Virginity

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1937

Production year

1937

Premiere

4 November 1937

Runtime

82 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Panenství

Czech title

Panenství

English title

Virginity

Synopsis

Hana Poláčková finds herself in the streets alone and with no means of survival. Her step-father had begun to succumb to her charms and her mother takes her revenge by throwing her out of the house. The girl is fortunate, however, and finds a job in a cafeteria where she works her way up from kitchen help to cashier. Sales assistants Lili and Mary warn her about the undesired attentions of the cafeteria owner Josef Nevostrý and regular customer Rudolf Res, a commercial director. The men, well past their prime, are known for their weakness for innocent girls. Hana, however, thinks only of her boyfriend, the composer Pavel Jimeš. He is plagued by a serious illness which can only be treated in a sanatorium in the Tatra mountains. With no money to fund his treatment, Hana has to make a painful decision. All she has is her innocence and for this the director is quite willing to pay. Despite her resolve to sacrifice herself, Hana's disgust proves the stronger. To make up for her failure, Hana accepts an offer of marriage from Nevostrý and rushes to Pavel with the necessary money, even though it is her wedding day. It is too late: the young man has died and there is nothing for it but to return to her husband.

Note

Otakar Vávra took over the role of the director after the death of Josef Rovenský, practically rewriting the original screenplay by A. J. Urban and František Čáp and hiring a new cast. The film was presented at the 6th Venice Film Festival, 1938.

Cast

Lída Baarová

Hana Poláčková

Jaroslava Skorkovská

majitelka koloniálu, Hanina matka

Ladislav Boháč

skladatel Pavel Jimeš

Zdeněk Štěpánek

Josef Nevostrý, majitel automatu

Adina Mandlová

Lili, prodavačka v automatu

Božena Šustrová

Mary, prodavačka v automatu

Jaroslav Průcha

komerční rada Rudolf Res

Vítězslav Boček

básník Hejtmánek

Bedřich Veverka

MUDr. Mikula, asistent v nemocnici

Otto Ballon

malíř Karel Pálený

Anna Steimarová

stará zpěvačka v šantánu

Marie Ježková

Barča, myčka nádobí v automatu

Gina Hašler

flamendr

Milada Smolíková

zákaznice v koloniálu

Milka Balek-Brodská

majitelka zprostředkovatelny práce

Jarmila Bechyňová

Tereza, prodavačka, později myčka nádobí v automatu

František Filipovský

Jenda, číšník v automatu

Sylvie Havránková

pomocnice v kuchyni automatu

Jan Bondy

zákazník v automatu

Fráňa Vajner

zákazník v automatu

Ella Nollová

Kučerová, Jimešova bytná

Alois Dvorský

tančící host v šantánu

Václav Menger

spící host v šantánu

René Kubínský

klavírista v šantánu

Marie Holanová

domovnice u rady Rese

Eliška Pleyová

sestra v nemocnici

Neff

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Walter Schorsch

Based on

Marie Majerová (Panenství – román)

Director of Photography

Jan Roth

Set Designer

Arnold Reimann

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Sound Designer

Josef Zora

Production Manager

Jan Sinnreich

Cooperation

Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Roman Blahník

Music Performed by

Orchestr F.O.K. (Music Conducted by Roman Blahník)

Songs

Proč se mi to někdy zdá

Song Composer Roman Blahník
Writer of Lyrics Antonín Čejka
Singer Anna Steimarová

Locations

bez exteriérů

Production info

Original Title

Panenství

Czech Title

Panenství

English Title

Virginity

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1937

Production Year

1937

Production specifications

start of filming 2 October 1937
end of filming 19 October 1937
date of censorship 11/1937
projection approval 25 November 1957

Premiere

premiere 4 November 1937 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Lucerna /2 týdny/ a Passage /2 týdny/, Praha)
renewed premiere 24 January 1958 /unsuitable for youths/

Production

Lucernafilm

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

AB (původní 1937), Ústřední půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1958)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

82 min

Original length in metres

2 340 meters

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

Tobis – Klang

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 20. mezinárodní filmový festival Benátky

1959
Benátky / Italy
Český filmový ústav

Vítěz

Event: Odměny ministra průmyslu, obchodu a živností

1939
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Lucernafilm