The Lost Princess

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1987

Production year

1987

Premiere

1 December 1988

Runtime

90 min

Category

film

Genre

fairytale

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

O zatoulané princezně

Czech title

O zatoulané princezně

English title

The Lost Princess

Working title

O princezně Jůlince

Summary

The last feature film from director Antonín Kachlík, this upbeat fairytale is inspired by a story from Josef Lada. The motion picture, filmed on the 100th anniversary, of Lada’s birth, sees the not so well-known Lucie Tomková taking the lead role of Princess Jůlinka. The film tells the story of a poor kingdom, situated around the residential town of Královská Lhota. Rather than pursuing the courtly duties and marriage her father desires she devote herself to, the princess sets out into the world in search of adventure. During her travels, she befriends a ghost called Mulisák and a nix called Brčál (beloved figures in Lada’s stories which are found in his Bubáci a hastrmani – Spuks and Goblins – collection). Along with her new friends, the princess battles against the evil fire-eater Dejmor (Václav Mareš) and also saves a sympathetic young artist by the name of František Kuldan (non-actor Petr Mikula). Ultimately, instead of returning home, the modern princess opts to live among a motley band of circus performers.

Synopsis

The village of Královská Lhota is visited by the envoys of king Hubert who wants to marry the fifteen-year old princess Jůlinka, the daughter of king Lojza and queen Anežka. But the princess much prefers to play with the village boys. The bugbear Mulisák was retired and complains to the water sprite Brčál. The two supernatural creatures leave the kingdom. Jůlinka appears all bedraggled at the royal table and daddy the king orders her to stay in her room. Early in the morning, the princess runs away to the world through the window. She is attacked by a wicked tup on the way but is fortunately saved by a pleasant young man, Franta Kuldan. Everybody in the castle is alarmed in the meantime. The soldiers searching for the missing princess have a fight with some farmers in a pub. Also Mulisák gets a blow to his face and even though the neighbour Nebuč pulls out his aching tooth, the whining bugbear confuses a magic formula and gets stuck in the form of a pony. The two supernatural creatures, the water sprite Brčál and the bugbear Mulisák, are joined by the princess, although she is pretty surprised by the speaking pony and the team of cats instead of horses hidden in Brčál's suitcase. The three fugitives arrive at the Kuldan circus. Here, Jůlinka again meets Franta, who is the ringmaster's son. Thanks to Brčál's cats, they are all engaged. Apart from the Kuldans, there is also the Hoolahoop family with a whole flock of children, and lots of musicians and animals. The only evil person in the circus is the fire-eater Dejmor. The water sprite performs as Cat Baron and the pony Mulisák entertains children. Jůlinka learns card tricks and Franta prepares an equestrian act with her. The two increasingly like each other and Jůlinka gives Franta a four-leaf clover. A devil comes to take Dejmor away but the deceitful circus artiste foists Franta on him instead of himself. The brave princess goes to hell to liberate her friend, accompanied by Brčál and Mulisák. Lucifer promises the courageous girl he will let Franta free if she fullfils three tasks. She is helped by Mulisák with the first one, and Jůlinka thus does not get scared by the Headless Knight. Thanks to her skill at card tricks, she is even a respectable rival to the devil Haramáš, and therefore successfully fulfills the second task. She even manages to fulfill the third one: she points at the right Franta amongst his doubles because he has the four-leaf clover she gave him. But up in the world, everything became completely different in the meantime. The circus now belongs to Dejmor and a bad atmosphere prevails there. Dejmor tells the king where his daughter is and looks forward to marrying the princess. The soldiers besiege the circus. The king and the queen watch Jůlinka's performance and they like it a lot. Dejmor is taken away by the devil. Soon, there is a big banquet at the castle. The wise king agrees with Franta and Jůlinka's wedding - and since then, all equestrians wear a small royal crown in memory of the brave princess.

