The theme of war and the removal of Germans from the Sudetenland in the novel Habermannův mlýn by Josef Urban and the controversy caused by its film adaptation

Abstract

The basic topic of the study is the comparison of the literary original with the film adaptation. It is about Josef Urban’s novel “Habermann’s Mill” and its subsequent film adaptation of the same name directed by Juraj Herz. The theme of the novel is based on a real event, and it is, in its own way, a highly discussed and controversial subject concerning the post-war deportation of Germans from Czechoslovakia. The problem is that the novel, although not a documentary, treats many events inaccurately compared to the surviving sources, even in key motifs. Further deviations from reality occur in the film adaptation of the novel, which has caused legitimate objections among many experts, for example regarding the treatment of the character of the characters, which is wronged either intentionally or due to the ignorance of the author, screenwriter and director. The study summarizes these findings.