"Such a summer, seems to me, spells misfortune…" In a somewhat run-down river spa on the banks of the Orše River, three older gentlemen meet every day: the owner of the spa, Antonín Důra, the well-read priest Roch and retired major, Hugo. The weather is unstable, often rainy, and so Mr Důra is short on customers. He spends most of his time chatting and debating with his friends. But no argument is ever so serious as not to be settled with a glass of wine and a few pickled sausages with onion. However, the traveling magician Arnoštek, and especially his charming assistant Anna, cause a stir in their lives. She charms each of the three peculiar philosophers during the first evening performance, and they each begin to court her in their own way. The author Vladislav Vančura considered the book, which served as the basis of this film, to be his best work. A short novel in which three friends discuss the meaning of existence, the beauty and fidelity of women, and the implacability of the whims of summer weather.

Jiří Menzel / Czechoslovakia / 1967 / 74 min / Czech language