Higher Principle

Vyšší princip
Directed by	Jiří Krejčík
Written by	Jan Drda, Jiří Krejčík
Starring	František Smolík, Hannjo Hasse, Jana Brejchová, Ivan Mistrík
Music by	Zdeněk Liška
Release dates	1960
Running time	102 min.
Country	Czechoslovakia

Higher Principle (Czech: Vyšší princip) is a Czech drama film based on the eponymous short story from the book Silent Barricade (Czech: Němá barikáda) written by Jan Drda in 1946. The story, taking place during the Nazi occupation, is about relationship between students and their elderly teacher of Latin. After three of their classmates are killed by Nazis during the murderous hysteria following the assassination of general Heydrich (just because they made fun of Heydrich), the teacher risks his own life but gains the respect of all students declaring that: From the standpoint of higher principles the killing of a tyrant is not a crime!

The movie was released in 1960 and was temporaly banned in West Germany as the "anti-German film".^[1][2]

Cast

• František Smolík - professor Málek
• Jana Brejchová - student Jana
• Ivan Mistrík - student Vlastík
• Alexander Postler - student Karel
• Jan Šmíd - student Frantík
• Petr Kostka - student Honza
• Bohuš Záhorský - high school principal
• Hannjo Hasse - Gestapo officer
• Rudolf Hrušínský - collaborator Zajíček

References

1. "Das höhere Prinzip". Cinema.de. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
2. "Das höhere Prinzip. Kritik von Alexander Kiensch". Zelluloid.de. Retrieved 9 July 2016.

External links

• Higher Principle at the Internet Movie Database
• Klinowski, Jacek; Garbicz, Adam; Garbicz, Jacek Klinowski & Adam. Feature Cinema in the 20th Century: Volume Two: 1951-1963: a Comprehensive Guide. Planet RGB Limited. ISBN 9781624075650.