The Court of God
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1938Production year
1938Premiere
6 January 1939Runtime
90 minDirector
Jiří SlavíčekCategory
filmGenre
dramaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Soud božíCzech title
Soud božíEnglish title
The Court of GodProtectorate parallel title
GottesgerichtWorking title
Boží soudSynopsis
Foltýn the forester is sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting dead a poacher called Bárta; the conviction was based on the testimony of the farmer Vávra. Foltýn's fiancée Terezka later marries Vávra. One child is born in their rather unhappy marriage, Liduška. Bárta's widow brings up her son Antonín with financial help given by Vávra. Twenty years pass. Liduška and Antonín fall in love with each other and get engaged. Foltýn returns to the village, the remainder of his term having been pardoned. He is determined to find Bárta's real murderer. The cobbler Hejda, who has been suffering from pangs of conscience, tells Foltýn that the murderer was Vávra. When Terezka learns of her husband's guilt she begs Foltýn to keep quiet about it so as to avoid publicly shaming Liduška. Foltýn is implacable, however, and at long last Vávra admits he must be punished for his crime. He asks Foltýn to wait till after the wedding of Antonín and Liduška. During the wedding ceremony Vávra disappears and tries to make good his escape. But when he sees Foltýn approaching him, he shoots himself. Thus justice triumphs and Foltýn, appeased, departs.
Photos
Cast
František Kreuzmann
sedlák a hostinský Petr Vávra
Světla Svozilová
Terezka Procházková, později Vávrova žena
Věra Gabrielová
Liduška, dcera Vávrových
Otomar Korbelář
lesník Jan Foltýn
Vladimír Šmeral
brusič skla Antonín Bárta
Ella Nollová
Bártova matka
František Kovářík
obuvník Hejda
Václav Trégl
kočí u Vávrů Tomeš
Marie Hálová
děvečka u Vávrů Bětuška
Jaroslav Marvan
předseda soudu
Miloš Nedbal
obhájce
Antonín Kandert
státní návladní
Fráňa Vajner
soudní sluha
Josef Waltner
přísedící u soudu
Ferdinand Kohout
přísedící u soudu
František Kratina
přísedící u soudu
Antonín Volný
přísedící u soudu
Jaroslav Vávra
oddávající kněz
Gabriel Hart
lékař
Crew and creators
Director
Based on
Jiří Hora (Bártova pomsta – divadelní hra)
Screenplay
Director of Photography
Production Designer
Set Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Cooperation
Antonín Frič (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Orchestr F.O.K. (Music Conducted by Jiří Fiala)
Production info
Original Title
Soud boží
Czech Title
Soud boží
English Title
The Court of God
Protectorate Parallel Title
Gottesgericht
Working Title
Boží soud
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1938
Production Year
1938
Production specifications
start of filming 30 November 1938
date of censorship 12/1938
end of filming 14 December 1938
date of censorship 04/1940
date of censorship 29 June 1943 (predikáty „lidově vzdělavatelský film“ a „film pro Den hrdinů“)
withdrawal from distribution 04/1945
date of censorship 09/1945 (konec povolení k promítání 31. 3. 1947)
withdrawal from distribution 29 January 1946
Premiere
premiere 6 January 1939 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Máj /1 týden/ a Ráj /1 týden/, Praha)
renewed premiere 29 September 1945 /unsuitable for youths/
Production
With support
Copyright Holders
Studio
Laboratories
Distribution
AB (původní 1939), Státní půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1945)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
90 min
Original length in metres
2 560 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
