An amiable picture about entering adulthood, great dreams, and the first - forbidden - love of a white postman, Jakub, and a pretty Gypsy girl, Jolanka. This is a poetic story, a mosaic of the playful world springing from the wild imagination of the village postman and its clash with the pragmatic mundane reality that finally beats the rosy dream's of the young protagonists. Director Dusan Hanak and screenwriter Dusan Dusek's most popular film has been cherished by critics as well as wide audiences at home arid abroad.

In the time of Counter-Reformation, a miller and his son come under investigation by a priest of the Inquisition, when rumors spread that their prosperity comes from working with the Devil.　　The Devil's Trap is a film directed by František Vláil, based on a novel by Alfréd Technik, adapted by František A. Dvorák and Miloš Kratochvíl. It was the first of three historical dramas that Vláil made during the Czech New Wave (technically he isn't really a part of the New Wave, however these films were made during the same era of artistic freedom), preceding his more well known Marketa Lazarová (1967) and Valley of the Bees (1968).　　Set in the late 16th Century during the Catholic Reformation, in the Moravian Karst, situated in what is now the Eastern Czech Republic, it tells the tale of a miller (Vítezslav Vejrazka), and his son Jan (Vít Olmer), who come under suspicion and are investigated by a Jesuit priest of the Inquisition (Miroslav Macháchek), when rumors of witchcraft are spread by the local regent (Cestmír Randa), who is jealous of the miller's prosperity and degree of respect among the local populace.　　As expected from Vláil, this film is a stunning experience all the way through. From the opening shot, an ominous manipulation of perspective with a close up of a mangled figure of Christ dominating the foreground against a tiny figure in black walking along the horizon, to the breathtaking confrontational finale inside the vast stalactite filled Karst caverns, it is a wonderful display of visual mastery.　　Maybe not quite as impressive as Marketa Lazarová, but still full of astonishing imagery. As seen from unique angles and distinct points of view which highlight the director's remarkable sense of awareness of framing, motion, and positioning on the emotional and dramatic tone of the scene. The most memorable being a repeated shot where the camera is suspended and launched with speed through the air towards the miller's door.　　The story here is a simple one and I would say more accessible than his later works. With a conventional structure emphasized as much by its plot and characters, than by its expressionistic cinematography or authentic historical detail. The events play out without much surprise, and there is a strong underlying, almost supernatural, mysterious aspect that is left unresolved, in fact barely explored, which is slightly disappointing, but only because it's so fascinating that I wish there was more.　　Acting is great all around. Particularly the villains Miroslav Macháchek as the priest, casting a sinister and imposing shadow wherever he goes, and Cestmír Randa as the weasel like regent behind all the persecution. While Vít Olmer brings a charismatic leading man presence in his role as the miller's son Jan, in love with the lovely orphan girl Martina (Karla Chadimová), who becomes a dangerous object of rivalry between Jan and other young men of the village.　　The film also features the evocative music of Zdenk Liška (perhaps the most prolific composer of the Czech New Wave). In this his second of eleven collaborations with Vláil, his compositions are used sparingly, but to great effect, complimenting but never overpowering a scene. The best example of which can be heard in an amazingly shot celebration and dance sequence at the end of the second act.　　The Devil's Trap might not be a masterpiece, but it is still a strong effort, with a fascinating straightforward story and a glorious historical setting captured beautifully by Vláil's unmistakable visual prowess. A fine work that would also be the perfect starter plate to prepare yourself for the challenging feast of Marketa Lazarová or The Valley of the Bees. It even has an easy to digest running time. It's therefore puzzling why this gem remains largely overlooked and ignored.

　　A workman is accidentally sent into outer space, where he meets an alien that can make himself invisible. They return to Earth in the year 2447. Complications ensue.

　　83 min

When a comet passes the earth very closely, it pulls a small part of North Africa with it. Carried along is a bunch of people. Among them Angelika, who just escaped from a ruthless weapon dealer's ship, and her two brothers, who are searching her. Then there's a group of natives, who plan a rebellion against the French colonists. All these conflicts become secondary when the people finally realize that they are doomed to live together on an alien planet. However this time of peace and world-happiness won't last for long...

