The director Zdeněk Podskalský began his successful comedy career of the 1960s with an incisive comic satire inspired by a short story from writer Karel Michal, Jak Pupenec ke štěstí přišel (How Pupenec Found Happiness). Michal, who was screenwriter for the film, developed the original anecdotal tale into a complex form, which changed Bilá paní (The White Lady) into a chillingly venomous parable about Czechoslovak society at that time. In Michal’s story, a kindly castle ghost – the noblewoman Perchta – in the socialist milieu becomes a victim of lying and greedy communist bosses, who cannot countenance the existence of miracles, which could highlight their own incompetence. At the same time, they con citizens, who know the truth, but who feel like they should go along with everything that’s required of them in front of their neighbours, including their nearest and dearest. Consequently, because a bridge is missing, they eventually “cross” the river with the motto “Shut up and swim.” The hero of the story, the castellan Jindřich Pupenec (played by Vlastimil Brodský) tries in vain to resist the reigning insanity with reason based on healthy belief. Conversely, Percha’s magic formula, “Believe, but think twice about whom you believe,” takes the indestructible eponymous character to Prague Castle – the notional seat of state power – in a symbolic finale. The censors sent Podskalský’s movie to the so-called vault reserved for films that were not permitted to disrupt the civil ethos of the “normalisation” era of Soviet entrenchment that prevailed after the Warsaw Pact invasion. Nonetheless, this charming film is still one of those ageless movies that represent a genre counterweight to the artistic works of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Irena Kačírková also exhibits plenty of charm in the title role, while Rudolf Hrušínský and Miloš Kopecký play the communist manipulators in the fictional village of Komonice with plenty of élan.
In the village of Komonice, lying under the castle of the same name, a miracle comes to pass. One day, the beautiful Perchta, called the White Lady of Komonice, steps out from a painting and, giving her ear to the wishes of the retired peasant Blažková, installs a water-supply system in her house. That night was the castle visited by a group of tipsy local citizens who argued about whether the White Lady really walks around the castle at night under the full moon. Castellan Pupenec deciphered the inscription on the painting with the White Lady - "Trust, but Measure Whom You Trust" - and said the formula out loud. Subsequently, he was the only one to witness Perchta's activities. The life in the village is turned upside down. The chairman of the Municipal National Committee and his secretary suspect each other for their populist policy toward the local citizens, and a special committee from a ministry is dispatched to visit the village. And there appears yet another White Lady on the castle fortification - the waitress Andula who was sent there in a theatre costume by the secretary who wanted to have his revenge on the committee's chairman. The committee, however, witnesses the real Perchta stepping out of the painting. Because it is inappropriate for shortcomings in work to be solved by supernatural means, the Prague delegation steals the painting and stores it in the depository. The bridge which the White Lady was yet to build, is thus missing over the river, although the celebration of the event has been already scheduled and must take place. To the sounds of the band the citizens of the village throw themselves to the water in the very place where the bridge was to be raised, and swim. Only the White Lady does not let herself be bound - she walks right through the bars...
kastelán Jindřich Pupenec
předseda MNV František
tajemník MNV
Perchta z Borštejna zvaná Bílá paní komonická
servírka Andula
pracovník zvláštního oddělení Ministerstva školství a kultury Alois Kudrna
referent dr. Tomeček
psychiatr MUDr. Boukal
Anežka, Pupencova žena
řídící učitel
Pepík, přednosta úřadu na ministerstvu
výměnkářka Blažková, uklízečka na hradě
Blažek, manžel uklízečky
farář Vaněček
okrskář, rotný VB
převozník děda Rejsek
Pepík
děda
Voice by Josef Hlinomaz /pouze v exteriérových scénách/
Kalous
hostinský
vedoucí komunálu
drůbežářka
nápověda
zaměstnanec komunálu
zaměstnanec komunálu
zaměstnanec komunálu
zaměstnanec komunálu
Voice by Josef Hlinomaz
zaměstnanec komunálu
zaměstnanec komunálu
náčelník hasičů
sekretářka
redaktor Hlasatele
úředník komunálu
úředník komunálu
úředník komunálu
úředník komunálu
úředník na ministerstvu
starší syn Pupencových
mladší syn Pupencových
dcera Pupencových
host v hospodě
host v hospodě
host v hospodě
řidič
soused
loutkoherečka
loutkoherečka
loutkoherec
loutkoherec
loutkoherečka
loutkoherečka
Mojmír Ticháček
Karel Michal (Jak Pupenec k štěstí přišel – povídka ze sbírky Bubáci pro všední den)
Josef Calta, Ludmila Sovová, Miloš Sršeň
František Šindelář, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty)
Jaroslav Jaroš, Vlasta Synkulová
Jaroslava Götzová, Ladislav Dražan
Emanuela Peterová (klapka), Karel Šebík (fotograf)
Orchestr Karla Vlacha (Music Conducted by Karel Vlach), FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Singer sbor
Singer sbor
Song Composer Rudolf Nováček
Bílá paní
Bílá paní
The White Lady
film
featuretheatrical distribution
comedy, satire
Czechoslovakia
1965
1964
literary Screenplay approved 12 December 1963
technical Screenplay approved 15 April 1964
start of filming 17 July 1964
end of filming 21 December 1964
projection approval 23 April 1965
withdrawal from distribution 6 April 1973
premiere 17 September 1965 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Jalta /7 týdnů/, Kotva /3 týdny/, Oko /1 týden od 8. 10./, Flora /1 týden od 15. 10./ a Mír /1 týden od 22. 10./, Praha)
premiere 24 September 1965 /unsuitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Tvůrčí skupina Feix – Brož, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Karel Feix (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
feature film
91 min
2 596 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
black & white
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech