Grand Prix

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1922

Production year

1922

Premiere

3 November 1922

Runtime

107 min

Category

film

Genre

melodrama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

O velkou cenu

Czech title

O velkou cenu

English title

Grand Prix

Parallel title

Závod o život

English parallel title

Race for Life

Synopsis

Former racing driver Harry Vard, who has promised his wife that he will no longer race, is now working as an engineer in a car factory and he guarantees a loan which comes to no good. Finding himself in dire straits, he agrees to take part in a race but is killed during his practice runs. His daughter Nelly is faced with improper advances from the owner of the car factory Sylvan, she places her younger brother and sister into a convent to be looked after and takes herself off to her grandmother, Mrs Jelínková. She starts a job. Before this time she had broken up with the student Karel without knowing that he is the son of František Lír, owner of rival car factory Meteor. Sylvan keeps a letter of apology which Karel had written. Ten months later another car race is being organised. Sylvan abducts racing driver Lagavec who was to drive the new car manufactured by the rival company. Nelly takes part in the race for Meteor and she wins; however, she faints from exhaustion. In the hospital she meets Karel Lír and, when he learns of the past, he challenges Sylvan to a fight. Nelly becomes Karel's wife and her brother and sister find a new grandfather in old Lír.

Note

The film contains authentic shots from the Zbraslav-Jíloviště race.

Cast

Miloš Vávra

Karel Lir

Nelly Bonda

Nelly Vardová

Eduard Ševčík

Nellin otec Ing. Harry Vard

Béďa Pražský

malý Mirek

Mánička Navrátilová

malá Věrka

Přemysl Pražský

Ing. Alfons Sylvan

Jan W. Speerger

sekretář továrny Meteor Jan Luk

Karel Fiala

majitel továrny Meteor František Lír

Luigi Hofman

Ing. František Rudník

Ria Pilnerová

Zuzi Rajková, Nellina přítelkyně

Saša Dobrovolná

babička Jelínková

Václav Žichovský

starý pán v parku

Marie Pellerová

hospodyně u Vardů

Ferry Seidl

montér Donát

Josef Volman

Sylvanův šofér

Josef Ploenke

ředitel továrny Meteor

Tony Kumpera

závodník na voze číslo 1

Miloš Havel

závodník

Alfred Baštýř

rozhodčí na závodech

Crew and creators

Director of Photography

Karel Kopřiva

Production Designer

Karel Benesch

Production info

Original Title

O velkou cenu

Czech Title

O velkou cenu

English Title

Grand Prix

Parallel Title

Závod o život

English Parallel Title

Race for Life

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

melodrama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1922

Production Year

1922

Premiere

premiere 3 November 1922 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Koruna a Invalidů, Praha)

Production

Poja Film

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Universal Film

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

107 min

Original length in metres

3 050 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,33

Colour

tinting, black & white

Sound

silent

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

without dialogue

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Intertitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech