NinadeL

This is Jarmila Novotná’s only role in a Czech sound film. The story is a fascinating melodrama with a depressing atmosphere of a clash of two incompatible worlds. Unfortunately, it suffers from the fact that comparable stars of the musical world were not cast alongside Jarmila and even in the scene from "Carmen" J. W. Speerger starts. In the end, however, the most important thing is to allow yourself to be dazzled by the title aria and to literally be carried away by the magical shots of the clouds that Vích shot for Innemann.

I’ve seen too many versions of The Bartered Bride. This "problematic" German version is truly great. No one will protest about this today, as Jarmila Novotná, who did not rely on her film work, but still created several extraordinary roles in various films, acts in this film.

An early sound drama with Gustav Fröhlich and Gustaf Gründgens, and with Jarmila Novotná debuting in sound film. Although her role is small in scope, it is certainly unforgettable. The entire story is a very interesting trip behind the scenes, which offers a dramatic climax par excellence at its conclusion.

The Mysterious Beauty is a Brno film by Přemysl Pražský. Pražský relocated to Brno for a time, engaged local actors (including the debuting Oldřich Nový for a supporting lover role), and created a humorous anecdote based on popular partner, family, and intergenerational clashes. He spiced it all up with the interesting setting of Lloydfilm's production facility, the presence of a Greco-Roman champion and references to Egypt. The key plot is based on the realization of a false actuality, which offers a very interesting reflection on the film business in feature films (which is followed by Pražský's participation behind and in front of the camera). What is interesting is the recurring gag of a strong squeeze of a hulk with five thumbs (the handkerchief joke in Fairbanks' Zorro works in a similar way). From today's point of view, the absurd merging of the film with the phenomenon of the debuting Nový, who waited another twelve years for his next film, is unfortunately repeated, and everything else is somewhat obscured. I must add that with repeated viewings, The Mysterious Beauty is a much more compact and enjoyable film. Also, Peter Stamati's sportswear also doesn't stand out as much anymore.

Vladimír Slavínský was a skilled skier and is still a popular native of Blansko. However, The Snowdrops is no miracle, and in my view, it simply broadens the view of Czech silent films set in the snow.

The Man Who Built the Cathedral is one of the earliest Czech silent films to have a place in the general consciousness thanks to its release on TV and it is also one of the few Czech titles that began to represent Czech cinema abroad in the 1910s. Unfortunately, on every occasion I encountered the film, it was accompanied by different music, and in the case of the television broadcast, this had a major effect in further reducing the already meager opportunity to broadcast other Czech silent treasures. It may be a masterpiece of the Degl brothers and a nicely realized legend, with Eva Vrchlická overacting nicely and the devilish Jaroslav Hurt, but I'd rather watch two other films than this one.

A delightful rococo affair of the Degl brothers made in Prague in the locality of Grébovka. The film is of many pleasant surprises about how diverse Czech cinema was in the 1910s. Indeed, pastoral lyricism in its essence cannot fail to captivate.

A very pleasant memory of the second year of StummFest. It’s too bad about the part with the catering because otherwise, Polykarp could have been the second great comic-romantic serial hero of the Czech film scene next to the pre-war Rudi.

I consider A Tooth for a Tooth a very original theme that could also succeed as a shorter story even today. The plot, which is based on a crisis in a profession and is resolved by a woman's foresight, is still relevant. And revenge is sweet, it has been, and will be.

Of ASUM's long films, only this drama about the revenge of a woman who was cheated on has survived. When I was first introduced to this, I found the film to be similar to certain American or French films of that and later times. Andula Sedláčková was a complete Musidora of the time.