This set features 2 rare Silent Films from Czech director Jan S. Kolár, occult thriller THE ARRIVAL FROM THE DARKNESS and medieval epic ST. WENCESLAS

Czech Silent Films by director Jan S. Kolár: The Arrival from the Darkness + St. Wenceslas presents the first-ever Blu-ray release devoted to two landmark silent features by pioneering Czech filmmaker Jan S. Kolár. Produced in collaboration with the Národní filmový archív in Prague and Comeback Company, this deluxe collection showcases Kolár's remarkable range through the occult fantasy The Arrival From The Darkness (1921) and the sweeping medieval epic St. Wenceslas (1929), accompanied by an exceptional collection of rare archival material.

The Arrival From The Darkness follows a rare-book collector who revives his sixteenth-century ancestor through an ancient manuscript, unleashing an extraordinary tale involving alchemy, black magic, the Elixir of Life, ruined castles, time travel, and the Black Plague. St. Wenceslas chronicles the struggle between paganism and Christianity in tenth-century Bohemia through the life of Prince Wenceslas, combining political intrigue, betrayal, warfare, and lavish historical spectacle in what became the most expensive Czech film produced during the silent era. Both features include newly commissioned musical scores, with The Arrival From The Darkness accompanied by Neuveritelno and St. Wenceslas receiving a new score by acclaimed silent film composer Ben Model.

The extensive bonus features include four ultra-rare Jan S. Kolár silent shorts including Polykarp's Winter Adventure (1917), The Oriental Languages Teacher (1918), and two additional films, the 1953 documentary How We Used To Make Movies, the surviving fragment of the lost silent horror film The Wedding Shirt (1925), new music by Ben Model for all five bonus shorts, a 48-page illustrated booklet with essays by Jan-Christopher Horak and Walter Chaw, an audio commentary by Peter Hames and Irena Kovarova, and Stephen Broomer's new visual essay Face of Centuries: Jan S. Kolár and the Afterlives of History.

Released by Deaf Crocodile, this Region 1 Blu-ray presents approximately 165 minutes of silent cinema with original Czech intertitles and optional English subtitles, creating an essential archival edition of early Czech filmmaking.

Bonus Materials

• 4 ultra-rare early Jan S. Kolar Silent short films including 'Polykarp's Winter Adventure' (1917), 'The Oriental Languages' Teacher' (1918) and 2 more
• “How We Used To Make Movies” (1953, 23 min.) a compilation of behind-the-scenes footage from Czech Silent Films assembled in the 1950s
• “The Wedding Shirt” (1925) the only surviving 4 min. fragment from this Czech Silent Horror film co-directed by one of the actors from THE ARRIVAL FROM THE DARKNESS
• New music for ST. WENCESLAS and all 5 bonus shorts by acclaimed Silent Film composer & historian Ben Model
• 48-page booklet featuring new essays by film historian Jan-Christopher Horak and film critic Walter Chaw.
• New audio commentary by film historian Peter Hames and Czech film expert Irena Kovarova of Comeback Company.
• New visual essay “Face of Centuries: Jan S. Kolár and the Afterlives of History” (2026, 18 min.) by experimental filmmaker and film scholar Stephen Broomer.

 

Cast & Crew

Actors:

•       Theodor Pištěk
•       Karel Lamač
•       Anny Ondra
•       Zdeněk Štěpánek

Director: Jan S. Kolár

Additional Details

Label: Deaf Crocodile

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Language: silent

Run Time: 165 mins

Region: 1

Release Date: 10/13/26

UPC: 850066568804