The Golden Spider

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1956

Production year

1956

Premiere

22 February 1957

Runtime

77 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Zlatý pavouk

Czech title

Zlatý pavouk

English title

The Golden Spider

Synopsis

May 1945. A truck packed with prisoners liberated from a concentration camp arrives at a North-Bohemian city. The local Miroslav Hruška recognizes his old friend Oldřich Valta among the people in the truck. However, armed SS-men are hiding among the prisoners. The truck stops, the prisoners run off in disarray, there is an exchange of fire. Hruška neutralizes the German soldiers with a grenade. In a deserted attic, one of the shot Germans leaves behind a rucksack with gold jewellery stolen from the prisoners. Hruška finds the rucksack and keeps it. In 1948, Hruška is a wealthy dentist running a luxurious surgery. He marries the young naive Marie. He sells part of the gold to the then-manufacturer Halouzka who is later shot while illegally crossing the border. Valta, now an investigator in the police corps, arrives to the town with the aim of revealing the source of Halouzka's gold. He stays at Hruška's, but is surprised to find that the trail leads to his friend. Marie receives a golden locket in the shape of a small spider from her husband. Her doctor tells her that his wife who died in the concentration camp wore the same locket. Marie tells this to her husband and is shocked by his furious reaction. The dentist tries to flee, but is caught in the act and arrested.

Cast

Robert Vrchota

dentista Miroslav Hruška

Jana Brejchová

Marie, Hruškova manželka

Josef Bek

poručík SNB Oldřich Valta

Oldřich Nový

barman Charlie

Jarmila Kurandová

Mariina babička

Rudolf Deyl ml.

staršina VB Čermák

Martin Růžek

bývalý továrník Halouzka

Walter Taub

MUDr. Fischer

Věra Kalendová

ošetřovatelka

František Marek

příslušník SS s batohem

Bohuslav Ličman

příslušník SS z nákladního auta

Vladimír Majer

příslušník SS na nákladním autě

Rudolf Široký

vyslýchající gardista

Jan Víšek

vyslýchající gardista

Arnošt Faltýnek

strýc Karel

Martin Raus

opilý host Karlíček

Karel Šott ml.

opilý host

Stanislav Strnad

opilý host

J. O. Martin

hradlař na trati

Václav Švec

strýček

Viktor Očásek

zubní lékař MUDr. J. Novák, odvedený kolaborant

J. Koutná

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milada Řeháková

Assistant Director

Alena Nová, Jiří Mařas

Director of Photography

Jaroslav Tuzar

Second Unit Photography

Jan Novák

Camera Operator

Adolf Hejzlar

Production Designer

Chrudoš Uher

Assistent Production Designer

Jaroslav Krška

Set Designer

Karel Kočí

Costume Designer

Karel Postřehovský

Film Editor

Miroslav Hájek

Sound Designer

Emanuel Formánek

Production Manager

Josef Ouzký

Unit Production Manager

Vratislav Innemann

Consultant

dr. Vavro Oravec, kpt. Jaromír Malý

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Šust

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Karel Vlach)

Production info

Original Title

Zlatý pavouk

Czech Title

Zlatý pavouk

English Title

The Golden Spider

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1956

Production Year

1956

Production specifications

projection approval 21 December 1956
withdrawal from distribution 1 April 1966

Premiere

premiere 22 February 1957 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /7 týdnů/, Bystrica /1 týden/, Svornost /1 týden od 1. 3./, Oko /1 týden od 8. 3./, Arbes /1 týden od 15. 3./, Aero /1 týden od 22. 3./ a Mír /1 týden od 29. 3./, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Creative Group

Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Daniel, František Daniel (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

77 min

Original length in metres

2 195 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech