...and The Fifth Horseman Is Fear

– A Jewish doctor helps a political fugitive during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia...

Type:
Movie
Rating:
7.20 / 10
Duration:
One Hour and 40 Minutes
Release Year:
1965
Original Name:
A pátý jezdec je Strach
...and the Fifth Horseman Is Fear (1965) - Also known as A pátý jezdec je Strach

A Jewish doctor helps a political fugitive during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia.

Producing Country:
Filming Locations:
Genre:
Release Date:

06 May 1968

Language:

Czech

MPAA Content-Rating:
TV-MA – Unsuitable For Children

This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17 years old. It contains content that is unsuitable for children.

Director:

Zbynek Brynych

Writer:

Milan Nejedlý (technical screenplay), Hana Belohradska (prose Bez krásy, bez límce), Hana Belohradska (screenplay), Zbynek Brynych, Ota Koval, Ester Krumbachová

Main Actors:

Miroslav Machácek, Olga Scheinpflugová, Zdenka Procházková, Jirí Adamíra

Plot:

Dr. Braun is forbidden to practice medicine because he's a Jew living in Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia. He's old, seems resigned about the fate of the Jews, and even works in the Department of Confiscation of Jewish Property. One day a neighbor asks him to assist a wounded political fugitive. Dr. Braun reluctantly operates to remove the bullet, but warns that plenty of morphine will soon be needed in order to keep the man from screaming when he awakes, which would attract unwanted attention. After some soul searching, Dr. Braun decides to redeem himself and reclaim his identify as a person and doctor by continuing to provide assistance. His search for the scarce morphine takes him on a nightmarish journey which includes a brothel where local women are forced to be prostitutes for German soldiers, a bar where the locals try to drown their misery in booze and dancing, and a Jewish insane asylum with a high suicide rate. Meanwhile, in a world where there is constant propaganda instructing people to report any suspicious or disloyal activities, it may only be a matter of time before someone in Dr. Braun's apartment building call in the state police.

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Production:

Czech State Film

Ratings:
Internet Movie Database:
7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%