Only a Step

A tragicomic story from the film environment which tells of a man who plays the double for a famous film actor while he dreams of becoming a star himself. In the end circumstances dictate that he become a star - not a serious actor as he had wished, but a film comic. (Based on the press reports of the time)

The sportsman Jan Kaliba works as a film double of a famous Gustav Allan, who is usually casted as a lover, but Kaliba aspires to be an actor of tragedies, rather than just Allan's double. Kaliba gets frustrated as he is not successful with his goal to be cast in a tragedy and since because of his similarity to Allan, he only gets to be Allan's film double. Allan refuses to finish film Don Juan of Prague that he has been working on, because the directors of Luxfilm do not want to cast actress Larusová. On the contrary, he accepts another offer from Luxfilm's competitor Kompasfilm. Thanks to the press officer Martinová Kaliba goes to the acting rehearsal for Allan's role. However, his acting skills turn out to be unintentionally comic. At the grand premiere of the film his scenes make people laugh. His dream to become an actor in tragedies is over. The man is devastated, but his “comic” performance is appreciated by the audience and the critics. Šorm offers him a contract for three films, where he would play the lead comedy role. He declines at first, but his fiancée Martinová along with other filmmakers make him change his mind. As a great comedy actor, he can bring joy into the people’s lives and help them handle difficult situations. Tragedy is only a step away from comedy. (Based on the original script)