and in this film appear, for example, Štěpánek, Beneš, Hrušínský, Deyl ml., Hilmar, Svozilová, Valentová, Trégl, Filipovský, Vrbský, Kolár, and others... (27.03.2021)

An almost flawless biopic, fortunately untouched by the time of its creation, with great actors (the scenes with Vladimír Ráž and Zdeněk Štěpánek are fantastic), a screenplay that introduces the layman to the subject and does not over-simplify things for the experts, and Frič's reliable direction, which, especially in the part set during the war, created a truly dense experience. And the thrilling ending! (03.01.2012)