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The Cremator (1968)

Director: Juraj Herz

Average user rating

2 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

A promising idea for a black comedy about a mild-mannered family man who runs a crematorium, this works well enough for a while as he fusses simultaneously over the details of his trade and matters of personal hygiene, gradually becoming obsessed with the notion that his ovens are a last defence against earthly torments. The trouble is that the time is the late 1930s, and Herz makes such heavy allegorical weather of his tale that one is giving absolutely nothing away by revealing that the hero and his ovens eventually find fulfilment the Nazis.

Author: TM

Time Out Film Guide

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User reviews of this film

George Marshall said...

Posted on May 17 2011 18:03 Not for the first time, Time Out gets it utterly wrong. From the very first second it is clear that this is an exceptional film- one of the best of the Czech New Wave- I can't think of a single aspect in which this film underperfoms. A supremely creepy performance by Hrusinsky, remarkable editing, sound and photography in every scene and one of the best scores by Liska. Herz, himself a Holocaust survivor, never did anything this good again, but it is only his obscurity and a general neglect of Eastern European cinema prevents this film from being regarded as a horror masterpiece. Watch it if you don't believe me!

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Martin said...

Posted on Nov 27 2008 00:28 One of the best movies ever....very dark and heavy... i think its more of the drama...if you dont understand czech humore you defenetly wont find funny but brutal and shocking
amazing camera, director cut and music

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