The Secret of the Gold Buddha

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production year

1972

Premiere

1 June 1973

Runtime

99 min

Director

Dušan Klein

Category

film

Genre

crime

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Tajemství zlatého Buddhy

Czech title

Tajemství zlatého Buddhy

English title

The Secret of the Gold Buddha

Summary

Novelist Josef Nesvadba’s science fiction works have several times been adapted for the big screen. But the book that serves as a template for Tajemství zlatého Buddhy (The Secret of the Gold Buddha) is something of an exception for the author, presenting, as it does, a crime story set during the realities of the 1890s. Directed by Dušan Klein – whose filmography underscores a penchant for the detective genre – this 1973 film tells the story of the family machinations of a wealthy factory owner in north Bohemia. That owner, Riessig, has his rich aunt declared not legally competent. But a gold Buddha statue conceals evidence that the doctors involved in the wrongful diagnosis were bribed. Meanwhile, a group of textile workers, sick of exploitation at the hands of their greedy boss, go on strike. Otakar Brousek takes the lead role as the wicked factory owner, while his unfortunate auntie is played by Blanka Waleská.

Synopsis

The Svahov factory owner Riessig celebrates the engagement with a sugar mill owner's daughter. Due to her dowry he broke away from madam von Waldberg. He let his old aunt baroness declared insane. A clerk of a co-operative Oul, Janata, got secretly a gold statuette of Buddha from her. It is 1871 and Krasl, a teacher, tells his pupils in Prague about the liberal times in which they are lucky to live. The workers working for Riessig work fourteen hours a day for poor wages. Their strike ends up in police shooting after which several people were wounded and shot dead. The political leader Herrmann sends Krasl to Svahov. Janata was shot dead and it seems the bullet came out by mistake during the fights. The teacher Krasl learns, contrary to neglected investigation, that Janata had been killed. The victim's daughter Albína is afraid that her lover Zeman will be accused of the crime and she rather gets in his way. Before his escape, Zeman got money from Riessig for the information about who has got the Buddha statuette. He wants to extort Riessig and Riessig lets him killed by the police. Madam von Waldberg discloses Krasl that the statuette contained documents proving that the psychiatrists having declared the rich baroness insane had been bribed. The factory owner lets Janata's house set on fire. Krasl, however, finds the statuette hidden in a beehive in the garden. He submits the found documents to Herrmann. The corruptible politician gives the only evidence, proving the factory owner's guilt, directly to Riessig. Krasl is transfered to a remote village school where he tells children about the liberal times.

Film online

Cast

Eduard Cupák

učitel František Krasl

Otakar Brousek

baron Riessig, majitel textilky

Blanka Waleská

baronka, Riessigová teta

Jana Preissová

Albína Janatová

Milena Dvorská

von Waldbergová, baronova milenka

Václav Postránecký

dělník Jarek Zeman, Albínin milý

Josef Mixa

dělník Scheu

Jaroslava Tichá

Scheuova manželka

Stanislav Zindulka

dělník Jouza

Ilja Prachař

starosta Melichar

Antonín Hardt

strážmistr

Bohumil Šmída

četník Šulc

Milan Sandhaus

Janata, činovník družstva Oul

Alena Kreuzmannová

Rieberkreuzerová

Josef Karlík

politický předák JUDr. Herrmann

Jarmila Horská

Duriniová

Oldřich Velen

ředitel školy

Hana Packertová

prostitutka v hotelu

Viktor Očásek

Voice by Vlastimil Brodský
velkoobchodník Artur Schlieffer

Jan Kraus

výrostek

Leoš Kaltofen

recepční

Marie Cingrošová

Melicharová

Emil Rohan

kočí dostavníku

René Přibil

mladík v dostavníku

Pavel Osif

dragoun

Pavel Rusý

dragoun

Hana Merhautová

venkovská žena

Jarmila Nedvídková

venkovská žena

Jiřina Zemanová

venkovská žena

Jan Zetek

četník

Bohumil Procházka

dělník

Růžena Novotná

manželka raněného

Libuše Chrastilová

tanečnice

Ivan Martin

tanečník

Dana Špédlová

tanečnice

Václav Brouček

tanečník

Zdeněk Munzar

dirigent orchestru

Josef Krásný

hudebník v kavárně

Pavel Vondruška

hudebník v kavárně

Vladimír Janota

hudebník

Pavel Kandrik

hudebník

Miroslav Odvárko

hudebník

Jiří Schenzer

hudebník

Josef Janoušek (2)

lokaj

Ladislav Schwarz

lokaj

Vlastimila Vlková

starší žena

Miroslav Jíra

dubl za Eduarda Cupáka

Crew and creators

Director

Dušan Klein

Second Unit Director

Helena Rohanová

Assistant Director

Milan Klacek

Continuity

Jana Novotná

Based on

Josef Nesvadba (Tajemství zlatého Buddhy – román)

Shooting Script

Dušan Klein

Director of Photography

Jiří Stöhr

Second Unit Photography

Rudolf Holan

Production Designer

Milan Nejedlý

Assistent Production Designer

Josef Kraus

Set Designer

Jaroslav Chytrý, Jan Hodný, Karel Kočí

Costume Designer

Fernand Vácha

Assistant Film Editor

Helena Lehovcová

Sound Designer

Jiří Kejř

Production Manager

Jiří Beránek

Unit Production Manager

Vlasta Synkulová, Jaroslav Vágner

Unit Production Manager

Jiří Ostrý

Cooperation

Jana Vohryzková (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Svatopluk Havelka

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Production info

Original Title

Tajemství zlatého Buddhy

Czech Title

Tajemství zlatého Buddhy

English Title

The Secret of the Gold Buddha

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

crime

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1973

Production Year

1972

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 11 April 1972
start of filming 15 May 1972
technical Screenplay approved 16 June 1972
end of filming 1 December 1972
projection approval 12 April 1973
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1986

Premiere

premiere 24 May 1973 /suitable for youths/ (kino Kosmos, Praha)
premiere 1 June 1973 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Zdeňka Dufka, Zdeněk Dufek (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Výrobní skupina Jiřího Šebora, Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

99 min

Original length in metres

2 520 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech