Historian forger
Topic: Historical events
The story of the historian Antonín Bocek is an excellent subject for a historical film. We find everything in it: devoted love, a crucial confrontation, crime and tragic death.
The Czech national revival is born in the 19th century. While Prague takes centre stage, Moravia remains in the shadows. Here the charismatic historian ANTONÍN BOČEK (1802-1847), a man with a brilliant mind and a secret hidden in a flowing cloak full of hidden pockets, enters the scene.
Bocek is convinced that Moravia deserves its own magnificent history. With the support of the influential Count Mitrovsky, he becomes Moravia's historiographer and archivist. He begins the monumental project "Moravian Diplomat", a collection of historical documents that will finally show the glory of Moravia's past.
But Bocek's passion gradually exceeds the limits of scientific honesty. He begins to create forgeries, "discovers" non-existent Templars in Moravia and creates fake documents which he inserts among authentic documents. He moves through the archives like a phantom, stealing documents and hiding them in his cloak.
The academic becomes a fraud, teetering on the edge between genius historian and criminal. He gains the trust of František Palacký himself, but the seed of doubt begins to sprout. Palacký publicly questions Bocek's work and demands an explanation.
The dramatic story culminates unexpectedly. In the winter of 1847, Boček slips on the stairs of his own house, breaks his leg, and the banal injury becomes dramatically more complicated. He dies at the age of only 44, without having had time to cover the traces of his fraud.
Sources:
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton%C3%ADn_Bo%C4%8Dek
https://zdarsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/antonin-bocek-bystrice-nad-perstejnem.html
