The Little Golden Key

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1922

Production year

1922

Premiere

8 December 1922

Runtime

71 min

Category

film

Genre

fairytale

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Film state

lost film

Original title

Zlatý klíček

Czech title

Zlatý klíček

English title

The Little Golden Key

Synopsis

Young Matula has succumbed to gambling and he steals money from his parents to finance his passion. His father catches him red-handed and throws him out of the house. Matula roams the world and meets Vávra, also a tramp, who accepts a job as a road-sweeper but he soon dies in a car accident. On his lone wanderings Matula finds a miraculous little key which opens all locks. With its help he acquires a great fortune. He breaks into a bank and steals more money. He then meets the daughter of the cashier who was wrongly accused under suspicion of theft and when he sees her despair, he realises his wrong-doings. Finally he wakes up - it had all been a dream. (According to the censor's certificate).

Note

The film was first banned by the censors. The original negatives were destroyed by a fire during the Prague Uprising in 1945. The film materials are believed lost.

Cast

František Roland

tulák Vávra

Marie Ptáková

služebná

Olga Scheinpflugová

Sejkorova dcera Olga

Alexander Třebovský

pokladník Sejkora

Václav Vydra ml.

Matula jako chlapec

Zdeněk Štěpánek

berní úředník

Crew and creators

Screenstory

Karel Čapek

Screenplay

Jaroslav Kvapil

Director of Photography

Karel Kopřiva, Alfons Weber

Production Designer

Bohuslav Šula, Josef Wenig

Production info

Original Title

Zlatý klíček

Czech Title

Zlatý klíček

English Title

The Little Golden Key

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Film state

lost film

Genre

fairytale

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1922

Production Year

1922

Production specifications

date of censorship 14 June 1922 (neschváleno do distribuce)
date of censorship 21 June 1922

Premiere

preview 29 June 1922 (kino Lucerna, Praha)
premiere 8 December 1922 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Lido bio /1 týden/, Praha)

Production

AB

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Biografia

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

71 min

Original length in metres

2 000 meters

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