Oldřich and Božena
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1984Production year
1984Premiere
1 August 1985Runtime
84 minDirector
Otakar VávraCategory
filmGenre
drama, historicalTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Oldřich a BoženaCzech title
Oldřich a BoženaEnglish title
Oldřich and BoženaSummary
The poet František Hrubín took the Oldřich and Božena love story from Czech mythology and adapted it into a theatre play. Towards the end of the 1960s, he developed his material further into a screenplay, which director Otakar Vávra went on to turn into a film in 1984. The motion picture completed Vávra’s Hrubín series of films from the 1960s – the others are Zlatá reneta (Golden Queen, 1965) and Romance pro křídlovku (Romance for the Bugle, 1966). The historical film, set in the late 10th and early 11th centuries, is a story of great love that will bring about the rebirth of the Bohemian Přemyslid royal dynasty. The German emperor plots to have the child of Oldřich and Božena murdered – the idea of their conceiving an heir with Bohemian blood isn’t to his liking. But he fails… This breath-taking, “patriotic” and historical costume drama stars Jiří Bartoška as Oldřich, Ilona Svobodová as Božena and Jiří Adamíra as the emperor’s villainous envoy, Gunter.
Synopsis
It is the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries and it seems that the Přemyslide family, and thus the entire Bohemian state, faces termination. Oldřich kidnaps the married Božena during the solstice festivities. Božena's husband Křesina is later in a fighting stabbed to death by the chaplain, Oldřich's helper. Nine months following the event, Božena is to deliver the child of Oldřich, whose legitimate wife Juta is infertile. The Emperor orders Oldřich to repudiate Božena, mainly because he does not wish any Přemyslide successor of Bohemian origin on the throne. He dispatches the hermit Gunter with several "penitents", who are, in fact, killers, to Bohemia. The legitimate Duke Jaromír is sterile, too, because his own brother Boleslav arranged his castration. Gunter fails to convince Oldřich to give up Božena and decides to murder him. The chaplain who should help him in this rather gets assassinated instead of Oldřich. His death opens Oldřich's eyes and makes him act. Oldřich captures the traitor Kochan; he orders servants to make Jaromír and Gunter's men drunk and then either kills them or takes them captive. He forces Kochan to blind Jaromír, sends Juta to a convent and himself leaves for Prague Castle to proclaim himself the Bohemian Duke. At that very moment, Božena delivers him a son who is given the name Břetislav. Oldřich sends Gunter to the Emperor to give him the news. The son Břetislav later grows up to be the sovereign who unites the lands of Bohemia and thus lays the foundations of the Bohemian state.
Note
The residence of the Prince for the film was built by the architect Jindřich Goetz and it was situated behind Barrandov Studios. Six-hundred-years old beams fished out from the bottom of the Vltava river near the Novotný footbridge were used for the construction.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Jiří Bartoška
kníže Oldřich
Ilona Svobodová
Božena
Jana Šulcová
Juta, Oldřichova žena
Ladislav Frej
kníže Jaromír, Oldřichův bratr
Jiří Adamíra
poustevník Guntr
Jaromír Hanzlík
kaplan
Gustav Opočenský
Vršovec Kochan
Boris Rösner
Vršovec Mutina
Libuše Geprtová
porodní bába
Jan Přeučil
vrah
Milan Sandhaus
správce
Valerie Kaplanová
zaříkávačka
Naďa Hejná
zaříkávačka
Svatopluk Matyáš
Odolen
Vladimír Kratina
Rada
Pavel Nový
Doman
Jan Schánilec
Veliš
Petr Jákl
Hlava
Oldřich Navrátil
Křesina, Boženin muž
Jiří Hein
ozbrojenec
Monika Hladová
Boženina služka
Petra Jindrová
Boženina služka
Klára Jirsáková
Boženina služka
Soňa Ondroušková
Boženina služka
Martina Gasparovičová
dívka z Boženiny družiny
Yvetta Kornová
Jutina služka
Vida Skalská
Jutina služka
Světlana Nálepková
Jutina dvorní dáma
Jana Vychodilová
Jutina dvorní dáma
Petr Skarke
vladyka
Miloš Vavruška
vladyka
Vlastimil Čaněk
Vršovec
Eva Řepíková
Voice by Ludmila Roubíková
stará žena
Zdeněk Srstka
katův pacholek
Jiří Tomek
hudebník
Daniel Dlouhý
hudebník
Michal Javůrek
hudebník
Petr Kilián
hudebník
Igor Křižák
hudebník
Radek Nečas
hudebník
Pavel Sapák
hudebník
Karel Engel
