The Sisters

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1954

Production year

1953—1954

Premiere

26 November 1954

Runtime

106 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Frona

Czech title

Frona

English title

The Sisters

Working title

Sestry

Synopsis

Out of fear of poverty, Frona, the daughter of the present chairman of the Standard Farming Cooperative, Filípek, a few years ago married Floriš Zobač, son of the richest man in the village. The marriage is unhappy, her husband is drinking and beating her, and Frona is more and more often seeing her old love Jura. Frona would like to divorce her husband, but doesn't want to leave in disgrace and without the fields which she gave with her dowry. Filípek, who doesn't like paperwork, gladly accepts the help of the old Zobač. Zobač, on his side, is using the access to the papers of the Cooperative for his own profit. He also bribes the surveyor, whose work is to measure the land to enable ploughing away the field boundaries. The surveyor pretends to be ill, and the work is stopped. Old Zobač tells Floriš, in a nasty quarrel, that he has no intention of giving him the land. Desperate Frona would gladly give up her land now, but she cannot leave because her father-in-law is thereatening her. He has bills of exchange which he tricked Filípek into signing. The new surveyor finishes the work but old Zobač is pulling out the measuring sticks at night. Floriš takes advantage of the darkness of the night and shoots him dead. The suspicion falls on Jura, who, however, is soon cleared. Frona discovers who the real killer is, and Floriš tries to kill her as well. The police agents arrest him. After some time, Frona, already recovering and together with her beloved Jura, is observing the ploughing away of the field boundaries.

Cast

Hana Čelková

Františka Zobačová zvaná Frona

Gustav Hilmar

Zobač, Fronin tchán

Július Pántik

Floriš Zobač, Fronin muž

Otto Lackovič

družstevník Jura Žebroň, Fronin milý

František Smolík

předseda národního výboru a družstevník Filípek, Fronin otec

Marcela Martínková

traktoristka Mařa, Fronina sestra

Josef Bek

inženýr Antoš, instruktor z okresu

Zdeňka Baldová

družstevnice Bartoška

František Kreuzmann

družstevník Šafrán

Vladimír Hlavatý

předseda MO KSČ Grulík

Peter Paška

Janek Haluza

Miloš Vavruška

mladší příslušník SNB

Josef Kemr

geometr Havránek

Vilém Pfeiffer

příslušník SNB

Soběslav Sejk

nový geometr

Alois Dvorský

družstevník

Hermína Vojtová

družstevnice

Světla Amortová

družstevnice

Václav Trégl

hostinský

Adolf Král

príšlušník SNB

František Kabrheľ

Slávek Volavý

primáš cimbálové muziky

Cimbálová muzika Slávka Volavého

kapela na taneční zábavě

Crew and creators

Second Unit Director

Ladislav Helge

Assistant Director

Miroslav Kubišta, Vladimíra Čečetková, Helena Zídková

Screenstory

Jaroslav Zrotal

Shooting Script

Jiří Krejčík

Director of Photography

Vladimír Novotný

Production Designer

Rudolf Lukeš, Oldřich Bosák

Make-Up Artist

Miloslav Jandera

Sound Designer

Miloslav Hůrka

Production Manager

Zdeněk Oves

Unit Production Manager

Václav Dobeš

Consultant

Ing. Václav Svoboda, JUDr. Otto Ševčík

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Šust

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Milivoj Uzelac)

Songs

Tydlidom, tydlidom, ženu prodám židom

Singer Július Pántik

Uvážu si šátek červený jak plamen

Singer sbor

Production info

Original Title

Frona

Czech Title

Frona

English Title

The Sisters

Working Title

Sestry

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1954

Production Year

1953—1954

Production specifications

start of filming 17 August 1953
the first film copy approved 14 July 1954
projection approval 30 July 1954
withdrawal from distribution 30 June 1990

Premiere

premiere 26 November 1954 /suitable for youths/ (kina Blaník /4 týdny/, Bystrica /1 týden/, Aero /1 týden od 3. 12./ a Kyjev /1 týden od 17. 12./, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

106 min

Original length in metres

3 030 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

Event: Státní ceny za rok 1954

1955
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jaroslav Zrotal

Vítěz

Event: Státní ceny za rok 1954

1955
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Krejčík

Vítěz

Festival: 8. mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary

1954
Karlovy Vary / Czechoslovakia