Film online

Cast

Lucie Tomková

princezna Jůlinka Anastázie Kateřina

Petr Mikula

Franta Kuldan

Jindřich Bonaventura

vodník Brčál Habaděj

Václav Babka

strašidlo Mulisák

Oldřich Vlach

král Lojza

Taťána Fischerová

královna Anežka

Libor Žídek

kapitán Doleza

Jan Skopeček

cirkusák Šveňha

Lubomír Kostelka

cirkusák Nánin

Pavel Pípal

principál Alois Kuldan, Frantův otec

Johana Tesařová

principálová, Frantova matka

Václav Mareš

polykač ohně Dejmor

Květoslava Houdlová

dvorní dáma Babáčková

Luděk Kopřiva

strážný Pyšvejc

Ladislav Křiváček

čert Haramáš

Václav Sloup

soused Josef Nebuč

Jaroslava Pokorná

máma Hulahopová

Karel Engel

Voice by Jiří Bruder
táta Hulahop

Karel Hlušička

velvyslanec krále Huberta

Oldřich Velen

komoří Vondra

Jiří Lír

dvorní malíř

Bohumil Vávra

královský vrátník

Milan Neděla

hostinský Sadílek

Jakub Wehrenberg

Lojza Hubáček

Vladimír Hrabánek

sedlák Chramosta

Jan Kotva

švec Kopytec

Rostislav Kuba

velitel pěšáků

Karel Rada

Matěj Křáp

Martin Šotola

Pepík Kopytec

Ondřej Mikšíček

Honzík Marýsek

Jan Novák

Josef Štička

Rudolf Kalina

starý Vejrych

Roman Skamene

Voděradský

Gaston Šubert

strýc Douda

Jaroslav Toms

voják Truneček

Helena Přinosilová

kuchařka Veronika

M. Ptáčková

kuchtička

Roman Bednář

Jedlička

Jaroslav Toť

strýc Franták

Miroslav Vlček

vysloužilec

Jaroslav Tomsa

strážný Slíva

Jan Cmíral

strážný

Renata Čihulková

dvorní dáma

Hana Militká

dvorní dáma

Eva Řepíková

dvorní dáma

Hana Součková

dvorní dáma

J. Zapletalová

dvorní dáma

Ladislav Budějský

zámecký hudebník

M. Chytrý

zámecký hudebník

Jan Triebenekl

zámecký hudebník

Miroslav Žamberský

zámecký hudebník

Pavel Přibilík

kluk se psem

M. Čermák

bubeník

Jan Vít

medvěd

Petr Drozda

vesničan

Petr Jákl

vesničan

Petr Sekanina

vesničan

Filip Gröger

kluk

Tomáš Matějovský

kluk

Eva Bavorová

dívka

Klára Košťálová

dívka

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Martin Faltýn, Milan Klacek

Assistant Director

Renata Čihulková

Based on

Josef Lada (Nezbedné pohádky – sbírka pohádek), Josef Lada (Bubáci a hastrmani – pohádka)

Shooting Script

Antonín Kachlík

Director of Photography

Jiří Macák

Second Unit Photography

Jan Hanzal

Camera Operator

Michal Vlček

Production Designer

Jan Oliva

Assistent Production Designer

Zdeněk Maur

Set Designer

Jaroslav Česal, Jan Hodný, Karel Kočí, František Struska

Costume Designer

Irena Greifová

Film Editor

Jan Chaloupek

Assistant Film Editor

Magda Hájková, Alena Kravková

Sound Designer

Jiří Kejř

Assistant Sound Designer

Jaroslav Tůma

Production Manager

Jana Koubová

Unit Production Manager

Jan Peterka, Lev Veltrubský

Unit Production Manager

Eduard Zanner

Consultant

Jaroslav Tomsa, Ludvík Berousek, Natalja Durova, Karel Berousek

Cooperation

Jana Paparčíková (klapka), Alena Červená (fotografka), artisté Československých cirkusů a varieté, drezéři Durova divadla zvířat Moskva, Harald Štipka, M. Štipka, Z. Šupka

Music

Music Composed by

Miloš Vacek

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Štěpán Koníček)

Choreographer

Dušan Konečný (pohybová spolupráce), Josef Fuksa (pohybová spolupráce)

Songs

Okolo Hradce

Singer Vladimír Hrabánek

My jsme ta armáda králova

Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

O zatoulané princezně

Czech Title

O zatoulané princezně

English Title

The Lost Princess

Working Title

O princezně Jůlince

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

fairytale

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1987

Production Year

1987

Production specifications

literary Screenplay approved 27 June 1984
start of filming 24 November 1986
technical Screenplay approved 3 April 1987
end of filming 16 December 1987
projection approval 16 December 1987
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1995

Premiere

premiere 1 December 1988 /suitable for youths/

Creative Group

4. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupina, Marcela Pittermannová (vedoucí 4. dramaturgicko-výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

90 min

Original length in metres

2 581 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