The Barnabáš Kos Case (Prípad Barnabáš Kos)

A timid triangle player goes on a power trip when he becomes the maestro of his orchestra, in Peter Solan's stylish, satirical film.

Barnabáš Kos (Josef Kemr) is a man with a vision. The meek and mild triangle player spends more time on various committees, official boards, and outings than he does rehearsing with his orchestra. Always the butt of the joke with his musical peers – and society at large – everything changes when he is promoted to the role of maestro. The once agreeable man begins to make small but noticeable changes until his all-out dictatorship of the group can no longer be ignored.

Set in the 1960s, Peter Solan’s stylish, well shot (by cinematographer Tibor Biath) film is a satirical yet scathing view of society gone mad with bureaucracy. The musical score by Pavol Šimai (who scored a number of films throughout the 60s and who passed away early 2020) drives the narrative.

This copy comes to us digitally restored from the Slovak Film Institute.

Presented by CaSFFA, ACMI, the Embassies of the Czech and Slovak Republics in Canberra and the State Government of Victoria.