It’s very unlikely that a discussion over which Czech fairytale movies might enjoy timeless popularity would overlook this renowned feature, a 1973 motion picture made by Václav Vorlíček. Actually a Czech-German co-production, it was released as the first of three classically interpreted fairytales created by Vorlíček, a well-known director of popular fantasy entertainments (1977 brought Jak se budí princezny – The Best Way of Waking Up Princesses; 1978 saw the distribution of Princ a Večernice – The Prince and the Evening Star). Much of the credit for Tři oříšky pro Popelku (Three Nuts for Cinderella) goes to the screenwriter František Pavlíček. As he had fallen out of favour with the communist regime, Pavlíček was barred from participating in cultural activities. Nevertheless, he wrote the screenplay and proceeded to hide behind the name of his colleague, Bohumila Zelenková, in the film credits. Previously, for the film Princ Bajaja (Prince Bayaya, 1971), Eva Košlerová lent him her name in the same fashion. To script Tři oříšky pro Popelku, Pavlíček sensitively intertwined two tales by 19th century Czech writer Božena Němcová: O Popelce (About Cinderella) and O třech sestrách (About Three Sisters). Simultaneously, he ensured the protagonists were enhanced with more complex motives and more attractive pastimes and predilections. Director Vorlíček’s Popelka (“Cinderella”), masterfully interpreted by Libuše Šafránková, may be a poor, scorned servant in the opulent home of her stepmother, but she knows how to ride a horse, shoot a crossbow and hunt. Next to the emancipated heroine, who also cuts a convincing presence in male clothing, Pavel Trávníček’s prince comes across as a devil-may-care young man, more interested in having fun with his friends than in marriage and courtly duties. The determined beauty, who makes a dazzling appearance at the royal ball at which the noble young man is supposed to find a bride, gives her beloved a much-needed lesson in independence and maturity... This mildly modernised fairytale is somewhat modest when it comes to true magic: the only supernatural elements are the heroine’s animal friends and the titular hazlenuts, which magic up the outfit the heroine requires to win the Prince’s heart. Alongside the Czech actors (with Šafránková at the fore, Trávníček playing her princely suitor and Vladimír Menšík performing as the energetic farmhand Vincek), the German contribution to the cast includes Rolf Hoppe as the king, Karin Lesch as the queen and Carola Braunbock as Cinderella’s uncharitable stepmother. Karel Svoboda’s song Kdepak ty ptáčku hnízdo máš (Where is your nest little bird?), recorded for the film by Karel Gott, achieved cult status.
The owners of a large estate are getting ready for the arrival of the king and his suite. The mistress of the estate and her daughter Dora, whose beauty leaves a lot to be desired, have titivated their looks to impress the young prince, for whom the king and queen are seeking a bride. Dora's step-sister, Popelka (Cinderella), was cast out to live with the servants, but her beauty and warm-hearted manner earned her the love of all - people as well as animals. Only her step-mother and Dora hate her. Just before the king's arrival, Popelka sticks up for a cook's young apprentice and as a punishment, she has to pick peas out of a bowl of cinder. As the pigeons offer their help, Popelka can enjoy a ride on her beloved horse called Jurášek. In a forest, she meets three young hunters, whose hunt she spoils. The prince, one of the hunters, admires Popelka's courage and skill. In the meantime, Popelka's step-mother compels the invitation to a ball from the king. After the king's departure, she sends her servant Vincek to a nearby town to buy jewels and cloth for new dresses. Popelka gets only three hazel nuts, which she hides among her treasures in the granary. One of the hazelnuts falls and cracks open to unfold a beautiful hunter's suit. Popelka puts it on and takes Jurášek for a ride. In the forest she again meets the prince and his friends. As she is brilliant with her cross-bow, she wins the shooting competition and disappears. In the evening, after Dora with her mother leave for the ball, Popelka cracks the second magic nut, which reveals a beautiful dress, and she goes to join the ball at the royal chateau. She is the most stunning beauty of all and the prince falls in love with her. Popelka, however, asks him riddles, which should reveal her true identity to the prince. As the prince cannot answer, Popelka runs away. During her escape, she loses her shoe. The prince follows her all the way to the estate, where he demands to see all young girls in residence and by trying on the shoe, he wants to find Popelka. However, Popelka has been imprisoned by the step-mother and Dora's foot is too big for the shoe. Popelka manages to escape, she puts on a wedding dress that she found in the last third magic nut and rides on Jurášek into the fields. When the prince catches up with her, Popelka helps him to answer the crucial questions and accepts the prince's proposal of marriage.
