At the beginning was the Slovak television series Lekár umierajúceho czasu (Doctor of Dying Time), dedicated to the Rudolphine-era scientist Jan Jesenius. He ended up on the scaffold along with other gentlemen after losing the anti-Habsburg uprising. When director Miloslav Luther conceived the idea of making an abridged version of the footage for cinema, he had to not only rebuild the storyline but also dub it into Czech. However, the result was only an illustrative puzzle, describing the various stages of the hero's turbulent life.

Petr Čepek
Jan Jesenius

Emma Černá
Maria

Rudolf Hrušínský
Rudolf II.

Miloš Nedbal
Fels

Martin Huba
Johannes Kepler

Milan Kňažko
Jan Mydlář

Leoš Suchařípa
Pavel Michna z Vacínova

Táňa Fischerová
Floro

Jan Kačer
Jáchym Ondřej Šlik

Stano Dančiak
Kryštof Harant z Polžic a Bezdružic
Mikuláš Huba
Bohuslav z Michalovic

Ota Sklenčka
Václav Budovec z Budova

Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love

Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Date Masamune the One-Eyed Dragon
Date Masamune the One-Eyed Dragon

Girl with a Pearl Earring
Girl with a Pearl Earring

The Moonraker
The Moonraker

EverAfter
EverAfter

The Man in the Iron Mask
The Man in the Iron Mask

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

Captain Blood
Captain Blood

Carry On Henry
Carry On Henry

Benedetta
Benedetta

King Naresuan Part: 1
King Naresuan Part: 1