AllMovie

Czech filmmaker Hynek Bocan largely eschewed the conventions of his country's New Wave cinema in favor of making well-crafted, traditional literary adaptations. A graduate of his native Prague's prestigious FAMU in 1961, Bocan started out working at the Barrandov Film Studio, assisting such filmmakers as Karel Kachyna, Jan Nemec, and Jiri Weiss. In addition to directing, Bocan collaborated on the screenplays of all of his films. He made his directorial debut with Nikdo se Nebude Smat/No Laughing Matter (1965). In 1969, while working on his third film, Pastak/The Decoy, Bocan encountered political differences with his government and was prevented from completing the production; it was not until 1990 that the film was finished and released. Unable to work in features, Bocan turned to television to co-write and direct the nine-episode series Zahada Hlavolau/The Mystery of a Brain Teaser. In 1974, Bocan was allowed to return to filmmaking, and he released Muz z Lonyna/The Man From London. Bocan has subsequently divided his time between feature films and television.