In the introductory titles of the film Bohumila Zelenková her name be used instead of the screenplay writer František Pavlíček, who could not be credited as the author at the time for political reasons. This theme had already been treated in a Czech film under the title Cinderella (1929; directed by Josef Kokeisl).
Popelka
Voice by Petr Svojtka
princ
Voice by Jaroslava Adamová
statkářka, Popelčina nevlastní matka
Voice by Otto Šimánek
král
Voice by Květa Fialová
královna
Dora, Popelčina nevlastní sestra
preceptor
pobočník Kamil
pobočník Vítek
čeledín Vincek
hospodyně Rozi
tlustá nápadnice Droběna z Ouklova
Voice by Mirko Musil
šafář
lovčí
kuchtík
trpaslík
Barborka
baronka Adelajda z Kratihájů
hodnostář
hodnostář
hodnostář
Voice by Miloš Vavruška
ceremoniář
hraběnka ze Žemlova
manželka ministra
manželka ministra
služka
šlechtic
šlechtična
lovec
pekař/čeledín
pekař/čeledín
řemeslník
čeledín s pečení
čeledín s pochodní
děvečka s dížemi
dívka s kuřaty
dubl za Carolu Braunbockovou
hlas čeledína
Jaroslav Pour, Michael Englberger
Petr Špás, Peter Bohnenstengel, Jiřina Vaňková
František Pavlíček (pod jménem Bohumily Zelenkové)
Božena Němcová (O Popelce – pohádka)
František Pavlíček (pod jménem Bohumily Zelenkové), Václav Vorlíček
Antonín Šimral
František Straka, Bedřich Čermák, Herbert Rother
Vladimír Petřina, Otto Banse, Hannelore Petzold, Libuše Machková
Renée Lavecká, Josef Mojžíš, Harald Andreas, Věra Winkelhöferová
Vlasta Mathauserová
František Michálek (jezdectví)
Olga Hrčková (klapka), Jaromír Komárek (fotograf)
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček), Orchestr Ladislava Štaidla (Music Conducted by Ladislav Štaidl)
Song Composer Karel Svoboda
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Štaidl
Singer Karel GottVokální soubor Lubomíra Pánka
Song Composer Karel Svoboda
Singer Libuše Šafránková [dab]Jitka Molavcová
Tři oříšky pro Popelku
Tři oříšky pro Popelku
Three Nuts for Cinderella
Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel
film
featuretheatrical distribution
fairytale
Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic
1973
1973
literary Screenplay approved 9 June 1972
technical Screenplay approved 14 November 1972
start of filming 11 December 1972
end of filming 29 March 1973
the first film copy approved 30 May 1973
projection approval 14 June 1973
end of filming 19 June 1973
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1995
gala premiere 26 October 1973 (kino Sevastopol, Praha)
premiere 16 November 1973 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
premiere 20 December 1973 /suitable for youths/ (kino Sevastopol, Praha)
renewed premiere 17 December 2015 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1973), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2015)
Dramaturgická skupina Oty Hofmana, Ota Hofman (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Zakázková skupina, Václav Cajthaml (vedoucí Zakázkové skupiny), Berlin (DEFA)
feature film
85 min
2 370 meters
16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 40. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež Zlín
2000
Zlín / Czech Republic
Václav Vorlíček
Event: Televizní anketa diváků o nejpopulárnější českou filmovou komedii století – anketa České televize a Týdeníku Televize Volíme veselohru století
1998
Praha / Czech Republic
Festival: 30. dětský filmový a televizní festival Oty Hofmana Ostrov
1998
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czech Republic
Festival: 2. mezinárodní filmový festival Manila
1983
Manila / Philippines
Filmové studio Barrandov
Festival: 15. mezinárodní filmový festival Panama
1977
Panama / Panama
Karel Svoboda
Festival: 14. festival filmů pro děti Gottwaldov
1974
Zlín / Czechoslovakia
Festival: 12. festival českých a slovenských filmů Nitra
1974
Nitra / Czechoslovakia
Exhibition: 5. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov nad Ohří
1973
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia
Pavel Trávníček
Exhibition: 5. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov nad Ohří
1973
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia
Libuše Šafránková
Exhibition: 5. národní přehlídka filmů pro děti Ostrov nad Ohří
1973
Ostrov nad Ohří / Czechoslovakia