The Good Soldier Švejk
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1926Production year
1925—1926Premiere
12 February 1926Runtime
111 minDirector
Karel LamačCategory
filmGenre
anti-war, comedy, satireTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Dobrý voják ŠvejkCzech title
Dobrý voják ŠvejkEnglish title
The Good Soldier ŠvejkSynopsis
Mrs. Müllerová brings Švejk the news of the Archduke's assissination. Švejk takes himself off to the U Kalicha pub, he philosophises about Ferdinand and the detective Bretschneider arrests him. At the interrogation Švejk admits to all his "crimes" and, after a medical examination, is taken off to a psychiatric hospital from where they send him home as an imbecile. Soon Švejk is called up into the army. Mrs Müllerová takes him in a wheelchair to report at a recruiting station. The commission takes Švejk to be a malingerer. He is cured at a military hospital with enemas and a strict diet which he breaks thanks to the delicacies brought by the baroness von Botzenheim. Švejk serves as a batman for first lieutenant Lukáš for whom he steals a dog from a colonel. The colonel meets Lukáš with the dog and has him transferred to the march battalion. On the way to Budějovice by train Švejk first verbally assaults the major general who is travelling incognito and then he stops the train with the emergency alarm chord. He is detained and has to go to Budějovice on foot. In Putim the police takes Švejk for a Russian spy. After an up-country march Švejk reports in Budějovice to Lukáš and soon they depart to the front. On one of their stops Švejk steals a chicken for Lukáš. An inspection is made of the field kitchen and the impressed old general decorates Švejk. While sitting at the fire the soldiers fondly remoniscence of their homeland.
Note
Only part of the film has survived. In 1930 director Martin Frič put together a film (3,200 metres) from another three films about Švejk (Dobrý voják Švejk/The Good Soldier Švejk, Švejk na frontě/Švejk at the Front and Švejk v ruském zajetí/Švejk in Russian Captivity), which, with the title Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka/The Fates of the Good Soldier Švejk, had its premiere on the 20th of June 1930.
Photos
Cast
Karel Noll
Josef Švejk
Antonie Nedošinská
Müllerová, Švejkova bytná
Karel Lamač
hostinský Palivec/nadporučík Lukáš
Betty Kysilková
Palivcová, manželka hostinského
Jan W. Speerger
detektiv Bretschneider/kuchař Jurajda/loupežný vrah ve vazbě
Ella Nollová
služka se psem/ruská statkářka
Vladimír Majer
plukovník Kraus von Zillergut
Josef Oliak
MUDr. Grünstein/důstojník v nemocnici
Antonín Frič
pobočník MUDr. Grünsteina
Bronislava Livia
paní Wendlerová/Kakonyová
Josef Šváb-Malostranský
manžel Wendlerové
Theodor Pištěk
blázen Ottův slovník/Baloun/feldkurát Katz /cenzura postavu vyřadila/
Slávka Tauberová
Mizzi, Lukášova milenka
Antonín Marek
sluha baronky von Botzenheim
L. H. Struna
politický vězeň/zřízenec blázince/malíř
Martin Frič
Turek ve vazbě/reportér z deníku Bohemia
Luigi Hofman
papírník ve vazbě
Jan Richter
svobodník v garnisoně/Švejkův zákazník
Milka Balek-Brodská
Švejkova zákaznice
Svatopluk Innemann
Švejkův zákazník/Kyblička
Julius Lébl
profous Slavík
Karel Švarc
lékař v blázinci
Bedřich Vrbský
lékař v blázinci
Jindřich Plachta
vojenská stráž
Jaroslav Marvan
strážník
Jindřich Fiala
strážník
Alois Charvát
portýr z noční vinárny/generál-inspektor na přehlídce/Kakony
Vladimír Smíchovský
vyšetřující komisař
J. Hlava
intelektuál ve vazbě
Josef Volman
komisař
Jan Zelenka
vyšetřující soudce
Jára Kohout
zloděj psů
Vratislav Innemann
host v Palivcově hospodě
A. V. Ludvík
lékař
Ladislav Desenský
lékař
František Jerhot
vousatý vězeň v garnisoně
Jiří Hron
jednoročák Marek
Karolína Vávrová
drbna
Crew and creators
Director
Assistant Director
Based on
Jaroslav Hašek (Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války – román)
Screenplay
Director of Photography
Production Designer
Cooperation
Willy Ströminger (fotograf)
Production info
Original Title
Dobrý voják Švejk
Czech Title
Dobrý voják Švejk
English Title
The Good Soldier Švejk
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
anti-war, comedy, satire
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1926
Production Year
1925—1926
Production specifications
start of filming 01/1926
end of filming 02/1926
date of censorship 15 February 1926
date of censorship 01/1937 (konec povolení k promítání 1942)
withdrawal from distribution 31 August 1976
Premiere
premiere 12 February 1926 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Hvězda /2 týdny/ a Kapitol /1 týden/, Praha)
renewed premiere 8 August 1963 /unsuitable for youths/ (filmové kluby)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Gloriafilm (původní 1926), Ústřední půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1963)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
111 min
Original length in metres
3 155 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
