Song of Life
Category
filmGenre
melodramaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Píseň životaCzech title
Píseň životaEnglish title
Song of LifeParallel title
Poslední píseňEnglish parallel title
The Last SongSynopsis
Hanička is an abandoned child who is taken into the care of an old hackney driver. After his death Hanička goes to live with the brother of her guardian and she works in a factory where the director, Mára, forces his favours upon her. One day the director tries to seduce her violently. When the girl fights back he labels her a thief. Hanička is condemned and imprisoned. Later it emerges that, years before, a mad chamberlain abducted the daughter of land-owner Zálužanský and placed her in a hackney carriage. The director Mára is shot and before he dies he admits to industrialist Silver that he had wronged Hanička. Silver intends to makes things right but Hanička has already served her time and, after she is released, she finds refuge in a gamekeeper's cottage near the Zálužanský seat. Petr, Silver's son, pays a visit to his friend Zálužanský and they both discover Hanička in the gamekeeper's cottage who bears a remarkable resemblance to Zálužanský's wife. All is explained and Hanička returns to her father to live on the estate. She is now free to marry Petr. (According to the part of the film which has survived.)
Note
The sound part of the film (print 576,8 metres) has survived in the film Blednoucí romance (A Fading Romance) made by director Miroslav J. Krňanský in 1958 by editing his films Píseň života (Song of life), Příběh jednoho dne (The Story of One Day) and Bahno Prahy (The Mire of Prague).
Photos
Cast
Karel Váňa
drožkář Havel
Růžena Hofmanová
Havlova schovanka Hana/dcera Zalužanského, Hanina sestra
Adolf Krössing
žebrák Konrád, Havlův bratr
Luigi Hofman
továrník Silver
Miloš Vávra
Silverův syn Petr
Vladimír Majer
ředitel Richard Mára
Lo Marsánová
herečka Helena Martenová
Theodor Pištěk
revírník Hard
Václav Srb
čeledín Melichar
Jan W. Speerger
JUDr. Karel Rieder
Hugo Svoboda
velkostatkář Jiří Adam Zalužanský
Saša Razov
přítel velkostatkáře Zalužanského
Josef Šváb-Malostranský
komorník u Zalužanského
Josef Volman
komorník u Martenové
Marie Veselá
chalupnice
Karel Kolár
řezník
Rudolf Stahl
šafář
Antonín Marek
zřízenec v továrně
Joe Jenčík
policejní komisař
Josef Hořánek
ředitel věznice
Václav Mlčkovský
vězeňský dozorce
Sláva Kamilov
strážník
Vojta Kittl
detektiv
Emil Dlesk
detektiv
Vlastimil Kačírek
Crew and creators
Director
Screenstory
Screenplay
Director of Photography
Production Designer
Production info
Original Title
Píseň života
Czech Title
Píseň života
English Title
Song of Life
Parallel Title
Poslední píseň
English Parallel Title
The Last Song
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
melodrama
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1924
Production Year
1924
Premiere
preview 11 October 1924 (Praha)
preview 14 November 1924 (kino Nebe /1 týden/, Plzeň)
premiere 1 May 1925 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Alma /1 týden/, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
76 min
Original length in metres
2 160 meters
Distribution carrier
35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,33
Colour
black & white
Sound
silent
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
without dialogue
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Intertitles languages
Czech
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