　　《鼹鼠的故事》由捷克“StudioBratrivtriku”出品公司制作，是非常著名的动画片。电视台播放的《鼹鼠》系列大都是20世纪70年代的作品，有两部90年代出品的短片。这是一部深具自由灵动的生命气息、散发着快乐幽默的童真和意趣的经典作品。圆头圆脑的小鼹鼠所演绎的既搞笑又充满温情的小故事，思想内容轻松，情节生动风趣，曾让所有的孩子和成人享受到了极大的快乐和温暖。　　★★★文学作品　　鼹鼠的故事，是捷克斯洛伐克著名的经典儿童文学，开始流行于上世纪50年代，由于屡次在国内国际获奖，被改编为动画片，在全世界范围内广为流传，影响了一代又一代年轻观众。“鼹鼠的故事”是捷克斯洛伐克著名画家兹德内克·米莱尔的经典名著。作品最早创作于上世纪50年代，以小鼹鼠为主角的第一部动画片《鼹鼠做裤子》1957年首度在意大利威尼斯影展中获得大奖，之后其它以小鼹鼠为主角的多部影片陆续在全球十多个国家获奖。根据影片改编的图书也随之风靡全球。　　“鼹鼠的故事”承袭了捷克斯洛伐克经典儿童文学的写实传统，同时又兼具幽默、夸张和抒情的优雅风格，洋溢着快乐的生命意趣，半个世纪以来已成为世界图书圣殿中的瑰宝，影响了几代读者。　　“鼹鼠的故事”在人口只有一千万的捷克销量达五百五十万册，为捷克最畅销的图画书，目前已在全球十五个以上国家出版，其中包括芬兰、丹麦、挪威、德国、斯洛伐克、匈牙利、波兰、美国、俄罗斯、拉脱维亚、立陶宛、韩国、日本等，有四十余种语言版本，是畅销全球脍炙人口的传世经典。　　★★★★★捷克动画　　《鼹鼠的故事》是捷克斯洛伐克著名动画片，出品公司是“StudioBratrivtriku”。“鼹鼠”一词在捷克文里拼作“krtek”，在英文中是“mole”。由于鼹鼠善于打洞，现在这个词在媒体报道中已经成了“间谍”的代名词，所以如果你听到说某某国家情报局安全部抓到一只“鼹鼠”可不要真以为他们是抓到了一只打洞的小老鼠哟。　　《鼹鼠》系列动画片曾在国际动画节上拿过不少奖项，最早的一部《鼹鼠》动画制作于1957年，当时的鼹鼠形象还比较拟人化，没有我们后来熟知的那么憨态可据，而且片中是有对白的，不过当然也听不懂，因为对白是捷克语。　　从20世纪60年代中期开始，鼹鼠的形象才固定下来，也就是我们所知道的那个样子。60年代末到80年代初是"鼹鼠"系列的创作巅峰时期，74年和75年则可谓是巅峰的巅峰，总共出品了12部短片，而且部部精彩。要知道，在70年代中期，动画片全部都是手工制作完成的，其中工序之繁杂繁琐和今天是不能同日而语的。进入80年代后，也许是因为受到政局的影响，进程明显放慢下来，整个80年代也不过出品了四部而已，而且其中大多反应了人们对于现代社会资源及环境的忧虑，远不如70年代的轻松悦人。其中1984年出品的《鼹鼠的梦》是一个长片。制作时间距今最近的一部片子是《鼹鼠和青蛙》，制作于2002年。　　一部深具自由灵动的生命气息、散发着快乐幽默的童真和意趣的经典作品。在庞大的怀旧动画片中，甚至有人不喜欢《米老鼠和唐老鸭》，有人不喜欢《猫和老鼠》，但没有人不喜欢《鼹鼠的故事》。这是怀旧动画片的巅峰之作，更是超越时空的作品。今天，仍然有很多家长和孩子喜欢这部温馨浪漫的卡通作品。作为卡通片中最具人气的动物明星之一，圆头圆脑的小鼹鼠所演绎的既搞笑又充满温情的小故事，曾让所有的孩子和成人忘记了烦恼和沉重，享受到了极大的快乐和温暖。央视在我们这一代人孩提时代播放的《鼹鼠》系列大都是70年代的作品，这恰恰是这一系列的精华所在，思想内容轻松，情节生动风趣。一堆黑色梯形土出现在地面上，于是，片子正式开始了……　　“HI””HELLOW”连同“咯咯咯”的笑声，尽管这就是小鼹鼠全部的“语言”，但这些已经成为不朽的经典。　　我们永远无法忘记，那部来自东欧小国捷克的动画片！我们永远无法忘记，那部动画片中有一只可爱的鼹鼠！我们永远无法忘记，在我们悲伤时，一听见鼹鼠那咯咯的笑声，就再也不能拒绝欢乐的来临！　　作者简介　　兹德内克·米莱尔（Zdeněk Miler），1921年出生于捷克斯洛伐克，毕业于布拉格工艺大学。多才多艺的他是画家、平面艺术家，也是动画片制作家。他制作的影片在世界各地广受好评，并获得多项大奖。　　他的第一部影片《鼹鼠做裤子（How the Mole Got His Trousers）》1957年首度在意大利威尼斯影展中获得最高奖，并陆续在世界各地十多个国家获奖。　　多年来，小鼹鼠的冒险故事一直深受孩子们的喜爱，以小鼹鼠为主角的系列图画书在世界各地获得了极高的评价。　　米莱尔所有的艺术活动中，最主要的是参与动画片的制作，这也影响到他的插图手法和风格。他运用敏锐的笔触和柔和、充满诗意的色彩，巧妙地展现出图画书的另一种独特风貌，具有卡通连续动作的视觉效果。　　“鼹鼠的故事”承袭了捷克经典儿童文学的写实传统，同时兼具幽默、夸张和抒情的优雅风格，洋总溢着快乐的生命意趣，是世界图书圣殿中的瑰宝，也是影响了几代读者的传世经典。