KRAKATIT , 1948, N.F.A., 101 min. “Long wandering,” a voice whispers in the brain of a man staggering along a misty riverbank, the night as fog-shrouded as his shattered mind. Czech director Otakar Vávra’s astonishing KRAKATIT is a literal fever dream of a movie that mixes 1940s Film Noir, paranoid thriller and speculative atomic-bomb Sci-Fi in the story of a chemist named Prokop who hallucinates fragments of how he’s invented a proto-nuclear weapon — and the mystery of what’s happened to the formula for it. The film has overtones of Rudolph Maté’s classic Noir D.O.A. (seriously-ill man racing against the clock), 1940s Orson Welles films like THE STRANGER and THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (stunning deep-focus B&W photography, atmosphere of surreal paranoia), and Hitchcock’s SPELLBOUND (distorted dream sequences). Karel Höger delivers an unforgettable performance in the lead, grasping at his own memories like a walking ghost. Based on a 1924 novel by famed sci-fi author Karel Čapek (who invented the word “robot” in his play R.U.R.), the film’s unique structure of memories within memories within flashbacks are like Russian nesting dolls — all shot by DOP Václav Hanuš in some of the most remarkable B&W images since NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Long wandering, indeed. Deaf Crocodile is thrilled to present the first-ever 4K UHD + Blu-ray release for this overlooked classic of Czech cinema and World Noir, beautifully restored in 4K by the Národní filmový archiv (NFA) in Prague and co-presented with the Comeback Company. Special Features New video interview on the film’s restoration with archivist Tereza Frodlová of the Národní filmový archiv, Prague. New commentary by film historian Peter Hames and Czech film expert Irena Kovarova of Comeback Company New visual essay by film historian Clayton Dillard. New artwork by Beth Morris Deluxe Edition Bonus Content Slipcase featuring new artwork by Richard Cox. 60-page illustrated book New essay by film Walter Chaw New essay by film Jonathan Owen