The Seamstress

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1936

Production year

1936

Premiere

27 November 1936

Runtime

86 min

Director

Martin Frič

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Švadlenka

Czech title

Švadlenka

English title

The Seamstress

Working title

Švadlenky z Prahy

Synopsis

Talented fashion designer Líza Bártová is training to be a dressmaker in the Yvette salon, Prague, with her friend Tonka. One day she meets a young man who introduces himself as Jan Tomáš Krejčí, whom she takes, because of his last name (meaning "Tailor"), to be a colleague. The Parisian fashion designer Francois Lorrain, visiting Prague, likes Líza's designs and buys them from her at a low price. Lorrain keeps a demanding lover, Mici. Líza becomes close friends with Tomáš and Tonka starts to go out with Lorrain's secretary Alfons. Tomáš happens to find a letter from Lorrain to Líza and in a fit of jealousy leaves her. Lorrain also thinks Tomáš is a taylor. So as not to lose Líza's cheap designs, Mici tells her Tomáš is the father of her (in fact non-existent) child. Líza, disappointed, goes by car to Paris with Lorrain. On the way she notices a car factory which bears the name Jan Tomáš Krejčí. She screeches in surprise and Lorrain crashes. The factory hands and Tomáš run out to help. The misunderstandings are quickly cleared up. Lorrain, who in shock forgets how to speak French, turns out to be a tailor from Vokovice.

Cast

Lída Baarová

švadlenka Líza Bártová

Theodor Pištěk

hodinář Bárta, Lízin otec

Ludmila Babková

Lízina matka

Hugo Haas

pařížský král módy François Lorraine

Bedřich Veverka

Alfons, Lorrainův sekretář

Adina Mandlová

Mici, Lorrainova milenka

Růžena Šlemrová

majitelka salonu Yvette

Věra Ferbasová

švadlenka Tonka

Václav Trégl

školník Houžvička, otec Tonky

Vladimír Borský

majitel továrny na auta Jan Tomáš

Jaroslav Marvan

profesor učitelského ústavu

Eman Fiala

noční hlídač

Milka Balek-Brodská

příbuzná Lízy

Miloš Šubrt

příbuzný Lízy

Eliška Jílková

příbuzná Lízy

Pavla Stolzová

hostinská

Karel Němec

telegrafní posel

Jan W. Speerger

krejčí Jana Tomáše Krejčího

Darja Hajská

švadlenka s copy

Jožka Šaršeová

švadlenka

Julius Baťha

vrátný v hotelu Imperial

Václav Menger

průvodčí v autobusu

Rudolf Stahl

novinář

Felix Kühne

novinář

Jiří Hron

novinář

Alois Dvorský

majitel starého auta

Crew and creators

Director

Martin Frič

Director of Photography

Ferdinand Pečenka

Production Designer

Štěpán Kopecký

Set Designer

Arnold Reimann

Sound Designer

Josef Zora

Production Manager

Josef Stein, Antonín Procházka

Cooperation

Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Julius Kalaš

Music Performed by

Orchestr F.O.K. (Music Conducted by Julius Kalaš)

Songs

Krásný vzhled je na ten boží svět /Sláva, sláva, vlasti milená/

Singer dívčí sbor

Production info

Original Title

Švadlenka

Czech Title

Švadlenka

English Title

The Seamstress

Working Title

Švadlenky z Prahy

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1936

Production Year

1936

Production specifications

start of filming 24 June 1936
end of filming 9 July 1936
date of censorship 09/1936
withdrawal from distribution 02/1940
date of censorship 02/1940 (neschváleno do distribuce)

Premiere

premiere 27 November 1936 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Adria /2 týdny/ a Juliš /2 týdny/, Praha)

Production

Ufa

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Ufa

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

86 min

Original length in metres

2 447 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

Tobis – Klang

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech