This film secured the premier award at the 1969 Berlin Film Festival. Having directed several documentaries previously, Zelimir Zilnik steps into a feature role for the first time with this work. It offers a compelling critique of Stalinism in the aftermath of the 1968 Soviet advance into Czechoslovakia, while raising profound political questions. Zilnik articulates that although there have been numerous conflicts throughout history, only a handful of revolutions have retained lasting importance by effecting meaningful political change.