Le Château des Carpathes

Funny basically from beginning to end, but with very few memorable jokes that would make you laugh out loud. Pleasant, fun. (18/05/2010)

A love from my early childhood, in which I am only now beginning to appreciate the graceful shapes of gags and the sprightly curves of exaggeration. An acting trip of Mr. Hrušínský and Mr. Kopecký. Beautiful Brdečkov walk-on parts, which, with their stylization clearly refer to the lemonade specter of Czech cinema. The parodies of opera pathos, cheerful folk archetypes (oh, you brave mountaineers!) and the clichés of film adventures are fantastic. It is also excellent that The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians has a bit of a Verne atmosphere (as if filtered by childish enthusiasm, which we know from Zeman's films). An example of a film that does not get old with age, but rather improves. So up to the Devil's Castle, where horrible deeds happened! (03/10/2006)

For many years, it was a film that didn't quite sit well with me, even though I acknowledged its relationship with Adela. But while some types of movies lose their appeal over the years, the mysterious castle was exactly the opposite. Unlike Karel Zeman, Brdecka and Lipsky make fun of the unfortunate classic as much as they can, just as they do with the proud legacy of the 19th century as a triumph of reason and technology. The visual aspect of the film significantly influenced my view of the movie, which for Jan Svankmajer meant the same, if not more, as Giger did for Alien. A series of funny quotes by Mr. Brdecka and the wonderful performances by Mr. Kopecky and Mr. Hrusinsky. Overall impression 90%. (26/08/2007)

The actors are excellent as always, but there’s not enough imaginative and effective humour by Lipski's standards. Definitely a big disappointment for me. (09/07/2012)

I came across the movie "The Mystery of the Carpathian Castle" thanks to the comic book "The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians" by Petr Kopl. I had never had the honor of the original source by Jules Verne, but I must say that both Czech adaptations made an impression on me, although each in its own way. Petr Kopl won me over with his interconnection of various stories from world-renowned literary works into one and his ability to work with humor. The movie won me over because it is incredibly entertaining and showed how clever comedies Czechs were able to make in the past. Funny, amusing, absurd, and beautifully insane, yet still clever from start to finish. And especially the language humor, which is absolutely unbeatable. Only Zdeněk Svěrák knows how to play with the Czech language like this today. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/07/tajemstvi-hradu-v-karpatech-1981-90.html (17/07/2013)