The Cremator (1969)

The Cremator (Spalovac mrtvol)
Directed by Juraj Herz
Written by Ladislav Fuks and Juraj Herz from a novel by Fuks
1969/Czechoslovakia
IMDb link
First viewing/Criterion Channel

Kopfrkingl: The flames, my sweet, will not hurt you.

Not a feel-good film but a unique and well-made one.  I’ll settle for that during Lockdown.

The setting is Czechoslovakia in the weeks surrounding the Nazi occupation.   Kopfrkingl is the director of a large crematorium.  He is demented and believes that cremation sets the soul free to travel to heaven or some such nonsense.  He is devoted to his half-Jewish wife and two children.  He has several Jewish employees.

The cremator is surprisingly blase about the Occupation and soon attracts the attention of Nazis who are eager to recruit him to the Party.  He does not let love or loyalty stand in his way.

I found this movie on the They Shoot Zombies, Don’t They? list and assumed it would be a horror film.  The subject matter is  macabre obviously and several cremations are shown.  However, the style is very detatched and dreamlike and not conducive to actual scares.

There is some incredible showy use of the camera in this one along with a beautiful score. It is full of the wry Czech wit I have grown to love.  It’s a subversive film and I’m not surprised that it was banned on release in 1969 and not shown in Czechoslovakia until after the Prague Spring.  This goes immediately onto the short list for the Favorite New-to-Me Films of 2020.  Recommended.  If you like the trailer, you will likely love the movie