Saturday, April 18, 2015

The Dachsbrackers (TV)



Brakýři – Czechoslovakian title
The Dachsbrackes – English title

A 1983 Czechoslovakian production
Producer:
Director: Jiří Adamec
Story: “The Valley of Fear” by Arthur Conan Doyle
Teleplay: Jan Křtitel Sýkora
Photography: Jan Křtitel Sýkora [color]
Music: Zdeněk Knight
Running time: 2 episodes x 68 minutes

Cast:
Jack McCurdo - Vladimír Kratina
Jack McGinty - Petr Haničinec
Teddy Balwin - Jiří Bartoška
Ettie Shafterová - Jana Švandová
Alan Shafter - Lukáš Vaculík
Shafter - Zdeněk Řehoř
Newspaper Editor Stanger - Ladislav Pešek
Doctor Morris – Miroslav Zounar
Greg - Vlastimil Bedrna
Oswald - Otakar Brousek
Mike Scanlan - Vladimír Dlouhý
Captain Ben Hunt - Antonín Hardt
Captain Marwin - Karel Heřmánek
Dolby - Jiří Holý (Jiřího Holého)
Postal clerk - Antonín Jedlička
Tiger Cormack - Jiří Krampol
Advocate Kern - Josef Langmiler
Attorney Adams - Miroslav Moravec
Mousel - Ladislav Mrkvička
Journalist - Petr Pospíchal
Michael Stein - Miloš Skalka
Gower - Jan Přeučil
Mexican singer - Zdeněk Rytíř
McNamara's widow - Hana Talpová
Jenkins - Jiří Zahajský

The story is framed around a criminal trial against the defendant's criminal organization the Dachsbracken later known as the Ku-Klux-Klan. Story sequences using retrospective follows the arrival of the main character Jack McMurdo into the valley, where the gang Dachsbracken and its membership in this organization live.

Mysterious Jack McMurdo slowly gains the trust of the gang bosses and also falls in love with Etie Shaffer - daughter of the owner of the boardinghouse where he was staying. Ettie, however unwillingly is betrothed to Teddy Baldwin, a member of the Dachsbracken, her marriage to him would absolve her father's debt. Ettie urges Jack to flee from the valley, but he refuses. To his fulfil his mission he needs more time. He finally manages to uncover the criminal gang. At the end, however, McMurdo is shot by Shaffer.

Thematically a strong television play about the beginnings of organized crime in the United States based on the story of Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Valley of Fear” is undoubtedly unique, not only treatment, but the main themes which the Czechoslovak Television does quite well and a myriad of Czech actors underlines the excellence of the production.

Episode listing: 1 Údolí strachu (The Valley of Fear), Episode 2 : Poslední výstřel (The Last Shot)

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