Krakatit 4K 1948

“Krakatit” is based on the novel of the same name by Karel Čapek, which was a huge success in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, I haven’t read the book, but despite that, I’ll try to share my thoughts:

The film tells the story of a scientist named Prokop, who invents an explosive of unprecedented power—Krakatoa. After an accident in his laboratory, an explosion occurs that injures the scientist’s hand and leaves him unconscious. Then the director takes us to various locations, where each time the antagonist tries to pry the secret formula out of our hero for their own nefarious purposes. The scientist resists this every time, but for some inexplicable reason still follows the villains. The film features two romantic subplots; the first is cut short right at the beginning, while the second ends with a surreal shot of the heroine’s face blurring out. In fact, the entire film unfolds as if within the hero’s clouded memory, which gives the director license for such artistic liberties—which, in essence, amount to plot holes. The influence of Alfred Hitchcock is very noticeable in this film. From the cinematography and lighting to the plot. Two years earlier, Hitchcock directed the film “Notorious,” where the subtext was roughly the same—it’s bad when powerful weapons fall into the hands of bad people. But an idea alone isn’t enough to make a good movie.

The only thing I’d like to point out as a positive aspect of the film is the talented and solid cinematography and the grand sets. It’s clear that they tried to give the film the right atmosphere—styled after film noir—which turned out quite well.