White Paradise

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1924

Production year

1924

Premiere

1 August 1924

Runtime

67 min

Director

Karel Lamač

Category

film

Genre

melodrama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Bílý ráj

Czech title

Bílý ráj

English title

White Paradise

Summary

Karel Lamač, one of the most prominent filmmakers of the early days of Czechoslovak cinema, had a great success with his melodrama White Paradise. The story and the craftsmanship of the film show inspiration from American cinema. The main character, Nina is an orphan, whose life is interfered with by an escaped prisoner who wants to visit her dying mother one last time. Made with a modest budget of 90,000 crowns, the film received positive feedback from Czech and foreign audiences. The financing for its production was provided by the company Kalosfilm (Karel–Anny–Lamač–Ondra–spol), founded by film enthusiast Alfréd Baštýř. In addition to Karel Lamač, two other very important individuals of Czech cinema – Gustav Machatý and Martin Frič – contributed to the film.

Synopsis

Jakub Rezek and his ward Nina work at a traveller's inn. Rezek finds out about an escaped prisoner, Ivan Holar, against whom he had testified in court and he now fears Holar's revenge. Holar wishes to visit his dying mother and brings her some medicine. He is, however, pursued by the police and hides in the cellar of the inn. There he meets Nina and asks her to take the medicine to his mother. He follows her at his mother's where the police catch up with him. All are moved by the sight of the sick mother and her son. The distraught mother dies without knowing that Ivan has again been captured. Nina returns to the evil Rezek and, from the wandering puppeteer Tomáš, she finds out that her parents used to own the inn. The documents proving that Nina is the heiress are found as well as the papers declaring Ivan's innocence and he is released from prison. He is invited to a reopening of the inn where he meets the desperate Nina who has seen him in the company of Yvetta the niece of the prison's director and thus she does not believe in his love. Finally everything is explained and even old Tomáš is witness to the happy reunion.

Note

In 2016 the film was reconstructed by National Film Archive.

Cast

Karel Lamač

Ivan Holar

Vladimír Majer

hostinský Jakub Rezek

Anny Ondráková

sirotek Nina Mirelová

Josef Rovenský

loutkář zvaný tatík Tomáš

Saša Dobrovolná

Ivanova matka Holarová

Karel Fiala

ředitel věznice

Lo Marsánová

ředitelova neteř Yvetta Karenová

Přemysl Pražský

vězeňský dozorce

Mario Karas

soudní úředník

Anna Lamačová-Karinská

dáma z dobročinného spolku

Gustav Machatý

snoubenec Yvetty, člen dobročinného spolku

Marie Veselá

sousedka paní Holarové

František Zöllner

host v zájezdní hospodě

Crew and creators

Director

Karel Lamač

Screenstory

Karel Lamač

Director of Photography

Otto Heller

Production Designer

Bohuslav Šula

Set Designer

Martin Frič

Cooperation

Jaroslav Balzar (fotograf)

Production info

Original Title

Bílý ráj

Czech Title

Bílý ráj

English Title

White Paradise

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

melodrama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1924

Production Year

1924

Premiere

premiere 1 August 1924 /suitable for youths/ (kina Lucerna a Beseda, Praha)

Production

Kalos

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Kalos

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

67 min

Original length in metres

1 900 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