In the Courtroom

Kousek nebe (2004, r. Petr Nikolaev)/ A Piece of Heaven (dir. Petr Nikolaev, 2004)

Questions

  • Identify the various characters in the scene. What are their roles, and how do you think each of them feels?
  • What are the defendants accused of? Do you think that these accusations are true?
  • How do you think these accusations could be connected to the international political situation, and why?

Commentary

This scene from a feature film captures the political trials of the early 1950s. Accusations of espionage were very common, and many Czechoslovaks truly believed in a rapid regime change and cooperated with foreign intelligence services. In this case, however, we cannot be sure whether the accusation was falsified. The clip tries to capture the atmosphere of the trials, in which the death penalty is threatened which was the contemporary reality.