Krakatit (film)

Krakatit is a 1948 Czechoslovak science fiction mystery film directed by Otakar Vávra, starring Karel Höger as a chemist who suffers from delirium and regret after inventing a powerful explosive.

An old mail carrier driving a horse carriage in the snow gives Prokop a lift to help him visit Jiří´s father.

One day he reads in a newspaper a story about krakatit, which is being promoted by someone named Carson, and Prokop suddenly remembers the explosion in his laboratory.

In anger, Prokop blows up the laboratory where he has been held captive, and with his coat loaded with explosives he confronts the princess, whose face dissolves.

They then visit a secret society of former world leaders and weapon dealers, who worship war and hail Prokop as Comrade Krakatit.

As tumult breaks out, a can of krakatit, originally from Prokop's old laboratory, is emptied and the members fight to gather some of the powder for themselves.

D'Hémon explains that the explosions are certain to trigger a great war which can be controlled from the radio station with krakatit.

In The New York Times, the film was called "a strident preachment for peace and against destructive nuclear fission, but basically it is clouded and halting drama."

The critic wrote favourably about the performances of Höger, Marly, Tanská and Linkers, but felt: "Despite the adequate English subtitles, the rest of the cast moves through the scientist's dream world much like the robots invented by Čapek in R. U. R. They can't be blamed however, for Krakatit is sapped by a surfeit of symbolism.

of Variety found Florence Marly's performance "especially good" and the supporting cast was "unusually strong" while finding Vavra's direction "uneven, being routine in earlier passages and near the climax, but topnotch on the straight melodramatics.

"[3] The review also praised the camera work of Vaclav Hanus and Kiri Srnka's musical score as "weird and unusual enough to fit the subject matter.