The Bartered Bride
Country
Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of GermanyCopyright
1975Production year
1975Premiere
23 January 1976Runtime
114 minDirector
Václav KašlíkCategory
filmGenre
operaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Prodaná nevěstaCzech title
Prodaná nevěstaEnglish title
The Bartered BrideCo-production title
Die Verkaufte BrautSummary
In 1962, director Václav Kašlík realised the televised versions of two classic Czech operas: Rusalka (The Water Nymph) and Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride). He subsequently returned to the latter work, the favourite creation of Bedřich Smetana, in 1975 for a German-Czech film coproduction. Kašlík situates the love story of Mařenka and Jeník amid picturesque South Bohemian landscapes. He casts actors, but their words are sung by opera singers. The director, together with German cameraman Karel Steiberger, attempts to make the opera less static through the use of a moving camera. The acting of Vanda Švarcová (Mařenka), Čestmír Řanda (Kecal), Ladislav Pešek (the ringmaster) and Václav Sloup (Vašek) enhances the film. The Czech version is sung by Gabriela Beňačková (Mařenka), Ivo Žídek (Jeník) and Karel Berman (Kecal). In the German version, the sung parts are undertaken by René Kollo, Teresa Stratas and Walter Berry.
Synopsis
At the village green a country festival is starting and the dancing villagers are singing a song Come, then Let Us All Be Merry. Pretty Mařenka Krušinová is sad, for her parents invited the marriage broker and a bridegroom with his parents. But the girl is in love with Jeník, to whom she affirms faithful love. Once, Jeník's mother died and the second wife of his father drove him from home out to the world. The marriage broker Kecal exalts to the Krušinas the bridegroom Vašek Mícha. However, Mařenka refuses the new suitor and when she meets the dressed up but rather dim-witted Vašek she makes him believe that his future bride is going to poison him. In the meantime, in a pub, Kecal is extolling money, youth are glorifying beer while Jeník celebrates love. The marriage broker tries to persuade the young man to renounce Mařenka in exchange for money. Finding out that Mařenka's husband is to be the son of Tobiáš Mícha, Jeník agrees and demands compensation of three hundred guilders. The villagers therefore repudiate Jeník and hurt Mařenka decides to marry Vašek. The naive Vašek lets himself be enticed by lovely Esmeralda to perform in their circus in a bear costume to take the place of the drunk comedian. The Míchas for the first time meet Jeník and it turns out that he is Mícha's elder son. Mařenka and others have already grasped Jeník's trick and they laugh at vainglorious Kecal. After stammering Vašek is coming in the bear costume, even his mother and Jeník's stepmother realize that this son of Mícha is rather immature for marriage.
Note
The film was made along with a German version: René Kollo (Jeník), Teresa Stratas (Mařenka), Walter Berry (Kecal). This theme had already been treated in a Czech film under the same title (1913; directed by Max Urban; 1922; directed by Oldřich Kmínek and 1933; directed by Svatopluk Innemann, Jaroslav Kvapil, Emil Pollert).
