MWFF 2017: A Prominent Patient

A Prominent Patient
Masaryk

WORLD COMPETITION

Czech Republic

The film is based on a true story. 

Montreal World Film Festival's Official Synopses:

"In 1939, the flamboyant diplomat Jan Masaryk emigrated to the United States following the German invasion of Czechoslovakia. With the help of psychiatrist Dr. Stein, a German immigrant, Masaryk recalls the political struggles that led to the Second World War and tries to defeat his real and personal enemies."

The film shows the historical situation in Europe just before the World War 2, focusing largely on Czechoslovakia. It reveals how some big-scale geopolitical strategies were conceived and played at the time, what complex international moves were considered and deployed, disregarding interests of smaller countries like Czechoslovakia.

The film is set in years 1937-1939. The main character is Jan Masaryk, the son of the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk who was the founder of Czechoslovakia at the fall of the Austro-Hungerian Empire. Film starts with Tomáš Masaryk death. Shortly after, Jan Masaryk becomes a Czechoslovak ambassador to the United Kingdom. At that time, Czechhoslovakia faced Germany's aggression and their demand to annex Sudet (Sudeten in German) territory, a part of Czechoslovakia. Masaryk tries to persuade England to help keep Czechoslovakia intact, but fails. The Munich Agreement is settled, and Czechoslovakia gives up to Nazi Germany at first it's borderline Sudet lands and later the entire country.

Jan Masaryk, devastated by the political events, travels to the United States where he has a vast network of family and friends, since his mother was an American. According to the film, he is institutionalized there due to a nervous breakdown, and treated by Doctor Klein, a refugee from Germany. Their relationship is intense, as two great professionals (a psychiatrist and a politician) influence each other in understanding not only their personal but also geopolitical struggles.

The film includes a few sequences of Masaryk's life that in reality happened outside of the plot's time-span. It appears these time shifts away from the Masaryk's real life chronology were chosen for a more compact presentation of Jan Masaryk's personality, to show what a "character" he was, and also to create a more compelling visual story:

- There does not exist any evidence that Jan Masaryk was hospitalized during his three months visit to the US in the early 1939. However, in 1912, at the age of 26, he attended for a short period the Vineland Developmental Center in New Jersey, a special school for young men and women, and was diagnosed there to have a mild form of schizophrenia. But is not it claimed that genius often borders on madness?

- Similarly, he met Marcia Devenport, an American journalist, only in 1941, not during the time covered by the film (1937-39).

- In addition, although at his times cocaine was wildly used by the European high society, there is no evidence that Masaryk did. Non of his family, friends or associates mention it in their memoirs or correspondence.

The film succeeded in portraying vividly a slice of a very complex geopolitical period in European history (which was actually even much more complex than what could be shown during the film's 100 minutes). It also succeeded in recreating on the screen one of the personages and political players of that era - Jan Masaryk - and show his unusual and astute personality and how he fought to make a difference for his country. 

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director: Julius Ševčík

Producer: Julius Ševčík

Script: Julius Ševčík

Lead Actor: Karel Roden
Lenght: 100 Min.

Music composed by: Kryštof Marek, Michał Lorenc

Initial release: December 22, 2016

N.B.

On September 4, 2017, this film received the Best Actor Prize awarded at the festival's closing ceremony to the film's lead actor Karel Roden for his portrayal of Jan Masaryk.

FILM TRAILER

For more information, visit the Montreal World Film Festival's website.

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