Man versus Destruction (1989)

Člověk proti zkáze, 89min, Czechoslovakia

Drama

Štěpán Skalský, Josef Abrhám, Hana Maciuchová, František Řehák, Věra Galatíková, Libuše Šafránková, Ladislav Lakomý, Jan Kačer, Otakar Brousek st., Ota Sklenčka, Svatopluk Beneš

The story of the film Man versus Destruction (Člověk proti zkáze) is framed by the last Karel Čapek´s days. It emphasizes that writer´s death was not caused only by his serious illness but first of all by the suffocating climate of that period of time and the seditious campaign set off by the nacists and chauvinistic circles. Various visions and rememberings of childhood come back to mind to the dying author (of his siblings of Josef and Helena), of unfulfilled love to Věra Hrůzová, his relationship with Olga Scheinplugová, interviews with his colleagues from the newspaper “Lidové noviny“ together with “Friday-comers“ headed by T. G. Masaryk , of rehearsals and first nights of his provoking plays, of his fight for saving the republic, of hundreds of abusive anonymous letters, and even of an inauspicious flood in Strž which was the immediate cause of his illness. (distributor´s official text)