kat
František Stupka
katův pacholek
Josef Pechanec
družiník
Jaroslav Šanda
družiník
Ludvík Wolf
družiník
Ladislav Kocourek
družiník
Zdeněk Krumpl
družiník
Zdenka Adlerová
tanečnice
Helena Beránková
tanečnice
Silvie Bicková
tanečnice
Pavel Blajze
tanečník
Libor Blažek
tanečník
Petr Blažík
tanečník
Jitka Brešová
tanečnice
Zdeněk Cihlář
tanečník
Miroslav Dirga
tanečník
Dagmar Dostálová
tanečnice
Dana Dvořáková
tanečnice
Jiří Fajir
tanečník
Alexander Ferdus
tanečník
Renáta Fučíková
tanečnice
Renata Hanáková
tanečnice
Ivana Herelová
tanečnice
Milan Chlud
tanečník
Alena Chludová
tanečnice
Evžen Jahoda
tanečník
Marcela Janíčková
tanečnice
Dagmar Ježková
tanečnice
Bronislava Kaloudová
tanečnice
Zdeněk Kašpar
tanečník
Alena Kiesewetterová
tanečnice
Kateřina Komárková
tanečnice
Hana Kozáková
tanečnice
Stanislav Kříž
tanečník
Julie Kubaláková
tanečnice
Jiří Kulajka
tanečník
Ivana Lančaričová
tanečnice
Ivo Lepold
tanečník
Ivan Lysický
tanečník
Petr Liškutín
tanečník
Karel Littera
tanečník
Tomáš Malinovský
tanečník
Dagmar Maštalířová
tanečnice
Lenka Michnová
tanečnice
Jiří Mráček
tanečník
Milan Navrátil (2)
tanečník
Ivana Navrátilová
tanečnice
Ludvík Nedochal
tanečník
Petr Novák (2)
tanečník
Miroslav Nožina
tanečník
Radka Odrážková
tanečnice
Luboš Ogoun
tanečník
Daniela Oplatková
tanečnice
Eva Pakrová
tanečnice
Miroslav Plcha
tanečník
Milan Podzuban
tanečník
Bohuslav Polák
tanečník
Simona Polcarová
tanečnice
Martina Pospíšilová
tanečnice
Milan Potůček
tanečník
Petr Přibyl
tanečník
Ivan Příkaský
tanečník
Bronislav Roznos
tanečník
Radim Salay
tanečník
Milan Skrčený
tanečník
Jana Somrová
tanečnice
Jiří Sosík
tanečnice
Martin Souček
tanečník
Eva Stárková
tanečnice
Jiří Střebický
tanečník
Jaroslav Suchánek
tanečník
Miroslava Suchánková
tanečnice
Jiří Sysel
tanečník
Renata Šáchová
tanečnice
Jana Šimečková
tanečnice
Jana Škopová
tanečnice
Cyril Štampach
tanečník
Petr Štefan
tanečník
Hana Šťouračová
tanečnice
Alena Tesařová
tanečnice
Eva Trnková (2)
tanečnice
Ladislav Urbančík
tanečník
Jan Valášek (2)
tanečník
Pavel Venyš
tanečník
Jitka Vidláková
tanečnice
Jiří Vrba
tanečník
Ilona Zajacová
tanečnice
Zdeněk Zeman
tanečník
Dagmar Zemanová
tanečnice
Jaroslav Zázvorka
šermíř
Boris Krištof
šermíř
František Michálek
jezdec
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Milan Kadlec
Assistant Director
Continuity
Based on
František Hrubín (Oldřich a Božena – divadelní hra)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Jiří Matějka, Eva Slívová, Milan Tahotný
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Special Effects
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Helena Landovská, Věra Lukášová, Lev Veltrubský
Consultant
Jiří Sláma, RSDr. Pavel Auersperg, CSc.
Cooperation
Ivana Vlčková (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)
Music
Songs
Lado, slyš nás, Lado
Singer ženský sbor
Víno piju sám
Singer Jiří Bartoška
Production info
Original Title
Oldřich a Božena
Czech Title
Oldřich a Božena
English Title
Oldřich and Božena
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
drama, historical
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1984
Production Year
1984
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 16 November 1983
start of filming 16 April 1984
technical Screenplay approved 24 April 1984
end of filming 22 December 1984
projection approval 28 December 1984
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990
Premiere
premiere 1 August 1985 /unsuitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Josef Císař (vedoucí 2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
84 min
Original length in metres
2 390 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,37
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha
1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Otmar Mácha
Vítěz
Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha
1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Otakar Vávra
Vítěz
Festival: 36. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´85
1985
70 měst / Czechoslovakia
Otakar Vávra
Vítěz
Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha
1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jana Šulcová
Vítěz
Festival: 36. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´85
1985
70 měst / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Bartoška
