Synopsis

This is the second part of the film adaptation of Jaroslav Hašek’s famous picaresque novel. The opening scene features Svejk, a good-natured soldier, on a train bound to the front. Having left his lieutenant’s suitcase behind at the station, he gets further in trouble by upsetting his travel companion major general of Schwarzburg. In no time, one mishap follows another. Thus, after an emergency stop blamed on Svejk, this clumsy, yet lovable fellow gets off at the nearest station and goes to a pub, where he gets drunk with a Hungarian soldier. As a result, he ends up missing all connecting trains. Having spent all his cash on drinks, the drunken soldier finds out nobody is willing to lend him money. Consequently, Svejk decides to walk all the way to České Budějovice. Yet, nothing will deter him from drinking. His actions inexorably prove that, for all his shrewdness, it is luck rather than wisdom that enables Svejk to get by. Karel Steklý was responsible for the film’s screenplay and direction. He created a remarkable follow-up to the adaptation of Jaroslav Hašek's sharp but humane satire on militarism and blind obedience to authority during World War I. Likewise, the gifted lead actor Rudolf Hrušínský excelled once again at portraying a charmingly funny fellow.