A Story of Love and Honour

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production year

1976—1977

Premiere

27 January 1978

Runtime

98 min

Category

film

Genre

biography

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Příběh lásky a cti

Czech title

Příběh lásky a cti

English title

A Story of Love and Honour

Working title

Román lásky a cti

Summary

After completing his extensive historical trilogy – Dny zrady (Days of Betrayal, 1973), Sokolovo (Sokolovo, 1974) and Osvobození Prahy (The Liberation of Prague, 1975) – veteran director Otakar Vávra opted for a more intimate theme in this 1978 film – the platonic relationship between the writers Jan Neruda and Karolina Světlá. Screenwriter Jiří Šotola created this romance about a pair of exceptional and lonely human beings on the basis of their documented love correspondence. The audience follows Neruda and Světlá as they carefully seek mutual understanding in a world chained by social conventions… Miroslav Ondříček’s camera work beautifully evokes the film’s depiction of 19th century Prague during the Czech National Revival. The principal parts in Vavra’s somewhat abstractly conceived romance are performed by Jiří Bartoška and Božidara Turzonová, while Consuela Morávková takes on the role of Karolina’s sister and Jiří Pleskot that of her husband.

Synopsis

It's Christmas Eve of 1861. So far unsuccessful poet, but already renown journalist - twenty-seven-year old Jan Neruda - calls on the family of professor Mužák unexpectedly. Secretly he hands over a letter to the host's wife Johanna, a beginning woman-writer who has chosen a pen-name Karolina Světlá. The handy and wild young man fell in passionate love with the beautiful woman, a little senior to him. The marriage of the Mužáks has been, after the death of their only child, for ten years only formal. However, Johanna does not take heart to accept the liaison for she knows it would discredit her in a Prague society. The poverty and social isolation of the emancipated and intelligent woman-writer Božena Němcová leading to her premature death is a sufficient memento. Neruda abandons his fiancée Anna Holinová, Johanna agrees to correspondence relationship only and persuades Neruda to pay his attention in public to the very young Lidunka. Letters between Neruda and Světlá are delivered by Johanna's devoted old-maidish friend Marie Němečková. The only Johanna's confidante is her sister Žofie for whom she is copying the whole correspondence. Before departing to summer holiday stay in the country Johanna attempts secretly to help Neruda to get out of debt by selling her jewel. Marie does not stand the pressure of Prague gossips and a scandal breaks. Mužák makes Johanna burn down the letters and makes a scene to Neruda. It is only a copied correspondence that witnesses long past emotions. Johanna's last letter of apology, full of love, the intimidated Marie does not hand over to Neruda and till the end of life the couple doesn't meet again in privacy.

