Juraj Herz

The Cremator

The Cremator

Czechoslovak New Wave iconoclast Juraj Herz’s terrifying, darkly comic vision of the horrors of totalitarian ideologies stars a supremely chilling Rudolf Hrušínský as the pathologically morbid Karel Kopfrkingl, a crematorium manager in 1930s Prague who believes fervently that death offers the only true relief from human suffering. When he is recruited by the Nazis, Kopfrkingl’s increasingly deranged worldview drives him to formulate his own shocking final solution. Blending the blackest of gallows humor with disorienting expressionistic flourishes—queasy point-of-view shots, distorting lenses, jarring quick cuts—the controversial, long-banned masterpiece The Cremator is one of cinema’s most trenchant and disturbing portraits of the banality of evil.


This restoration of The Cremator was made possible by a donation from Mrs. Milada Kučerová and Mr. Eduard Kučera and was realized by Karlovy Vary IFF at the studios of UPP and Soundsquare, in cooperation with the Národní filmový archiv in Prague and the Czech Film Fund.

Film Info

  • Czechoslovakia
  • 1969
  • 100 minutes
  • Black & White
  • 1.66:1
  • Czech
  • Spine #1023

Special Features

  • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • High-definition digital transfer of The Junk Shop, director Juraj Herz’s 1965 debut short film
  • Short documentary from 2011 featuring Herz visiting filming locations and recalling the production of The Cremator
  • New interview with film programmer Irena Kovarova about the style of the film
  • Documentary from 2017 about composer Zdeněk Liška featuring Herz, filmmakers Jan Švankmajer and the Quay Brothers, and others
  • Interview with actor Rudolf Hrušínský from 1993
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by film scholar Jonathan Owen

New cover design by La Moutique

Purchase Options

Special Features

  • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • High-definition digital transfer of The Junk Shop, director Juraj Herz’s 1965 debut short film
  • Short documentary from 2011 featuring Herz visiting filming locations and recalling the production of The Cremator
  • New interview with film programmer Irena Kovarova about the style of the film
  • Documentary from 2017 about composer Zdeněk Liška featuring Herz, filmmakers Jan Švankmajer and the Quay Brothers, and others
  • Interview with actor Rudolf Hrušínský from 1993
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by film scholar Jonathan Owen

New cover design by La Moutique

The Cremator
Cast
Rudolf Hrušínský
Karel Kopfrkingl
Vlasta Chramostová
Lakmé/Dagmar
Jana Stehnová
Zina
Miloš Vognič
Mili
Zora Božinová
Reinkeová
Ilja Prachař
Walter Reinke
Eduard Kohout
Bettleheim
Jiří Menzel
Dvořák
Jiří Lír
Strauss
Helena Anýžová
Pale girl
Credits
Director
Juraj Herz
Based on the novel by
Ladislav Fuks
Screenplay by
Ladislav Fuks
Screenplay by
Juraj Herz
Director of photography
Stanislav Milota
Edited by
Jaromír Janáček
Music by
Zdeněk Liška
Sound
František Černý
Costume designer
Olga Dimitrovová
Set decorator
František Straka
Makeup
František Čížek
Production designer
Zbyněk Hloch
Production manager
Ladislav Hanuš

Current

The Cremator: “No One Will Suffer”
The Cremator: “No One Will Suffer”

Juraj Herz’s macabre tale of madness epitomizes the artistic and political audacity of Czechoslovak cinema during its golden age of liberalization, a period that would soon prove to be short-lived.

By Jonathan Owen

An Inside Look at Brooklyn-Based Artist Juan Miguel Marin’s Meditative Process

Studio Visits

An Inside Look at Brooklyn-Based Artist Juan Miguel Marin’s Meditative Process

The man behind the artwork for our releases of The Cremator, Man Push Cart, and Chop Shop talks with us about how his Ecuadorian roots and his love of performance inform his enigmatic images.

Carrie Coon’s Top 10
Carrie Coon’s Top 10

The Emmy- and Tony-nominated actor chooses a list of favorites with an emphasis on unforgettable female performances.

A Dark Vision, in Paper Cutouts: Our Cremator Cover
A Dark Vision, in Paper Cutouts: Our Cremator Cover

The Brooklyn-based design studio La Moutique took the eerie, collage-style opening sequence of Juraj Herz’s film as inspiration for its wildly surrealistic cover design.

By Benjamin Mercer