Song of Life

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1924

Production year

1924

Runtime

76 min

Category

film

Genre

melodrama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Píseň života

Czech title

Píseň života

English title

Song of Life

Parallel title

Poslední píseň

English parallel title

The Last Song

Synopsis

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 (K-A 576,8 m) 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).

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

Screenstory

Jan Morávek

Director of Photography

Otto Heller

Production Designer

Vilém Rittershain

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

Orbisfilm

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Chicago-Film

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