In-person: Professor Pavel Jech, Chapman University.

Admission is free. No advance reservations. Free tickets must be obtained on a first come, first served basis at the box office, where seating will be assigned.

And the Fifth Rider is Fear

A pátý jezdec je strach, Czechoslovakia, 1965

After the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, Armin Braun (Miroslav Machácek), a Jewish doctor, is driven from his profession and, utterly demoralized, finds work in a warehouse cataloging confiscated Jewish property. Surrounded by everyday objects—furniture, paintings, musical instruments—that bear silent testament to the dangers of the moment, he keeps his own head down. When a neighbor pleads with him to help a wounded resistance fighter hiding in their tenement, Braun reluctantly agrees and begins a fraught journey to reclaim his sense of identity and worth in this chilling suspense film built around a powerful humanist theme.

DCP, b&w, in Czech with English subtitles, 100 min. Director: Zbyněk Brynych. Screenwriter: Zbyněk Brynych, Hana Bělohradská. With: Miroslav Machácek, Ilja Prachar, Jirí Adamíra.

The 13th Police Station

13. revír, Czechoslovakia, 1946

When a notorious safe cracker is released from prison, the detective who put him away goes back on the case to stop “The Cat” before he can exact revenge on those who betrayed him while trying to recover the loot the police never found. Through back alleys and beer halls, the detective uncovers a network of accomplices and informers without the help of The Cat’s ex-lover who’s trying to go straight but has her own secrets to conceal. A classic crime thriller, The 13th Police Station reveals just how far out the shadows of post-war noir extended beyond Hollywood.

DCP, b&w, in Czech with English subtitles, 102 min. Director: Frič Martin. Screenwriter: Karel Steklý. With: Dana Medrická, Jaroslav Marvan, Ella Nollová.

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