Water Nymph
Country
Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of GermanyCopyright
1977Production year
1977Premiere
29 September 1978Runtime
119 minDirector
Petr WeiglCategory
filmGenre
operaTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
RusalkaCzech title
RusalkaEnglish title
Water NymphCo-production title
RusalkaSummary
Petr Weigel showed his multifarious talents as a theatrical, film and television director, and also story editor, on countless occasions. Among his most celebrated works are his mostly television adaptations of famous operas (Rusalka, Faust a Markéta, Marie Stuart, Lady Macbeth z Mcenského újezdu – Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District; Evžen Oněgin – Eugene Onegin, etc.). In 1977, Antonín Dvořák’s opera served as a testament to Weigel’s ability to transpose the theatrical stage format to the silver screen. The film tells the tragic story of a water nymph, whose love for an earthly prince leads her to assume a human form. Rusalka is one of Weigel’s most successful visualisations of a classic opera. It was made as a coproduction with West German production company Bavaria München. As with his dramatisation of the fairytale Radúz a Mahulena (Radúz and Mahulena, 1970), Weigel selected Magda Vášáryová for the lead role (however, her singing voice was dubbed by Gabriela Beňačková).
Synopsis
Water Nympf Rusalka tells her father - a water goblin in a moonlight night that she loves a human young prince who uses to come to their lake. Rusalka wants to become a human in order to gain his love. The water-goblin talks her out of it but in vain. In the end he advises her to search out the witch for help. The witch can help her but Rusalka has to pay for her desire by her own voice - she will be mute. Moreover, if she does not win the prince's love she will be damned and she will live poorly in the lake as a will-o'the - wisp. But Rusalka believes in the power of love and she walks away from the witch as a young girl. On the edge of the lake she meets the prince who falls in love with her immediately and he takes her to his castle. There will be a wedding soon. Among the wedding guests is also a beautiful, vivid foreign princess. Soon the prince is more attracted to the passionate princess than to the beautiful but mute and cold bride. The water-goblin can feel his daughter has a bad luck and he visits her in the castle garden. Rusalka tries one more time to disentangle the prince from the princess's arms, but the prince rejects her. She comes unhappy back to the lake. She has only one way out: she can expiate by killing the prince. In the meantime the princess leaves the prince. He is desperate and he sets out to search for Rusalka. He finds her changed into a spirit of death. He knows that Rusalka's arms means a death for him but nevertheless he does not hesitate one single moment...
Note
This theme had already been treated in a Czech film under the same title (1962; directed by Václav Kašlík).
Film online
Photos
Cast
Magda Vášáryová
Singing Voice Gabriela Beňačková
Rusalka
Milan Kňažko
Singing Voice Peter Dvorský
princ
Přemysl Kočí
Singing Voice Ondrej Malachovský
vodník
Jaroslava Adamová
Singing Voice Libuše Márová
ježibaba
Božidara Turzonovová
Singing Voice Milada Šubrtová
cizí kněžna
Josef Karlík
Singing Voice Jaroslav Stříška
myslivec Vaněk
Dagmar Veškrnová
Singing Voice Daniela Šounová
kuchta
Hana Packertová
Singing Voice Jana Jonášová
lesní žínka
Michaela Vítková
Singing Voice Anna Bortlová
lesní žínka
Marta Vančurová
Singing Voice Blanka Vítková
lesní žínka
René Tuček
lovec
Eva Asterová
lesní žínka
Monika Bolardová
lesní žínka
Lenka Jarošíková
lesní žínka
Johana Kavková
lesní žínka
Hana Nachtmanová
lesní žínka
Kateřina Slavická
lesní žínka
Zuzana Šandová-Jiráčková
lesní žínka
Monika Vjazovcová
lesní žínka
Marcela Vraná
lesní žínka
Regis Maruta
černý průvodce kněžny
Hasmiou Diah
černý průvodce kněžny
Michal Šebor
ohnivý muž/dvořan
Otto Šanda
ohnivý muž/dvořan
Daniel Wiesner
ohnivý muž/dvořan
Pavel Ždichynec
ohnivý muž
Jan Kadlec
ohnivý muž
Jaroslav Slavický
ohnivý muž
Jiří Němeček ml.
ohnivý muž/chlapec z lidu
Luboš Beneš
gardista
Jaroslav Beneš (3)
gardista
Bohumil Dlouhý
gardista
Zdeněk Haller
gardista
Miroslav Holeček
gardista
Jakub Horáček
gardista
Jiří Hospodář
gardista
Petr Jirků
gardista
Vilém Kloubek
gardista
Jiří Kosek
gardista
Zdeněk Kybal
gardista
Pavel Lehotský
gardista
Petr Makovička
gardista
Jaromír Mydlář
gardista
Vratislav Podruh
gardista
Oldřich Ptáček
gardista
Alfons Solfronk
gardista
Petr Šebestián
gardista
Jiří Vach
gardista
Dana Kubálková
zahradnice
Jiří Hansel
chlapec z lidu
Oldřich Král
chlapec z lidu
Ivan Krob
chlapec z lidu
Jiří Trojan
chlapec z lidu
Lena Birková
žena z lidu
Lenka Králová
dívka z lidu
Olga Nekutová
dívka z lidu/víla
Milada Němečková
dívka z lidu/víla
Magdaléna Pavelková
dívka z lidu/víla
Dagmar Tomsová
dívka z lidu/víla
Jitka Trojanová
dívka z lidu/víla
Hana Ždichyncová
dívka z lidu/víla
Naděžda Blažíčková
dvořanka/víla
Jitka Gauggová
víla
Aranka Hovorková
víla
Iveta Hubičková
víla
Alena Reisnerová
víla
Marie Tomašková
víla
Petra Brumovská
dítě
Pavel Kovácz
dítě
Petr Michálek
dítě
Olga Michálková
dítě
Dagmar Ledecká
dvorní dáma
Kristina Márová
dvorní dáma
Anna Pitašová
dvorní dáma
Jana Pokorná
dvorní dáma
Pavla Michálková
dvorní dáma
Dana Doskočilová-Kršková
dvořanka
Ronald Heller
dvořan
Tomáš Hendrych
dvořan
Martin Chylík
dvořan
Michal Janků
dvořan
Jindra Janoušková
dvořanka
Michal Kolář
dvořan
Jiří Pecháček
dvořan
Pravoslava Petráková
dvořanka
Milan Pěkný
dvořan
Rudolf Serina
dvořan
Irena Šmídová
dvořanka
Jaroslav Tomsa
dvořan
Jarmila Burková
dvořanka-balet
Pavel Czikrai
dvořan-balet
Olga Čecháková
dvořanka-balet
Zdeněk Formánek
dvořan-balet
René Gabzdyl
dvořan-balet
Jan Hartmann
dvořan-balet
Ludmila Houdková
dvořanka-balet
Bohumil Klika
dvořan-balet
Jan Kolomazník
dvořan-balet
Eva Landová
dvořanka-balet
Luděk Ludvík
dvořan-balet
Karel Mašek
dvořan-balet
Bohumír Nekut
dvořan-balet
Tomáš Němeček
dvořan-balet
Renáta Sabongui
dvořanka-balet
Hana Smékalová
dvořanka-balet
Astrid Štúrová
dvořanka-balet
Ladislav Tajovský
dvořan-balet
Věra Vašutová
dvořanka-balet
Josef Vrabec
dvořan-balet
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Continuity
Based on
Jaroslav Kvapil (Rusalka – libreto opery), Antonín Dvořák (Rusalka – opera)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Pavel Dvořáček, Vladimír Mácha, Rudolf Příhoda, Milan Šteindler
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Josef Lojík, Růžena Plašilová, Milan Novák, M. Petráková
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Tomáš Gabriss, Jiří Ulrich, Lev Veltrubský
Cooperation
Olga Kourová (klapka), D. Hladíková (klapka), Jindřich Panáček (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Komárek (spolupráce)
Music Performed by
Orchestr bavorského rozhlasu (Music Conducted by Libor Pešek), Pěvecký sbor Československého rozhlasu (Music Conducted by Libor Pešek)
Music Supervisor
Choreographer
Production info
Original Title
Rusalka
Czech Title
Rusalka
English Title
Water Nymph
Co-production Title
Rusalka
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
opera
Origin country
Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany
Copyright
1977
Production Year
1977
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 4 May 1976
start of filming 21 February 1977
technical Screenplay approved 11 March 1977
end of filming 8 December 1977
projection approval 22 December 1977
withdrawal from distribution 31 July 1993
Premiere
premiere 29 September 1978 /suitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Vladimíra Kaliny, Vladimír Kalina (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
119 min
Original length in metres
3 411 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
