Czech Film Center

Synopsis

On June 10, 1942 the Nazis wiped Lidice off the face of the earth. This documentary points out the changing view of a tragedy which took place sixty years ago. Director �tingl includes world reaction to the incident, but primarily develops ideas found in 'The Silent Village', a 1942 documentary shot in Great Britain by Humphrey Jennings. The Czech Protectorate press deemed the action just retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. After the Communist takeover, Lidice was mainly used for propaganda purposes: at the time fascism and imperialism were spoken of interchangeably. The documentary takes advantage of the intensity of period contrasts and of the personal reminiscences of people in both the Czech Republic and Great Britain.