Joseph Kilian

Joseph Kilian is a 1963 short Czech drama film directed by Pavel Juráček and Jan Schmidt. It was released in 1964. The movie belongs to the Czech New Wave. Plot Jan Herold is trying to find comrade Kilian, but no one ever heard of him. He wanders the streets of Prague when he suddenly sees a "Cat rental company". He decides to rent a cat and goes home. When he comes back the next day to return the cat, the company is gone and there's no evidence it ever existed. He then continues to search for the mysterious Killian. When he finally finds his office, it is empty. He goes to a pub and sees a man who looks a lot like Killian, but when he asks him, the man denies it and leaves in a hurry. Before losing him Jan can see the man is carrying a cat. Cast Karel Vašíček as Jan Herold Consuela Morávková as Saleswoman Ivan Růžička as Official Pavel Bártl as Kilian Jiří Stivín as Musician Pavel Šilhánek as Man with cresset Reception The film was well-received by international film critics. Many reviewers favourably compared the film to Kafka's work. Czechoslovak communist critics attacked the film on ideological basis.