Utz

Utz was a starring vehicle for German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl who plays a collector of fine Meissen porcelain.

Mueller-Stahl became familiar to people outside of European cinema in films such as Music Box and Avalon.

Here he plays Czech Baron Kaspar Utz who has spent his life acquiring valuable pieces of porcelain that will become the property of the state after his passing.

Utz does not want the government having his collection and plans to sell it to an American gallery owner played by Peter Riegert, who hurries to Prague but by the time he arrives Utz has died and the collection gone.

Reigert is left to unravel the mystery of Utz if he has any hope of recovering his collection.

He is aided by Utz's friend played by Paul Scofield. Brenda Fricker who plays Utz devoted maid was the last to see the collection.

The film directed by the Dutch George Sluizer has flashbacks and flashforwards. It is a slight tale set in Communist Czechoslovakia, critical of the various communist regimes but a tale enlivened by the actors and especially that of Mueller-Stahl.

The film is what might be called a Euro-Pudding with a coalition of producers, actors and production staff of various nationalities. BBC films were one of the producers but they have hardly shown this film since its initial showing.