Following his feature-film debut Drsná planina (Rough Life at Planina, 1979), about the difficult lives of Czechoslovak border guards, writer-director Jaroslav Soukup threw himself into a romantic drama bringing to life the personality and works of writer Jakub Arbes (1840–1914). The film tells the story of the young journalist Arbes who partakes in an unjust trial against three demonstrating workers. At the same time, he joins the oddball Xaverius in studying an altarpiece, which is supposed to point to great fortunes. In Romaneto (Novelette, 1980), the Czech writer and journalist is presented as a progressive author, but also as the creator of dark, compelling works, with his Svatý Xaverius (Saint Xaverius, 1873) serving as a template. This stylised film sees Viktor Preiss in the lead role. Xavier is portrayed by Pavel Pavlovský. To maximise authenticity, Soukup filmed in various interiors within Prague’s Old Town.
The seventies of the nineteenth century. A young journalist Jakub Arbes from the newspaper Národní listy follows unwillingly a trial with three workers who were running from a demonstration place and despite the call of the police they did not stop. The senior police councillor Dedera denies that the police officers shot in the participants. Arbes has had already several disputes with the arrogant officer and he decides to convict him of a perjury. Arbes meets a young eccentric Xaverius who explores a picture of his saint namesake in the Saint Nicolas Church. A former revolutionary and an able journalist Rainer offer to Arbes his articles. A newspaper publisher Dr Grégr agrees only on condition that Rainer will write under another name. Arbes knows well the miserable life of poor people in Prague and he always tries to do something for them. The city is hit by cholera epidemics and in many streets burns fires in which property of the dead are burnt. Dedera's police officers remove all witnesses for defence. Arbes learns from the prostitute Fryna that Rainer is Dedera's agent. Arbes goes with the seriously ill Xaverius outside of the city to dig out a treasure to which a trace was found by Xaverius on the picture. In the meantime Dedera captures papers of Arbes in an unruly house search. Grégr sacks Arbes, as this is a condition for a financial loan provided to him by a Dedera's friend - a banker. Xaverius is dying without finding out that the treasure has no value. The writer Neruda recommends to his friend Arbes to elaborate his eccentric friend's story in a literary form. He even finds a name for the new genre - novelette.
The film was made at the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Jakub Arbes. The director used for shooting in the interiors some realistic locations of the basements and ground floors of various houses in the Prague Old Town where the Řempo company warehouses used to be. The part of opera singer, singing the aria "Ombra mai fu", was performed with great enthusiasm by an extra whose name is uknown to the director.
spisovatel Jakub Arbes, redaktor Národních listů
Xaverius
novinář Josef Rainer alias Janus
spisovatel Jan Neruda
vydavatel JUDr. Julius Grégr, majitel Národních listů
Josefina, Arbesova žena
prostitutka Fryna
Amálie Bellmannová
vrchní policejní rada Dedera
nakladatel Bellmann, strýc Amálie
zámečník Stankovský
učitel kreslení František Novopacký
dělník Čihák
bankéř Wiedermann, Dederův přítel
JUDr. Čížek
tajný policista Jedlička
redaktor Tůma
nakladatel Šimůnek
redaktor Heller, Arbesův kolega
kabaretiér Castelli
sazeč Hurych
policejní komisař
hostinský Franc
kostelník u sv. Mikuláše
vrchní žalářník
předseda soudu
žalobce Jarosch
tajný/kočí
tajný
tajný
hostinský Josef
MUDr. Michl
starší herečka/dáma se závojem
postřelený dělník Josef Kerbr
prodavačka pečených kaštanů
písař na notářství
vetešník
dozorce Koubek
tlustá Dona Isabella
leutnant Koller, Frynin zákazník
Rainerova žena
hostinský
klavíristka
houslista
tetovaný muž
strážník Kouba
strážník
strážník
žena v hospodě
Hana Hanušová, R. Volný
Michal Krob
Karel Krejčí, Eva Slívová, Karel Vaňásek
Tomáš Baloun, Vlasta Synkulová
Miloš Zajdl
Irena Neubertová (klapka), Zdeněk Dukát (fotograf)
Georg Friedrich Händel (Xerxes /árie Ombra mai fu/)
FISYO (Music Conducted by Mario Klemens), skupina Zdeňka Bartáka ml.
Song Composer Georg Friedrich Händel
Writer of Lyrics Nicolo Minato
Romaneto
Romaneto
Novelette
film
featuretheatrical distribution
biography
Czechoslovakia
1980
1979—1980
literary Screenplay approved 13 October 1978
start of filming 16 November 1979
technical Screenplay approved 2 January 1980
end of filming 14 July 1980
projection approval 12 August 1980
withdrawal from distribution 31 January 1991
premiere 19 March 1981 /suitable for youths/ (kino Lucerna, Praha)
premiere 27 March 1981 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Dramaturgická skupina Miloše Brože, Miloš Brož (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny)
feature film
87 min
2 493 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 32. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´81
1981
62 měst / Czechoslovakia
Richard Valenta
Festival: 19. festival českých a slovenských filmů Kladno
1981
Kladno / Czechoslovakia
Festival: 18. filmový festival mladých Trutnov
1981
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Richard Valenta
Festival: 18. filmový festival mladých Trutnov
1981
Trutnov / Czechoslovakia
Jaroslav Soukup