Film online
Photos
Cast
Vanda Švarcová
Singing Voice Gabriela Beňačková
Mařenka Krušinová
Petr Skarke
Singing Voice Ivo Žídek
Jeník
Čestmír Řanda
Singing Voice Karel Berman
dohazovač Kecal
Václav Sloup
Singing Voice Alfred Hampel
Vašek Mícha
Bedřich Prokoš
Singing Voice Jindřich Jindrák
Krušina, Mařenčin otec
Blažena Holišová
Singing Voice Libuše Márová
Ludmila Krušinová, Mařenčina matka
Jindřich Janda
Singing Voice Dalibor Jedlička
Tobiáš Mícha
Slávka Procházková
Singing Voice Růžena Radová
Háta Míchová
Ladislav Pešek
Singing Voice Milan Karpíšek
principál komediantů
Hana Packertová
Singing Voice Jana Jonášová
Esmeralda
Josef Kemr
Singing Voice Karel Hanuš
Indián
Václav Břichnáč
tanečník
Vlastimil Carda
tanečník
Karel Červinka
tanečník
Zdeněk Derka
tanečník
Zdeňka Derková
tanečnice
Jiří Drgáč
tanečník
Marie Gergiedowská
tanečnice
František Hlaváček (2)
tanečník
Jiří Hrabal
tanečník
D. Kašparovská
tanečnice
O. Kašparovský
tanečník
Jiří Linhart
tanečník
Stanislava Linhartová
tanečnice
Jiřina Machalická
tanečnice
Karel Mašek
tanečník
Ivana Michková
tanečnice
Bohumír Muchka
tanečník
Ivan Muchka
tanečník
Věra Muchková
tanečnice
Ján Novenko
tanečník
Jitka Ogounová
tanečnice
Zuzana Pomezná
tanečnice
Marcela Stamidisová
tanečnice
Marta Škodová
tanečnice
Helena Šuranská
tanečnice
Zdeňka Táborská
tanečnice
Anselma Teisingerová
tanečnice
Peter Tomašovič
tanečník
Ladislav Vašek
tanečník
Taťána Vreclová
tanečnice
Josef Dvořák
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
František Hrdlička
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
Petr Lederer
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
Antonín Loužecký
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
Vladimír Majer (hudebník)
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
Jakub Matoušek
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
František Nedvěd (2)
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
Josef Šedivý
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
Josef Štochl
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
František Štrobl
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
František Urban
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
Václav Zahrádka
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
Jiří Zeman
vesnický muzikant/hudebník v cirkuse
František Filec
hudebník v cirkuse
Jaromír Kroupa
hudebník v cirkuse
Jiří Melichar
hudebník v cirkuse
Gustav Böhm
vesničan
Vít Freyvald
vesničan
Otakar Hlavsa
vesničan
Věra Hosinová
vesničanka
Aneta Kalenská
vesničanka
Milan Klečka
vesničan
Věra Kučerová
vesničanka
Rajmund Pour
vesničan
Jiřina Pouzová
vesničanka
Marie Řihová
vesničanka
Antonín Smitka
vesničan
Maja Sládková
vesničanka
Em. Ševcová
vesničanka
Jan Štěch
vesničan
Věra Zabilková
vesničanka
Václav Záveský
vesničan
Jiřina Bestlová
vesničanka
Miroslav Burda
vesničan
Míla Šulc
vesničan na pouti
František Kokejl
hostinský
E. Kokejlová
hostinská
František Novotný
druhý hostinský
Československý státní soubor písní a tanců
Operní sbor Jihočeského divadla
Jihočeský soubor písní a tanců
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Miroslav Voštiar, Jarmila Čajová
Based on
Bedřich Smetana (Prodaná nevěsta – opera), Karel Sabina (Prodaná nevěsta – libreto opery)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Miloslav Dvořák, Karel Smrž, Jiří Žůček
Costume Designer
Make-Up Artist
Jiří Budín, Jiřina Bissingerová, Ivana Bissingerová, Daniela Svobodová, Milan Novák
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Viktor Schwarcz, Antonín Suchánek
Cooperation
Jarmila Kovtanová (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf), Václav Zamazal, A. Brodil
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Orchestr Národního divadla v Praze (Music Conducted by Jaroslav Krombholc), Sbor opery Národního divadla (Music Conducted by Jaroslav Krombholc)
Music Supervisor
Choreographer
Luboš Ogoun, Jiřina Mlíkovská
Production info
Original Title
Prodaná nevěsta
Czech Title
Prodaná nevěsta
English Title
The Bartered Bride
Co-production Title
Die Verkaufte Braut
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
opera
Origin country
Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany
Copyright
1975
Production Year
1975
Production specifications
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1991
Premiere
premiere 23 January 1976 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
gala premiere 29 January 1976 (kino Sevastopol, Praha)
premiere 29 January 1976 /suitable for youths/ (kino Sevastopol, Praha)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
114 min
Original length in metres
3 200 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech, sung
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