Cast

Božidara Turzonovová

Karolina Světlá, vlastním jménem Johanna Mužáková

Jiří Bartoška

spisovatel Jan Neruda

Consuela Morávková

Žofie Podlipská, Karolinina sestra

Jiří Pleskot

profesor Mužák, Karolinin manžel

Jana Smrčková

Marie Němečková

Jiří Adamíra

MUDr. Josef Podlipský, Žofiin manžel

Jana Riháková

Josefína Mourková

Světlana Nálepková

Barbora Křížková

Ilona Vaňková

Lidunka Schmidtová

Jana Preissová

Anna Holinová, Nerudova snoubenka

Marie Brožová

Nerudova matka

Josef Langmiler

kanovník Štulc

Oldřich Vízner

spisovatel Jakub Arbes

Jiří Samek

politik a novinář dr. Karel Sladkovský

Vladimír Šmeral

Eustach Rott, Karolinin otec

Vlasta Jelínková

Anna Rottová, Karolinina matka

Jana Břežková

herečka Libická

Ferdinand Krůta

švec František Pokorný

Josef Chvalina

klenotník Alois Pokorný

Miroslav Masopust

JUDr. Mattuš

Pavel Trávníček

redaktor Schwarz

Vlastimil Zavřel

redaktor Vávra

Václav Babka

poštovní úředník

Jiří Plachý

Liblinský

Vladimír Hlavatý

starý profesor

Vlastimila Vlková

šatnářka v kavárně

František Struska

Link

David Ondříček

synek Podlipských

Libuše Komancová

služka u Havlinů

Zuzana Bohdanecká

tanečnice na plese

Martina Brynychová

tanečnice na plese

Milan Březina

tanečník na plese

Štěpánka Diblíková

tanečnice na plese

Ludmila Dvořáková

tanečnice na plese

Marie Dvořáková

tanečnice na plese

František Ehrenberger

tanečník na plese

Marcela Ertlová

tanečnice na plese

Ivana Fabingerová

tanečnice na plese

Eva Ferlesová

tanečnice na plese

Květa Hanušová

tanečnice na plese

Irena Hollová

tanečnice na plese

Jiří Hortenský

tanečník na plese

Hyka Hunyad

tanečník na plese

Zuzana Hušinová

tanečnice na plese

Renáta Chadtová

tanečnice na plese

Jaroslav Kalvach

tanečník na plese

František Karas

tanečník na plese

Jiří Koten

tanečník na plese

Irena Krajčíková

tanečnice na plese

Pavel Krofta

tanečník na plese

Alena Kutinová

tanečnice na plese

Zdeněk Lavička

tanečník na plese

Ladislav Lazna

tanečník na plese

Monika Letenská

tanečnice na plese

Hana Lhotová

tanečnice na plese

Ferdinand Lucek

tanečník na plese

Libuše Maňáková

tanečnice na plese

Jana Mikulecká

tanečnice na plese

Petr Nedvěd

tanečník na plese

Roman Novotný

tanečník na plese

Libuše Pechová

tanečnice na plese

Ivana Peterková

tanečnice na plese

Otka Plavcová

tanečnice na plese

Renáta Podzimková

tanečnice na plese

Antonín Pokorný

tanečník na plese

Bedřich Prokůpek

tanečník na plese

Ivana Revková

tanečnice na plese

Petr Režnický

tanečník na plese

Miroslav Sirový

tanečník na plese

Marcel Slavík

tanečník na plese

Eva Stejkosová

tanečnice na plese

Jiří Sýkora (2)

tanečník na plese

Vilém Sýkora

tanečník na plese

Jaroslav Šmahel

tanečník na plese

Petra Šolcová

tanečnice na plese

Jan Šrámek

tanečník na plese

Petr Šrůtek

tanečník na plese

Martin Šula

tanečník na plese

Yvetta Tichá

tanečnice na plese

Rostislav Tomeš

tanečník na plese

Arnošt Toms

tanečník na plese

Jaroslav Uličný

tanečník na plese

Věra Vávrová

tanečnice na plese

Jaroslav Votava (2)

tanečník na plese

Jiřina Votavová

tanečnice na plese

Zuzana Wiesnerová

tanečnice na plese

Lukáš Zíta

tanečník na plese

Commentary

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Milan Kadlec

Assistant Director

Antonín Kopřiva

Screenstory

Jiří Šotola

Based on

Jan Neruda (Jan Neruda – Karolina Světlá – korespondence), Karolina Světlá (Karolina Světlá – Jan Neruda – korespondence)

Shooting Script

Otakar Vávra

Director of Photography

Miroslav Ondříček

Second Unit Photography

Eduard Kadeřábek

Camera Operator

Jiří Knotek

Production Designer

Karel Lier

Assistent Production Designer

Libuše Jahodová

Set Designer

Eva Slívová, Vladimír Schejbal, Karel Vaňásek

Costume Designer

Jan Kropáček

Film Editor

Antonín Zelenka

Sound Designer

Adolf Böhm

Production Manager

Jan Syrový

Cooperation

Ivana Malíková (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Liška

Selected Music

Bedřich Smetana (Pochod studentských legií)

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)

Choreographer

Jiří Blažek, Helena Karasová (taneční spolupráce)

Production info

Original Title

Příběh lásky a cti

Czech Title

Příběh lásky a cti

English Title

A Story of Love and Honour

Working Title

Román lásky a cti

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

biography

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1977

Production Year

1976—1977

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 25 November 1976
start of filming 3 December 1976
technical Screenplay approved 16 December 1976
end of filming 11 July 1977
projection approval 21 July 1977
withdrawal from distribution 31 December 1988

Premiere

premiere 27 January 1978 /suitable for youths/

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

98 min

Original length in metres

2 819 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech