Seasoned director Otakar Vávra created another of his historical film opuses working from a novella by author and screenwriter Miloš V. Kratochvíl. This 1984 costume drama tells the story of young Czech student Vavřinec (Oldřich Kaiser). His association with an itinerant ensemble of actors led by Fortunatus (Martin Růžek) provides him with an opportunity to realise his dream of putting on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Although the dramatic events of the Thirty Years War are not exactly benevolent to daydreamers and artistic pursuits, the common folk suffering from the war’s effects still enjoy the relief – if only temporary –brought by the beautiful story and poetic words… Komediant (The Strolling Player), the second to last film directed by Vávra, was given a rather enclosed character when it came to production. This was to compensate for the high costs generated by the director's third to last film, which was set in the same historical period: the sweeping biographical drama Putování Jana Amose (The Wanderings of John Amos, 1983).
In the first half of the 17th century, the Thirty Year's War rages in Europe. A strolling theatre group of the ringmaster, Fortunat, travels through the Saxon landscape, devastated by the war. The horses pulling the poor carrier stop all of a sudden before a prostrate body. The actors see a pitiful young man and take him in. After the young man recovers, he tells to the actors about himself. His name is Vavřinec and he comes from Bohemia. Once he found on a dead actor a translation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Since that moment, he had read the play, he had been dreaming of showing this play before an audience. Although the group is used to showing coarse farces, they are gradually enchanted by this romantic story. While touring, the group comes by chance to a village where a wedding celebration occurs. The villagers welcome them kindly and they offer them food and drink. The next pitch is Braunschweig, where, according to the decree of the earl's chancellor, they are supposed to perform in three days in front of the city ruler. The actors quickly rehearse Romeo and Juliet, but their performance at the castle ends up a catastrophe. They escape with their lives and set off to the kind village. Horrified, they find just disfigured dead bodies there. Fortunat's group falls apart, the ringmaster dies and the others run in all directions. The actor, Johnny, follows the traces of Vavřinec. He finds him in a village. The young man publicly tells the story of Romeo and Juliet. The gathered villagers are first dissatisfied, but in the end they listen carefully. While leaving, Johnny notices that the villagers are encircled by mercenaries and he comes back. Vavřinec dies before the end of the performance; Johnny finishes the play instead of him. Then he warns the villagers. The villagers, influenced by the beautiful performance, start fighting with the mercenaries, and they kill them all. Foremost after the dead Vavřinec, Johnny understands his desire to tell people beautiful ideas by beautiful words.
Dialogues from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet are based on the translation by E. A. Saudek.
student Vavřinec
principál Fortunatus
Brigita, Fortunatova žena
herec Johny
herečka Klementýna
herec Florián
herec Jakub
stará Barbora
kočí Hansgirgl
knížecí herec Killer představující Pickelhärniga
kníže Brunšvický
kancléř
Kristýna
kolářka
průvodce v Mascerode
žebračka
podomek ve Wallenstadtu
děvečka ve Wallenstadtu
muž v Mascerode
rozpočítávač v Mascerode
ženich Fink
nevěsta Majdalenka
hostinský v Brunšviku
hospodský v Mascerode
hospodský ve Wolfenbüttelu
Donnebrauer
stařík z Kamenice
Voice by Mirko Musil
divák z Kamenice
podomek ve Wolfenbüttelu
dáma v divadle
sedlák ve Wolfenbüttelu
žena v Kamenici
sedlák z Kamenice
sedlák z Kamenice
kornet
mušketýr
mušketýr
mušketýr
mušketýr
mušketýr
mušketýr
mušketýr
mušketýr
mušketýr
mušketýr
mušketýr
chasník
chasník
chasník
chasník
chasník
chasník
chasník
chasník
chasník
chasník
bratr Majdalenky
bratr Majdalenky
bratr Majdalenky
bratr Majdalenky
bratr Majdalenky
oběšenec
oběšenec/rváč
mladík z Kamenice
slzící dívka
tanečnice
tanečník
tanečník
tanečnice
tanečník
tanečnice
tanečnice
tanečník
tanečník
tanečnice
tanečnice
tanečník
tanečnice
tanečnice
tanečník
tanečnice
tanečník
tanečnice
tanečnice
tanečník
tanečník
tanečník
tanečník
tanečnice
tanečník
tanečnice
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
hudebník
dubl za Borise Rösnera/dubl za Jiřího Krampola
hlas šlechtice v divadle
Milan Kadlec
Miloš V. Kratochvíl (Komediant – novela)
Jiří Matějka, Jaromír Šlápota, Eva Slívová
František Příhoda, Božena Došlá, Jiřina Bissingerová, František Klema
Věra Lukášová, Lev Veltrubský
PhDr. Jan Dvořák, RSDr. Pavel Auersperg, CSc.
Ivana Vlčková (klapka), Karel Ješátko (fotograf)
FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)
Alena Skálová (svatební tanec), Ladislav Fialka (pohybová spolupráce v divadelních scénách)
Song Composer Otmar Mácha
Writer of Lyrics Miloš V. Kratochvíl
Singer mužský sbor
Singer René Gabzdyl
Komediant
Komediant
The Strolling Player
film
featuretheatrical distribution
drama, historical
Czechoslovakia
1984
1983—1984
literary Screenplay approved 6 October 1982
start of filming 23 May 1983
technical Screenplay approved 16 June 1983
end of filming 6 March 1984
projection approval 30 March 1984
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990
gala premiere 27 September 1984 (kino Alfa, Praha)
premiere 1 October 1984 /suitable for youths/
Czech Film. A Tale of Love and Death.
2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Josef Císař (vedoucí 2. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)
feature film
93 min
2 571 meters
16mm, 35mm
1:1,37
colour
sound
mono
Czech
Czech
without subtitles
Czech
Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha
1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jana Hlaváčová
Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha
1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Otakar Vávra
Festival: 23. festival českých a slovenských filmů Praha
1985
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Otmar Mácha
Festival: 35. filmový festival pracujících – léto ´84
1984
70 měst / Czechoslovakia