A Prominent Patient
Back| Year of participation | 2017 |
| Program | Feature Competition |
| Producer(s) | Rudolf Biermann, Julius Ševčík |
| Director(s) | Julius Ševčík |
| Script | Petr Kolečko, Alex Koenigsmark, Julius Ševčík |
| Director of Photography | Martin Štrba |
| Production designer | Milan Býček |
| Music by | Michał Lorenc |
| Sound | Viktor Ekrt, Pavel Rejholec |
| Edit | Marek Opatrný |
| Cast | Karel Roden, Hanns Zischler, Oldřich Kaiser, Arly Jover, Paul Nicholas, Dermot Crowley, Milton Welsh, Eva Herzigová, Emília Vášáryová |
| Production company(-ies) | InFilm Praha, Czech Television, Radio and Television Slovakia, ZDF/Arte |
Synopsis
In the winter of 1939 Jan Masaryk, the former Czechoslovakian Ambassador to London, is admitted to a sanatorium in New Jersey. His fragile physical and mental health is no coincidence: he is suffering because the governments of Great Britain and France have abandoned him and his country. As a result of diplomatic tactics and the signing of the Munich Agreement these major powers have condoned Nazi Germany’s invasion of its neighbour – bringing Europe one step closer to the Second World War. Masaryk believes that he has failed as a diplomat and brought shame on the legacy of his father, Tomas – Czechoslovakia’s founder and first president. But he is not alone: he receives support in the shape of German psychiatrist emigré Dr Stein and American novelist Marcia Davenport who help him cast out the demons of his past. A biopic about the power and impotence of diplomacy on the eve of a world war, and a tribute to the work of Jan Masaryk (1886–1948) who, from 1940 onwards, served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in Prague’s government in exile in London.
Awards
Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Music, Best Art Direction, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Costumes, Best Make-up, Lion Awards, Czech Republic, 2017; Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Make-up, Sun in a Net Awards, Slovakia, 2017
Design