Venoušek and Stázička

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1922

Production year

1922

Runtime

223 min

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Venoušek a Stázička

Czech title

Venoušek a Stázička

English title

Venoušek and Stázička

Synopsis

Venoušek prefers to get up to tricks rather than study, as his college report shows. His father and aunt Klotylda decide to send him to the shoe-maker Nesvačil who will not tolerate any nonsense from his apprentices. Venoušek establishes an organisation of shoe-maker apprentices - "The Brotherhood of the Black Buckle" and they go off together on various adventures. They even lure Nesvačil to their lair and pay him back for all the wrongs he has done. Venoušek's friend Stázička is responsible for a betrayal within the "Brotherhood" and she, Venoušek and their friend Zrzek flee to the country to escape punishment. They manage to survive at the expense of foolish day-trippers. Zrzek, however, is persecuted as a robber at the Prachovské rocks. After an incident at the barber's they offer to join a circus selling special creams to old grannies which are supposed to make them young again. Zrzek falls in love with Stázička and tries to kill himself by falling under a train. Fortunately he moves out of the way onto another track. Stázička returns home and, during the night, she has a terrible dream about hell. On an excursion she meets the friends in the company of Nesvačil who has finally forgiven his apprentices. (According to promotional material issued at the time the film was made.)

Note

Only part of the film has survived. The surviving fragment of the film contains an episode shot at the Prachovské rocks and at the circus where Zrzek performs as an impressario; Venoušek and Stázička act as Lilliputians. Three reels were shot in total which were shown together in August 1922 at the Prague cinema Lucerna. The film was later shown in two parts. The première of the 1st part was held on the 1st of September 1922, of the second on the 22nd of December 1922 and of the third on the 29nd of December 1922. The stories were published in the Humorist Papers. Working shots of the scenes in hell (they have not survived) are contained in the film How films were made in our country (compiled by Bohumil Veselý, 1954).

Cast

Karel Branald

Venoušek Dolejš

Zdena Kavková

Stázička Voňavková

Eman Fiala

učeň Zrzek

Ella Buddeusová

artistka Cilka

Václav Vích

cirkusák

Josef Rovenský

holič Házelpecky, ženich

Ferenc Futurista

ševcovský mistr Nesvačil

Betty Kysilková

paní Nesvačilová, mistrova žena

Emilie Nitschová

paní Voňavková, matka Stázičky

Rudolf Myzet

pražský švihák-elegán

Rudolf Stahl

livrejovaný sluha v cirkuse

Josef Zora

Venouškův otec

Marie Branaldová

Cilčina matka

Karel Fiala

statkář Holan

Martin Frič

truhlář

Jára Kohout

návštěvník cirkusu

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Antonín Meisner

Based on

Josef Skružný (Venoušek Dolejš – kreslený seriál)

Screenplay

Josef Skružný

Director of Photography

Evžen Capita, Otto Heller

Production Designer

Julius Fischer

Production info

Original Title

Venoušek a Stázička

Czech Title

Venoušek a Stázička

English Title

Venoušek and Stázička

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1922

Production Year

1922

Production specifications

date of censorship 21 August 1922 (I. epocha)
date of censorship 4 December 1922 (II. a III. epocha)

Premiere

gala premiere 3 August 1922 (kino Lucerna, Praha /I. a II. epocha/)
premiere 1 September 1922 /suitable for youths/ (kino Sanssouci /2 týdny/, Praha /I. epocha/)
premiere 22 December 1922 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Sanssouci /1 týden/, Praha /II. epocha/)
premiere 29 December 1922 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Sanssouci /1 týden/, Praha /III. epocha/)

Production

AB

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Biografia

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

223 min

Original length in metres

6 350 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,33

Colour

tinting, black & white

Sound

silent

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

without dialogue

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Intertitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech