Twelve Armchairs

Country

Czechoslovakia, Poland

Copyright

1933

Production year

1933

Premiere

22 September 1933

Runtime

83 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Dvanáct křesel

Czech title

Dvanáct křesel

English title

Twelve Armchairs

Co-production title

Dwanaście krzesel

Synopsis

Žižkov barber Ferdinand Šuplátko is surprised by news of an inheritance that he has been left by his aunt in Warsaw. He leaves for Warsaw but is extremely disappointed. All that is left in her empty flat are twelve antique armchairs and a painting of the dead aunt. A Warsaw antiques dealer is willing to buy them from him. Šuplátko takes them all away at once, piled up into a pyramid. He does not notice that one of them has got caught on the gates of an orphanage and remains hanging there. After he returns home he finds a letter behind the painting in which his aunt informs him that one hundred thousand dollars have been sewn into the upholstery of one of the chairs. Šuplátko rushes back to the antique shop but the chairs have already been sold. Šuplátko arranges with the antiques dealer that they will look for the chairs and then split the profits. After various adventures they eventually find the armchairs but not the money. The disappointed men walk past the orphanage which is celebrating Orphan Day. Both men listen dumbfounded to a speech given by the director: she thanks the anonymous donor for giving these abandoned children one hundred thousand dollars which had been found hidden in the lining of the upholstery.

Cast

Vlasta Burian

holič Ferdinand Šuplátko

Adolf Dymsza

starožitník Władysław Kamil Klepka

Zula Pogorzelska

ředitelka sirotčince

Wanda Jarszewska

správkyně sirotčince

Wiktor Biegański

profesor-spiritista

Stanisław Belski

Apollo Rozenmann, majitel obchodu s nábytkem

Eugeniusz Koszutski

úředník Repecki

Lo Kitay

harfenista, profesorův pomocník

Helena Zarembina

spiritistka

Hanna Parysiewicz

zaměstnankyně sirotčince

Zofia Jaroszewska

zaměstnankyně sirotčince

medvěd Viola

medvěd ve vlaku

pes Ciapek

pes v holičství

Dubbing

Martin Frič

hlas zákazníka v holičství

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Walter Schorsch, Artur Schinagel

Based on

Ilja Ilf (Dvanáct křesel – povídka), Jevgenij Petrov (Dvanáct křesel – povídka)

Director of Photography

Antoni Wawrzyniak

Production Designer

Stefan Norris

Make-Up Artist

Konrad Narkiewicz

Production Manager

Roman Miškevyč, Józef Rosen

Unit Production Manager

Václav Švarc, Artur Schinagel

Cooperation

Stephot (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Władysław Dan

Music Performed by

Symfoniczny jazz (Music Conducted by Iwo Wesby)

Songs

Pro co, na co

Song Composer Władysław Dan
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav MottlMarjan Hemar
Singer Vlasta BurianAdolf Dymsza

Mám já tohle zapotřebí

Song Composer Władysław Dan
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Mottl
Singer Vlasta Burian

Wszystko będzie dobrze

Song Composer Władysław Dan
Writer of Lyrics Marjan Hemar
Singer Adolf Dymsza

Komu se nelení, tomu se zelení

Song Composer Władysław Dan
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Mottl
Singer Vlasta Burian

Polská píseň

Singer dětský sbor

Production info

Original Title

Dvanáct křesel

Czech Title

Dvanáct křesel

English Title

Twelve Armchairs

Co-production Title

Dwanaście krzesel

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, Poland

Copyright

1933

Production Year

1933

Production specifications

date of censorship 09/1933
withdrawal from distribution 05/1940
date of censorship 05/1940 (neschváleno do distribuce)

Premiere

gala premiere 19 September 1933 (kino Fénix, Praha)
premiere 22 September 1933 /suitable for youths/ (kino Fénix /5 týdnů/, Praha)
premiere abroad 5 October 1933 (kino Casino, Varšava, Polsko)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Terra

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

83 min

Original length in metres

2 370 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,19

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

Tobis – Klang

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech, Polish

Subtitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech