Coach to Vienna

(Kočár do Vídně)
Karel Kachyňa / ČSSR, 1966
Czech version / English subtitles, 76 min

Coach to Vienna is an intimate psychological drama about the subtle transition of fear into hatred. The heroine Krista is played by Iva Janžurová who undoubtedly gave one of the best performances in her life. At the end of war the Germans hang Krista´s husband. On the following day two German soldiers force Krista to take them to the Austrian border in her coach. Krista is ready to avenge her husband, but at the end she is unable to kill the enemy. She finds desperate consolation in the arms of a young and frightened soldier.