The Flames of Life

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1920

Production year

1920

Premiere

29 July 1921

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Original title

Plameny života

Czech title

Plameny života

English title

The Flames of Life

Parallel title

Ráj a peklo bohémy

English parallel title

Heaven and Hell of the Boheme

Synopsis

The unsuccessful actor Julius Mařan tries to drown himself in his despair. He meets the mysterious doctor Ambicius who promises him glory, so he decides to carry on living his life. In an artists' club he meets the beautiful Tereza Melanová and falls in love with her. One of the artists takes him to the cemetery Tereza frequents. The artist shoots himself before Mařan's very eyes. With the help of Ambicius, Mařan is given an engagement in the theatre and he is finally rewarded with success. After a performance of Faust, Tereza comes backstage and they leave together and go to her flat. During their next engagement at the club, Tereza turns her attentions to the tenor Hajský and Mařan becomes jealous. He follows Tereza to the studio of artist Gahura where Hajský arrives to collect her. Gahura tries to prevent Tereza from leaving and he is run over by a carriage. Mařan tries once more to gain the flighty Tereza for himself but he is rejected. He tries to beat his anger out on Ambicius by attempting to strangle him but he falls dead to the ground himself.

Note

The film was reconstructed by Jan S. Kolár. Working shots are included in the film How films were made in our country (compiled by Bohumil Veselý, 1954).

Cast

Suzanne Marwille

Tereza Melanová alias Sláva

V. Ch. Vladimírov

herec Julius Mařan

Jiří Sedláček

malíř Janko Gahura

Jan Fifka

skladatel Žatkovský

Karel Noll

básník Vladan

Evžen Georgij Jevgeněv

operní pěvec Rudolf Hajský

Vladimír Merhaut

záhadný doktor Ambicius alias Ctižádost

Jiří Nedošinský

divadelní ředitel

Jan W. Speerger

sekretář klubu umělců

Jaroslava Vacková

Roxana ve hře Cyrano z Bergeracu

Rudolf Tomek

Kristian ve hře Cyrano z Bergeracu

Vojtěch Záhořík

Jago v tragédii Othello

Karel Fiala

žurnalista

Josef Javorčák

žurnalista

Rudolf Myzet

žurnalista

Karel Votruba

hostinský

Crew and creators

Screenstory

Zorka Janovská

Screenplay

Zorka Janovská

Director of Photography

Jindřich Brichta, Otto Heller

Second Unit Photography

Otto Heller

Production Designer

František Josef Leopold

Cooperation

Louis Vácha (fotograf)

Production info

Original Title

Plameny života

Czech Title

Plameny života

English Title

The Flames of Life

Parallel Title

Ráj a peklo bohémy

English Parallel Title

Heaven and Hell of the Boheme

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1920

Production Year

1920

Premiere

premiere 29 July 1921 (kina U Vejvodů a Světozor, Praha)

Production

Weteb

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Biografia

Technical info

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,33

Colour

black & white

Sound

silent

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

without dialogue

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Intertitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech