This year, the fairy tale The Secret of the Old Bambitka 2 had its big Christmas premiere. Not much was expected from the sequel to the fairly well-received film of 2011, rather feared that it would not be a disaster, as it is often the rule with sequels. In the end, however, that didn’t happen, and director Ivo Macharáček offered the audience a not-so-revealing, but quite entertaining fairy tale that didn’t feel ashamed. But at the same time, she didn’t get excited.
Tale The old girl’s secret from 2011 is one of those pieces that, at least within the genre, have been successful in terms of audience and positive reviews. After all, even at ČSFD, director Ivo Macharáček’s work shines with a nice 69%. This is a very flattering score for a modern fairy tale, and one might therefore expect a sequel to come. It finally happened, albeit 11 years later.
Looking to capitalize on the number one reputation
All the old acquaintances are back in front of the cameras, including King Jakub (Thomas Kluslisten), now Queen Anička (Kamila Janovichova) or perhaps the good robber Karaba (Ondřej Vetchý), as well as the villains of the first part, the advisers Ferenc (Miroslav Vladyka) to Lorenzo (Jiří Lábus). However, both Jakub and Anička fell behind, and it was Karaba who emerged, who fell in love with the beautiful Queen Juliet, whom he had already played Veronika Khek Kubarová. It was into his reign, however, that the aforementioned wicked advisers crept in and began to subvert him again.
In essence, the story of the first part repeats itself, so it’s not hard for the audience to guess how things will play out. And this is actually one of the biggest problems plaguing the fairy tale. From the very beginning the cards are dealt and all the characters are directed towards their destiny, which is evident from the very first second. Be that as it may, it is common in fairy tales, the Angel of the Lord might say. Unlike a great fairy tale Jiří Strach however, Macharáček does not look for the slightest surprise or invention, and so “Bambitka” follows the safe and well-trodden paths of the first part. From this point of view it is only a useless continuation and an attempt to steal money from the “double” built on the reputation of the previous, much better, work.
Klus plays himself
When it comes to actors, it’s fair to say that we all know their limits. Vetchý rarely disappoints, he has charisma from so many previous films, so here too the tale leans more on him. On the other hand, Klus lags slightly behind, which may have pleased some viewers, because I registered a critique of his performance. On the other hand, the role of the good-natured but naive and idealistic king is tailor-made for him and is not far from how the singer presents himself in reality. So I had no problem with his acting.
It’s a pity that Kamila Janovčinová, who is one of the nicest actresses on the set, also took a back seat to Klus, and I dare say she played the first part better than Veronika Khek Kubařová in the second. The evil advisers are therefore a cheaper copy of the unforgettable generals Iks and Ypsilon from the fairy tale The Crazy Sad Princess.
It will not offend, it will not excite
However, in terms of craftsmanship, the Secret of Old Bambitka is worked out better than a number of other modern fairy tales. The actors aren’t acting at the volunteer level, the editing doesn’t look like home video, and the sets and costumes are nice too. In contrast to the film Princess and Half a Kingdom, which Czech television aired only a few hours earlier, Bambitka is a clear winner and at least the viewer doesn’t want to gouge out both eyes on the story and the performance. Unfortunately, this is the main standard in the fairy tale genre these days…
