Aug. 08, 1991|Czechoslovakia|100 Min.|n/A
Genre: Comedy;Drama
Description: Shortly after World War II, in 1945–46, in a suburb of Prague (the film was shot in Michle), young Eda Souček attends a boys’ elementary school where his class is notoriously undisciplined. After their teacher, Maxová, suffers a mental breakdown during one of her lessons, the school administration takes drastic measures. They hire Igor Hnízdo, a strict and authoritative man who is rumored to be a war hero, as their new teacher. Hnízdo immediately introduces corporal punishment, explaining that the Ministry of Education has granted an exception for their class. He enforces this by striking the boys’ palms with a switch whenever he deems their behavior unsatisfactory.
Despite his harsh methods, the boys quickly become fascinated by Hnízdo. They are captivated by his war stories, his uniform, and the fact that he is always armed. To Eda, Hnízdo represents the opposite of his own father, whom he views as cowardly. Hnízdo also earns admiration from the townspeople, including Eda’s mother, but his reputation is marred by controversies. He is known for his womanizing, particularly his alleged attraction to young girls, and doubts arise about his war heroism. Rumors circulate that he spent the war guarding goats rather than fighting on the front lines, though his students fiercely defend him and reject these claims.
Hnízdo’s image is further tarnished when he is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with twin girls from a nearby school. Forced to leave due to the scandal, he eventually returns after the boys rally to support him, and the accusation is withdrawn. Reinstated as their teacher, Hnízdo declares that their mutual trust has been proven and that physical punishment is no longer necessary, symbolically breaking his switch in half.
Cast director: Jan Svěrák
Cast actor: Václav Jakoubek, Radoslav Budáč, Jan Tříska, Zdeněk Svěrák, Libuše Šafránková, Daniela Kolářová, Marek Endal, Rudolf Hrušínský, Irena Pavlásková, Ondřej Vetchý
Original name: Obecná škola