Bílá nemoc (The White Disease, aka Skeleton on Horseback). 1937. Directed by Hugo Haas

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Bílá nemoc (The White Disease, aka Skeleton on Horseback). 1937. Czechoslovakia. Directed by Hugo Haas. Courtesy of NFA

Bílá nemoc (The White Disease, aka Skeleton on Horseback). 1937. Czechoslovakia. Directed by Hugo Haas. Screenplay by Haas, Karel Čapek. With Haas, Zdeněk Štěpánek, Karla Oličová. In Czech; English subtitles. 103 min.

Known in the US primarily for his campy Hollywood melodramas (Pickup, The Girl on the Bridge), Hugo Haas had been a major star in Czechoslovakia before the Nazi takeover forced him to leave the country—not least because of this bold anti-Nazi allegory based on a play by Karel Čapek. Haas directs and stars as a doctor who has found a cure for a plague attacking central Europe; he will only share his discovery if his country’s militaristic dictator (Zdeněk Štěpánek) agrees to renounce plans for a pending war. 35mm.

This film accompanies Ecstasy and Irony: Czech Cinema, 1927–1943.

Past events

Fri, Apr 21, 2017, 7:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T1, Theater 1

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1
Sat, Apr 15, 2017, 4:00 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T2, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2

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