Thirty Cases of Major Zeman

*Thirty Cases of Major Zeman*
Thirty Cases of Major Zeman
	Vladimír Brabec as Major Jan Zeman
Czech	Třicet případů majora Zemana
Created by	Jiří Sequens
Starring	Vladimír Brabec; Rudolf Jelínek; Miloš Willig František Němec; ; Ladislav Mrkvička; Vladimír Ráž; Josef Větrovec; Radoslav Brzobohatý; Ivana Andrlová;
Country of origin	Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
Original languages	Czech; Slovak;
No. of episodes	30 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	45-90 min
Original release
Network	Czechoslovak Television
Release	1975 –; 1980

Thirty Cases of Major Zeman (Třicet případů majora Zemana) is a Czechoslovak action-drama television show intended as a political propaganda to support the official attitude of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. The series were filmed in the 1970s.

Each episode encompasses one year, and investigations are stylized to that year. Most are inspired by real cases. The series follows the life of police investigator Jan Zeman during his career from 1945 to 1973.

Cast

Vladimír Brabec as major Jan Zeman / Richard Lipinski
Miloš Willig as colonel Václav Kalina
Josef Větrovec as colonel Pavlásek, chief of criminal police
Vladimír Ráž as medical examiner Veselý
Rudolf Jelínek as major Jiří Hradec
František Němec as major Žitný of StB
Ladislav Mrkvička as first lieutenant Stejskal
Emil Horváth as lieutenant Gajdoš
Renáta Doleželová as Zeman's first wife Lída
Jaroslava Obermaierová as Zeman's second wife Blanka
Ivana Andrlová as Zeman's daughter Lída
Radoslav Brzobohatý as Pavel Bláha, SNB first lieutenant who becomes western agent

Plot of the first episode

The first episode takes place in 1945. Young Jan Zeman is returning from a Nazi concentration camp. On the train he meets Václav Kalina, who tells him about his plan to join the police force. Jan returns to his home village and finds only his mother there. He discovers that his father has been murdered during the celebrations. The police are unable to find the murderer and close the case. Jan begins investigating on his own. He reveals a conspiracy and calls his friend Václav Kalina at Brno police headquarters; eventually, the murderers are captured. Kalina induces Jan to join the police and serve with him.

List of episodes

Episode	Date	Title	Aired
1	1945	Smrt u jezera (Death at the Lake)	1974
2	1946	Vyznavači ohně (Fire Devotees)	1974
3	1947	Loupež sladkého I (The Robbery of the Sweet I) - About profiteering on deficiency of Insulin.	1974
4	1947	Rubínové kříže (Ruby Crosses) - inspired by Bandera's terrorist activities on the Czechoslovak territory.	1975
5	1948	Hon na lišku (Fox Hunt) - section about Victorious February	1975
6	1949	Bestie (The Beast) - about illegal crossing of the Czechoslovak state border, inspired by Hubert Pilčík	1975
7	1950	Mědirytina (The Copperplate) - about counterfeiting of Ration stamps used until 1953.	1975
8	1951	Strach (Fear) - inspired by Mašín's sons	1975
9	1952	Loď do Hamburku (The Riverboat to Hamburg) - one of the episodes about agent Pavel Bláha.	1975
10	1953	Vrah se skrývá v poli (The Murderer Hides in the Field)	1975
11	1954	Křížová cesta (Way of the Cross) - one of the episodes about agent Pavel Bláha.	1976
12	1955	Kleště (The Tongs) - one of the episodes about agent Pavel Bláha.	1976
13	1956	Romance o nenápadné paní (Romance of an Unobtrusive Lady)	1976
14	1957	Konec velké šance (The End of Great Chance) - one of the episodes about agent Pavel Bláha.	1976
15	1958	Kvadratura ženy (Woman Quadrature) - about dissected female body.	1976
16	1959	Dáma s erbem (The Lady with a Coat of Arms)	1976
17	1960	Prokleté dědictví (The Cursed Heritage)	1976
18	1961	Bílé linky (The White Lines)	1976
19	1962	Třetí housle (The Third Violin)	1976
20	1963	Modrá světla (Blue Lights)	1976
21	1964	Pán ze Salcburku (A Gentleman from Salzburg)	1978
22	1965	Tatranské pastorále (High Tatra Pastorale)	1978
23	1966	Šťastný a veselý (Happy New Year)	1978
24	1967	Klauni (Clowns)	1978
25	1968	Štvanice (The Hunt) - episode about end of political steps to the freedom.	1978
26	1969	Studna (The Well) - horror episode about apocalyptic deaths in a country house.	1978
27	1970	Rukojmí v Bella Vista (The Bella Vista Hostage)- episode about sabotage against Czech shipment for Chile. Spy story having allusion to political situation in Chile	1978
28	1971	Poselství z neznámé země (The Message from an Unknown Land) - continue of The Bella Vista Hostage	1978
29	1972	Mimikry (Mimicry) - episode about plane hijack, with allusion to the music band Plastic People and young long-haired sympathizers of rock music called máničky.	1978
30	1973	Růže pro Zemana (The Rose for Zeman)	1979

Screenshot of the episode "Mimikry (Mimicry)", showing máničky as a harmful, criminal and drug-using social class.

Controversy

A re-broadcast of the series in the Czech Republic in 1999, caused controversy and public criticism about the series, which was accused of conveying communist propaganda and portraying those who think differently politically as criminals.^[1]

References

^ Peter S. Green (1999-10-01). "History or Propaganda?/ Communist-Era TV Show Stages a Controversial Return : 'Major Zeman' Leads Czechs to Question Their Past". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2021-08-31.

External links

[1] Peter S. Green (1999-10-01). "History or Propaganda?/ Communist-Era TV Show Stages a Controversial Return : 'Major Zeman' Leads Czechs to Question Their Past". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2021-08-31.

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