Crematorium Pardubice - Spalovac mrtvol / The Cremator - Pardubice (East Bohemia)
N 50° 01.176 E 015° 46.614
33U E 555655 N 5541099
Unique Rondo-Cubist building of Crematorium Pardubice plays a key "site" role in famous Czechoslovak horror-black comedy movie by Juraj Herz, Spalovac mrtvol (The Cremator), movie which was filmed in crematorium' interiors and exteriors in 1968-1969.
Waymark Code: WMV9GV
Location: Pardubický kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 03/19/2017
Views: 23
Unique Rondo-Cubist building of Crematorium Pardubice plays a key "site" role in famous Czechoslovak horror-black comedy movie by Juraj Herz, Spalovac mrtvol (The Cremator), movie which was filmed in crematorium' interiors and exteriors in 1968-1969.
The Cremator (Czech: Spalovac mrtvol) is a 1969 Czechoslovak horror comedy/drama film directed by Juraj Herz, based on a novel by Ladislav Fuks. The screenplay was written by Herz and Fuks. The film was selected as the Czechoslovakian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 42nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. In 1972, it won the Festival de Cine de Sitges Best Film award, where it also received awards for its star Rudolf Hrušínský and cinematographer Stanislav Milota.
The story is set in 1930s Prague, where the cremator Karel Kopfrkingl lives and works. The story combines features from black comedy and horror (comedy horror). It is often recognized as a follower of German Expressionist film and also as an example of the Czechoslovak New Wave. The film was banned after its premiere in 1969, and remained in the vault until the collapse of the communist system in Czechoslovakia in 1989.
With a 89% score on the Czech and Slovak Movie Database as well as praise from movie critics, The Cremator is often considered to be one of the best movies ever made in Czechoslovakia. It has also gathered a prominent cult following.
Plot: The movie takes place against the backdrop of the political radicalization of Europe during the 1930s, more specifically the demise of the golden era of the First Czechoslovak Republic and the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia under Nazi Germany. Spiritually, the movie takes place in the aftermath of the death of Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama in 1933. Karl Kopfrkingl works at a crematorium in Prague. Obsessed with his duties, he believes he is not just cremating the dead, but liberating the souls of the departed. With Nazi forces gathering at the Czech border, he descends into a mania that allows him to enact his disturbed beliefs.
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The uploaded shots from the movie (22 min) show Karel Kopfrkingl who is invites a new employee of the cramatorim Mr. Dvorak...
The first crematorium built in the country from a distance resembles thanks to unusal design and decoration a gingerbread house. The invitation to tender for the building of a crematorium appeared after year 1919, when cremation was legally allowed by a new Czechoslovak law called "Lex Kvapil" (historically, during the Austro-Hungarian Empire were burned only criminals and alleged witches).
Higly decorative building of Crematorium Pardubice (Pardubické krematorium), designed by architect Pavel Janák and build in 1921-1923, is a fine example of Rondo-Cubist architecture. The monumental size of the building reminds man of his mortality, his subtle existence. The crematorium's construction was supported by the Czech Association of friends of cremation. The crematorium in Pardubice is sometimes called the House of Light or the Temple of Death.