The Good Soldier Švejk

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1926

Production year

1925—1926

Premiere

12 February 1926

Runtime

111 min

Director

Karel Lamač

Category

film

Genre

anti-war, comedy, satire

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Dobrý voják Švejk

Czech title

Dobrý voják Švejk

English title

The Good Soldier Švejk

Synopsis

Mrs. Müllerová brings Švejk the news of the Archduke's assissination. Švejk takes himself off to the U Kalicha pub, he philosophises about Ferdinand and the detective Bretschneider arrests him. At the interrogation Švejk admits to all his "crimes" and, after a medical examination, is taken off to a psychiatric hospital from where they send him home as an imbecile. Soon Švejk is called up into the army. Mrs Müllerová takes him in a wheelchair to report at a recruiting station. The commission takes Švejk to be a malingerer. He is cured at a military hospital with enemas and a strict diet which he breaks thanks to the delicacies brought by the baroness von Botzenheim. Švejk serves as a batman for first lieutenant Lukáš for whom he steals a dog from a colonel. The colonel meets Lukáš with the dog and has him transferred to the march battalion. On the way to Budějovice by train Švejk first verbally assaults the major general who is travelling incognito and then he stops the train with the emergency alarm chord. He is detained and has to go to Budějovice on foot. In Putim the police takes Švejk for a Russian spy. After an up-country march Švejk reports in Budějovice to Lukáš and soon they depart to the front. On one of their stops Švejk steals a chicken for Lukáš. An inspection is made of the field kitchen and the impressed old general decorates Švejk. While sitting at the fire the soldiers fondly remoniscence of their homeland.

Note

Only part of the film has survived. In 1930 director Martin Frič put together a film (3,200 m) from another three films about Švejk (Dobrý voják Švejk/The Good Soldier Švejk, Švejk na frontě/Švejk at the Front and Švejk v ruském zajetí/Švejk in Russian Captivity), which, with the title Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka/The Fates of the Good Soldier Švejk, had its premiere on the 20th of June 1930.

Cast

Karel Noll

Josef Švejk

Antonie Nedošinská

Müllerová, Švejkova bytná

Karel Lamač

hostinský Palivec/nadporučík Lukáš

Betty Kysilková

Palivcová, manželka hostinského

Jan W. Speerger

detektiv Bretschneider/kuchař Jurajda/loupežný vrah ve vazbě

Ella Nollová

služka se psem/ruská statkářka

Vladimír Majer

plukovník Kraus von Zillergut

Josef Oliak

MUDr. Grünstein/důstojník v nemocnici

Antonín Frič

pobočník MUDr. Grünsteina

Bronislava Livia

paní Wendlerová/Kakonyová

Josef Šváb-Malostranský

manžel Wendlerové

Theodor Pištěk

blázen Ottův slovník/Baloun/feldkurát Katz /cenzura postavu vyřadila/

Slávka Tauberová

Mizzi, Lukášova milenka

Antonín Marek

sluha baronky von Botzenheim

L. H. Struna

politický vězeň/zřízenec blázince/malíř

Martin Frič

Turek ve vazbě/reportér z deníku Bohemia

Luigi Hofman

papírník ve vazbě

Jan Richter

svobodník v garnisoně/Švejkův zákazník

Milka Balek-Brodská

Švejkova zákaznice

Svatopluk Innemann

Švejkův zákazník/Kyblička

Julius Lébl

profous Slavík

Karel Švarc

lékař v blázinci

Bedřich Vrbský

lékař v blázinci

Jindřich Plachta

vojenská stráž

Jaroslav Marvan

strážník

Jindřich Fiala

strážník

Alois Charvát

portýr z noční vinárny/generál-inspektor na přehlídce/Kakony

Vladimír Smíchovský

vyšetřující komisař

J. Hlava

intelektuál ve vazbě

Josef Volman

komisař

Jan Zelenka

vyšetřující soudce

Jára Kohout

zloděj psů

Vratislav Innemann

host v Palivcově hospodě

A. V. Ludvík

lékař

František Jerhot

vousatý vězeň v garnisoně

Jiří Hron

jednoročák Marek

Crew and creators

Director

Karel Lamač

Assistant Director

Rudolf Stahl

Based on

Jaroslav Hašek (Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války – román)

Director of Photography

Otto Heller

Production Designer

Vilém Rittershain

Cooperation

Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Production info

Original Title

Dobrý voják Švejk

Czech Title

Dobrý voják Švejk

English Title

The Good Soldier Švejk

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

anti-war, comedy, satire

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1926

Production Year

1925—1926

Production specifications

start of filming 01/1926
end of filming 02/1926
date of censorship 15 February 1926
date of censorship 01/1937 (konec povolení k promítání 1942)
withdrawal from distribution 31 August 1976

Premiere

premiere 12 February 1926 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Hvězda /2 týdny/ a Kapitol /1 týden/, Praha)
renewed premiere 8 August 1963 /unsuitable for youths/ (Filmové kluby)

Production

Gloriafilm

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Gloriafilm (původní 1926), Ústřední půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1963)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

111 min

Original length in metres

3 155 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