User Reviews

"The Treasure of Byzantine Merchant" is one the Czech detective classics from the sixties. This movie is based on the novel of Václav Erben, successful writer of mysteries, whose famous criminologist was captain Exner. Exner is a clever investigator, but also an elegant playboy with great charm and sense of humor. In this film Jirí Vala perform him perfectly. The theme of this movie is an inquiry of the theft of the treasure which is connected with murder. Ivo Novák, director of this movie, has a gift of combination of thrill and comedy, so there are many funny moments in this film which nicely gradate the serious plot. The performances are great (e. g. Jirí Sovák as Dr. Soudek or Jan Libícek as an investigator Vlcek). There is wonderful music in this movie: Zdenek Liska, the great Czech composer, works in these pieces with the jazz-influenced melodies and the final effect of it is catchy.