Product Description: One of the great pioneers of the early Czech film industry, director and writer Jan S. Kolár (1896-1973) worked in a number of genres: supernatural fantasy, medieval epics, romantic melodrama, sci-fi and more. Deaf Crocodile is thrilled to collaborate with the Národní filmový archív, Prague and Comeback Company on this first-ever Blu-ray release of two of Kolár's finest Silent features and a number of rare shorts.
THE ARRIVAL FROM THE DARKNESS (PŘÍCHOZÍ Z TEMNOT) - 1921, NFA, 62 min., dir. Jan S. Kolár. Much wilder-than-you-think-it-will-be occult story about a book collector (Theodor Pištěk) who uses an ancient manuscript to revive his long-dormant 16th century ancestor (Karel Lamač) - who then tries to steal the collector's wife (Anny Ondra), thinking she's his long-lost love Alena. Mad esoteric shenanigans involving ruined castles, alchemists, time travel, the Elixir of Life, the Black Plague and Black Magic rituals make this one of the most surprising genre treats of the Silent era. With an experimental musical score by the Silent film trio Neuvěřitelno.
ST. WENCESLAS (SVATÝ VÁCLAV) - 1929, NFA, 103 min., Kolár's sweeping medieval epic set in 10th century Bohemia about the struggle between paganism and Christianity, centered around the prince (and later saint) Wenceslas (Zdeněk Štěpánek), who became the model for "the righteous king." Lavish and highly entertaining mixture of ALEXANDER NEVSKY and ILYA MUROMETS, filled with knights in armor, murders, betrayals between brothers, between mothers and sons, between daughters and mothers-in-law -- betrayals everywhere you look. The most expensive Czech film made up to that point, filmed during the Silent era but only released after the transition to sound. With a new score for this release by Silent film composer Ben Model.
All films feature Czech intertitles with English subtitles.
Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.
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Movie Details
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MOVIE DETAILS
JUMP BACK TO TOPDirector: Jan S. Kolár
Starring: Theodor Pištěk, Jindrich Edl, Anny Ondra, Josef Sváb-Malostranský, Karel Lamač, Luigi Hofman
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Runtime: 97 min
Rating: Not Rated
Language: Czech
Studio: Deaf Crocodile Films
Home Video Release Date: October 13, 2026
PURCHASING LINKS:
JUMP BACK TO TOPVIDEO
JUMP BACK TO TOP
Blu-ray
- Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Resolution: 1080p
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1, 1.31:1
- Region: Region A/1
AUDIO
JUMP BACK TO TOPDubbed:
- Blu-ray: None
Audio Formats:
- Blu-ray: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
SUBTITLES
JUMP BACK TO TOPBlu-ray: English
SPECIAL FEATURES & EXTRAS
JUMP BACK TO TOP- 4 ultra-rare early Jan S. Kolar Silent short films including 'Polykarp's Winter Adventure' (1917), 'The Oriental Languages' Teacher' (1918) and 2 more
- “How We Used To Make Movies” (1953, 23 min.) a compilation of behind-the-scenes footage from Czech Silent Films assembled in the 1950s
- “The Wedding Shirt” (1925) the only surviving 4 min. fragment from this Czech Silent Horror film co-directed by one of the actors from THE ARRIVAL FROM THE DARKNESS
- New music for ST. WENCESLAS and all 5 bonus shorts by acclaimed Silent Film composer & historian Ben Model
- 48-page booklet featuring new essays by film historian Jan-Christopher Horak and film critic Walter Chaw.
- New audio commentary by film historian Peter Hames and Czech film expert Irena Kovarova of Comeback Company.
- New visual essay “Face of Centuries: Jan S. Kolár and the Afterlives of History” (2026, 18 min.) by experimental filmmaker and film scholar Stephen Broomer.
PICTURES
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