Young Matula has succumbed to gambling and he steals money from his parents to finance his passion. His father catches him red-handed and throws him out of the house. Matula roams the world and meets Vávra, also a tramp, who accepts a job as a road-sweeper but he soon dies in a car accident. On his lone wanderings Matula finds a miraculous little key which opens all locks. With its help he acquires a great fortune. He breaks into a bank and steals more money. He then meets the daughter of the cashier who was wrongly accused under suspicion of theft and when he sees her despair, he realises his wrong-doings. Finally he wakes up - it had all been a dream. (According to the censor's certificate).
The film was first banned by the censors. The original negatives were destroyed by a fire during the Prague Uprising in 1945. The film materials are believed lost.
Matula
tulák Vávra
Pavlína
služebná
Sejkorova dcera Olga
krčmář
zlatník
pokladník Sejkora
Matula jako chlapec
berní úředník
švihák
Zlatý klíček
Zlatý klíček
The Little Golden Key
film
featuretheatrical distribution
lost film
fairytale
Czechoslovakia
1922
1922
date of censorship 14 June 1922 (neschváleno do distribuce)
date of censorship 21 June 1922
preview 29 June 1922 (kino Lucerna, Praha)
premiere 8 December 1922 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Lido bio /1 týden/, Praha)
feature film
71 min
2 000 meters
35mm
1:1,33
black & white
silent
Czech
without dialogue
without subtitles
Czech
Czech