John Hus: A Journey of No Return

After John Wycliffe, a founder of the Protestant Reformation that criticized the Catholic Church for corruption, John Hus (aka Jan Hus)—who was burned at the stake in 1415—is the most significant figure in the movement during the century before Martin Luther. A Journey of No Return could have offered a dry history lesson on Hus's writings, teachings, and his extraordinary legacy in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), which would ultimately stave off multiple crusades sent by Rome to put down the “Hussites” following Hus's martyrdom. But filmmaker Lubomír Hlavsa's docudrama instead puts a uniquely human face on the story, beginning at a rather late chapter in the life of Hus (played here by Vladimír Javorský), during a series of imprisonments preceding trials that would declare him a heretic and wind up sentencing him to death. An Inquisitor named Allio, sent to witness the proceedings, is instead swayed by Hus that the Church has strayed from Holy Scripture. The two men form a friendship that is sustained throughout Hus's sufferings, which gives comfort to both. A subplot about Allio's relationship with a prostitute adds a little warmth, if also a bit of a Hollywood touch. But the gritty settings—with, rain, mud, shadows, and blazing torches—certainly give the film an elemental authenticity that matches the grim narrative. Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)