Karel Anton's poetic silent film A May Tale is based on an impressionistic novel by Vilém Mrštík. The film, which loosely develops in ten parts the love stories of four sisters of an old forester, Helenka, Gusta, Albína and Anna, is one of the most important works of Czech silent cinema. Under the pseudonym Petr Dolan, Jiří Voskovec made his debut as Ríša and Jarmila Horáková, a twenty-two-year-old talented actress of the National Theatre in Prague, made her debut as Gusta. After the sudden death of Ferdinand Kaňkovský (playing the forester) in August 1926, his role was completed by Rudolf Žák, whom the director tried to hide as much as possible. The future famous illustrator of children's books Helena Zmatlíková also played a small child role. Jan Žák, a Czech American, planned to release the film in the USA under the title Four Sisters, but failed due to start of sound film. In 1960, Bohumil Veselý used the footage from the filming in the documentary How films were made in our country. In 1940 had this idea also director Otakar Vávra and made a new film, starring Nataša Gollová and Svatopluk Beneš. – In the 1950’s, the missing parts of two prints with German intertitles were added to the surviving incomplete negative. Bohumil Veselý added Czech intertitles to this copy in a modern language adaptation. In 2005, a new print was copied from the original materials at the Bonton Zlín studios, with corrected Czech intertitles inserted according to the original subtitle list from the censorship file. – The restored film was returned to Czech distribution by the National Film Archive in March 2016 after almost ninety years. This version was first screened on 6 July 2015 at the Karlovy Vary Municipal Theatre as part of the 50th International Film Festival with a newly composed live musical score by the trio Neuvěřitelno. The film was later screened at the Bonn Silent Film Festival and on 26 August 2015 at the summer cinema at the Žižkov Freight Station. The film could also be screened with live accompaniment by the Neuvěřitelno trio.
In her convent school, Helenka thinks of her parental home, her family and the priest whose nephew Ríša, instead of studying, is spending his free time in pubs. Helenka's father, the forester, is fretting about the lot of his daughters. Albína is seriously ill, Gusta refuses to obey him so her father sends her to Vienna to stay with his married daughter Anna who is to keep an eye on her. Gusta, however, wanders about at night and soon allows herself to be a kept woman. She changes to such an extent that she is unable to grant the last wish of the dying Albína, that she return home. The priest invites Ríša to visit him. Helenka also returns home from the school and she meets Ríša at a ball. Because of his bad reputation, however, and refuses to have anything to do with him. Ríša promises her in a letter that he will improve himself and so they meet up several times. Helenka's father believes that Ríša is only being frivolous in his intentions with his daughter and so he asks the priest to send Ríša back to Prague. After a dramatic farewell with Helenka, Ríša leaves. After he completes his studies he returns to Helenka.
During the filming, Ferdinand Kaňkovský, actor playing the part of the forester, died suddenly in August 1926. Rudolf Žák completed a few scenes for him (the village ball). However, he was shot mainly with his back facing the camera. Working shots are included in the film How films were made in our country (put together by Bohumil Veselý, 1954).
In 2005 the film was reconstructed by National Film Archive with Ateliéry Bonton Zlín.
lesník
lesník
lesníkova žena
lesníkova dcera Helenka
lesníkova dcera Gusta
lesníkova dcera Albína
lesníkova nejstarší dcera Anna
student práv Ríša Gregor
student, Ríšův přítel
farář v Ostrovačicích, Ríšův strýc
farářova hospodyně Kačka
Ríšova bytná, vdova po úředníkovi
číšnice u Primasů zvaná Kudrnáček
lesníkova hospodyně Marta
Albínin přítel Jenyš
Jenyšova matka
důstojník kapitán H. Nikolaus von Rittenburg zvaný Niki
poštmistrová
dcera poštmistrové Cilka
obecní strážník
manžel lesníkovy dcery Anny
lékař
student
pasák holek
lehká holka
lesníkova dcera Helenka jako dítě
Josef, milý hospodyně Kačky
vousatý muž na plese
žena na plese
host ve vídeňské krčmě
on sám, reálná postava
on sám, reálná postava
Vilém Mrštík (Pohádka máje – román)
Fotoatelier Dítě (fotograf)
Pohádka máje
Pohádka máje
A May Tale
film
featuretheatrical distribution
melodrama
Czechoslovakia
1926
1926
premiere 25 December 1926 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Adria /2 týdny/ a Hvězda /1 týden/, Praha)
renewed premiere 10 March 2016 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Julius Schmitt (původní 1926), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2016)
feature film
115 min
3 818 meters
35mm, DCP 2-D, DVD, BRD
1:1,33
black & white
silent
Czech
without dialogue
without subtitles
Czech
Czech