Prague Nights: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Czechoslovakia, 1969
Directors: Jirí Brdecka, Milos Makovec, Evald Schorm
Writers: Jirí Brdecka, Milos Makovec, Evald Schorm, Vratislav Blazek, Frantisek Uldrich
Cast: Milena Dvorská, Milos Kopecký, Jirí Hrzán, Milena Zahrynowska, Josef Bláha, Kveta Fialová, Natasa Gollová, Milan Nedela, Zdenek Díte, Jirí Tomek, Martin Ruzek, Jan Klusák, Lucie Novotná, Václav Mares, Viktor Maurer, Jan Libícek, Václav Kotva, Vladimír Valenta, Frantisek Velecký, Václav Trégl

Release Date: March 11th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 14 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Czech
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"A stuffy middle-aged foreigner, a businessman named Fabricius (Miloš Kopecký), lonely and looking for a night's diversion, finds it in the form of a mysterious blonde, Zuzana (Milena Dvorská). In an abandoned cemetery, she tells him three tales involving black magic and erotic obsession." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New restoration from the original 35mm picture and sound elements by Národní filmový archiv and Craig Rogers for Deaf Crocodile."

Prague Nights comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.7 GB

Feature: 23.5 GB

The source looks excellent; this is another solid encode from Fidelity In Motion. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Czech with removable English subtitles. There is some dialog in English. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and range-wise, things sound great.

Extras:

Extras for this release include two animated short films directed byJiří Brdečka; Revenge (14 minutes 4 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Czech with removable English subtitles), and There Was a Miller On a River (10 minutes 58 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Czech with removable English subtitles), an  interview with Czech film critic and screenwriter Tereza Brdečka on her father, Jiří Brdečka (co-director and co-writer of Prague Nights), covering his famed career as a filmmaker, animator & screenwriter, moderated by Dennis Bartok (47 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Tereza Brdečka and Czech film expert Irena Kovarova of Comeback, and a 12-page booklet with an essay titled The Eternal Mystery of Prague Nights written by Tereza Brdečka.

Summary:

Prague Nights is an anthology fantasy film with three stories that are connected by wraparound segments. The wraparound segments revolve around a businessman on a trip, who's bored and looking for a good time. While wandering through Prague, the businessman meets a mysterious woman to whom he becomes attached. She warns him about dangerous women before telling him three tales of the macabre.

The three stories are titled The Last Golem, Breaded Shoes, and Poisoned Grass. The first story revolves around two rabbi’s who create their own Golem’s. One rabbi creates his own Golem that deceives the other one and leads to their downfall. The second story revolves around a woman whose decadent lifestyle gets her just deserts from the many men whose lives she ruined. The third story revolves around a woman who poisons rich suitors, robs them, and disposes of their bodies.

Women who destroy men is what connects the three stories and wraparound segments. In all of these stories and wraparound segments, women use deception to lure men into a trap. Also, the three stories that the mysterious woman is telling to the businessman foretell his own future.

Though linked thematically, each of the three stories has a distinctive look and vibe. The filmmakers shot the wraparound segments in black and white, offering a stark contrast to the color stories. Of the three stories, the strongest is The Last Golem, while the weakest is Poisoned Grass. In the case of the latter, it is a dialog-free story where the only words come via songs.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Prague Nights is lacking. Though there are four separate stories, the narrative does a great job when it comes to momentum. Other strengths are exemplary production design and a mostly classical score that does a superb job of reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, Prague Nights is a very satisfying mix of fantasy, melodrama, and subversive humor.

Prague Nights gets an excellent release from Deaf Crocodile that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, two short films, and insightful extras; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer