The Hordubals

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1937

Production year

1937

Premiere

21 January 1938

Runtime

112 min

Director

Martin Frič

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Hordubalové

Czech title

Hordubalové

English title

The Hordubals

Working title

Hordubal

Synopsis

Juraj Hordubal returns after eight years from America, where he has made enough money for improvements on his farm. His daughter Hafie does not recognize him and even his wife Polana displays no visible joy at his return. Štěpán Manya has been a labourer on the farm for the whole of these years and people claim that he has become Polana's lover. Juraj refuses to listen to the accusations and believes that his wife's estrangement is only the result of the long period of loneliness. Nevertheless he fires Štěpán. Subsequently his wife shuts herself in the attic and stops taking an interest in the household. So that she will become conciliatory, Juraj brings Štěpán back after a while, but he publicly announces that he is Hafie's fiancé, which is not to the labourer's liking at all. In spite of everything Juraj stops by the notary's and in his will he bequeathes all his property to his wife. But on the way home he gets drenched and comes down with fever. In the morning the news spreads through the village that he has been killed. Suspicion is first to fall on Juraj's brother Michal, with whom Juraj has been feuding of late. Eventually the desperate Polana confesses in court that she and Štěpán killed her husband. As the doctor states, however, the severely ill Juraj was at that moment already in a deathly agony.

Note

The film was presented at the 6th Venice Film Festival, 1938.

Cast

Jaroslav Vojta

Juraj Hordubal

Paľo Bielik

Michal, Jurajův mladší bratr

Suzanne Marwille

Polana Hordubalová, Jurajova žena

Mirko Eliáš

čeledín u Hordubalů Štěpán Manya

Vlasta Součková

Maryna, Michalova žena

Eliška Kuchařová

Hafie, dcera Polany a Juraje

Filip Dávidík

Filípek, Marynin nezletilý bratr

Gustav Hilmar

četnický praporčík Gelnaj

Vilém Pfeiffer

štábní strážmistr Karel Biegl

Vladimír Majer

gazda Gejza Fedeleš

Alois Dvorský

MUDr. Václav Klenka, soudní lékař

Viktor Nejedlý

cestující ve vlaku

František Říha

cestující ve vlaku

Václav Menger

průvodčí ve vlaku

L. H. Struna

chasník

Vladimír Smíchovský

dělník v lomu

Miloš Šubrt

hospodář u Fedeleše

Karel Veverka

předseda senátu

Přemysl Pražský

státní návladní

Jaroslav Marvan

soudní znalec

Eduard Ševčík

přísedící senátu

Gabriel Hart

přísedící senátu

Josef Oliak

člen poroty

Josef Kotalík

člen poroty

Antonín Šolc

člen poroty

Malvína Mlejnková

návštěvnice v soudní síni

Václav Piskáček

strážník u soudu

Věkoslav Satoria

strážník u soudu

Fráňa Vajner

soudní zřízenec

Karolína Vávrová

stařeina ve vlaku

Mirko Svoboda

Slobodníková

Crew and creators

Director

Martin Frič

Assistant Director

Eduard Šimáček, Gina Hašler, Otakar Hanuš (adept režie)

Based on

Karel Čapek (Hordubal – román)

Director of Photography

Jaroslav Blažek

Production Designer

Štěpán Kopecký

Set Designer

Arnold Reimann

Film Editor

Gina Hašler

Sound Designer

Vilém Taraba

Production Manager

Jan Sinnreich, Antonín Valach

Cooperation

Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Miloš Smatek

Music Performed by

Orchestr F.O.K. (Music Conducted by Miloš Smatek)

Production info

Original Title

Hordubalové

Czech Title

Hordubalové

English Title

The Hordubals

Working Title

Hordubal

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1937

Production Year

1937

Production specifications

start of filming 3 September 1937
end of filming 24 September 1937
date of censorship 11/1937
projection approval 16 November 1945 (konec povolení k promítání 16. 11. 1946)

Premiere

premiere 21 January 1938 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Lucerna /1 týden/ a Passage /1 týden/, Praha)
renewed premiere 1 December 1945 /unsuitable for youths/

Production

Lloyd

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Lloyd (původní 1938), Státní půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1945)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

112 min

Original length in metres

3 200 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,19

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

Event: Odměny ministra průmyslu, obchodu a živností

1939
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Lloyd