A Life at Stake
Hra o život
Synopsis
The year is 1941 and the German Nazis rule Bohemia with a free hand. Engineer Otakar Racek is an extremely cautious man who tries to avoid problems at all costs. While some of his colleagues are being arrested by the Gestapo, he receives an offer to become the director of a new department. When he refuses to help the wife of an arrested resistance fighter, his wife Vlasta is shaken. However, she loves him, to the point of even resigning herself to the hatred of Otakar's wealthy mother. One day, Vlasta lets her old acquaintance Ondřej Rýdl, who is on the run from the Gestapo, stay at her house for a few days. The wife passes him off to her husband as a distant relative. However, Otakar succumbs to jealousy and, on his mother's advice, hires a private detective to follow Vlasta. However, the detective is also a Gestapo informant and receives a hefty reward for every arrested resistance fighter...
Top Cast
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Karel Höger
Engineer Otakar Racek
Vlasta Chramostová
Vlasta, Racek's wife
Jaroslav Someš
Bedřich, the eldest son of the Raceks
Jaroslav Drahan
Mirek, the younger son of the Raceks
Zdeněk Dítě
resistance fighter Ondřej Rýdl
Soňa Neumannová
Racková, Otakar's mother
Otomar Krejča
Deputy Rudolf Kadera
František Holar
Gestapo
Jindřich Narenta
Gestapo
Stanislav Neumann
doorman Dobeš
Josef Bek
supervisor Josef Frouz
Vlasta Vlasáková
Tonička, Frouz's wife
Gustav Heverle
eng. Kubišta
Josef Mráz
Jana Dítětová
worker Zdenka, Pour's wife
Vladimír Hlavatý
Tomeš
Jaroslav Mareš
detektiv Brotánek
Felix le Breux
owner of the detective agency Alois Barvík
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Jiří Weiss
- Screenplay & Story
- Jiří Weiss, Karel Josef Beneš
- Original Score
- Jiří Srnka
- Original Title
- Hra o život
- Country of Origin
- Czechoslovakia
- Spoken Languages
- Czech
- Runtime
- 1h 41m
- Production Studios
- Studio hraných filmů
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Jiří Weiss
Jiří Weiss, Karel Josef Beneš, František Daniel
Jiří Srnka
Vladimír Novotný
Miroslav Hájek
Karel Feix
Department Leadership Roster
Jiří Weiss
Director
Jiří Weiss
Screenplay
Karel Josef Beneš
Screenplay
Jiří Srnka
Original Music Composer
Vladimír Novotný
Director of Photography
Bohuslav Kulič
Production Design
Karel Postřehovský
Costume Design
Miroslav Hájek
Editor
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Frequently Asked Questions About A Life at Stake
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is A Life at Stake about?
The year is 1941 and the German Nazis rule Bohemia with a free hand. Engineer Otakar Racek is an extremely cautious man who tries to avoid problems at all costs. While some of his colleagues are being arrested by the Gestapo, he receives an offer to become the director of a new department. When he refuses to help the wife of an arrested resistance fighter, his wife Vlasta is shaken. However, she loves him, to the point of even resigning herself to the hatred of Otakar's wealthy mother. One day, Vlasta lets her old acquaintance Ondřej Rýdl, who is on the run from the Gestapo, stay at her house for a few days. The wife passes him off to her husband as a distant relative. However, Otakar succumbs to jealousy and, on his mother's advice, hires a private detective to follow Vlasta. However, the detective is also a Gestapo informant and receives a hefty reward for every arrested resistance fighter...
Who directed A Life at Stake?
A Life at Stake was directed by Jiří Weiss.
Who stars in A Life at Stake?
The principal cast of A Life at Stake includes Karel Höger, Vlasta Chramostová, Jaroslav Someš, Jaroslav Drahan, Zdeněk Dítě.
When was A Life at Stake released and how long is it?
A Life at Stake was released in 1956 with a total runtime of 1h 41m.
Who composed the musical score for A Life at Stake?
The original motion picture soundtrack for A Life at Stake was composed by Jiří Srnka.
Is A Life at Stake based on a book or true story?
A Life at Stake is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "Karel Josef Beneš".