The Story of Simple Simon

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1926

Production year

1926

Premiere

15 April 1927

Runtime

133 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Román hloupého Honzy

Czech title

Román hloupého Honzy

English title

The Story of Simple Simon

Parallel title

Ředitel sklárny

English parallel title

The Director of a Glassworks

Synopsis

Mrs Hovorková's glassworks, under the supervision of her daughter Mína, has been making a loss throughout the year. Uncle Doležal suggests to the owner that she appoint Jan Skácel director whose father used to work in the glassworks. Skácel comes to Horov and takes up his position on the condition that he be given a substantial amount of power. He engineers fundamental changes in the factory operations and production. However, from the very start he has to face opposition from the workmen and owners and, in the end, he has to engineer the new smelting process on his own. The accountant Hradský, in particular, does not agree with the new order enforced in the factory. Skácel has also succeeded in implementing a new wage system for the employees, forcing the biggest buyer Hahn to accept higher prices; he also brings order to the wood deliveries and coal consumption. The positive results he achieves eventually manifests themselves in the favourable response of not only the employees but also the owners. Skácel becomes closer to Mína but he still decides to leave even though the year has proved very profitable for the factory. The Mr and Mrs Hovorka make it to the station just in time to persuade him to return to the factory and take Mína for his wife.

Cast

Zdeněk Štěpánek

ředitel Jan Skácel

Marta Májová

majitelka sklárny Hovorková

Libuše Freslová

Mína, dcera Hovorkové

Václav Vydra ml.

Toník, syn Hovorkové

Vladimír Majer

dělník Kos

Marie Gabrielová

Kosova dcera Máry

Marie Bečvářová

Kosová, žena dělníka Kose

František Hlavatý

strýc Doležal, bratr Hovorkové

Antonín Strnad

obchodník se sklem Hahn

František Smolík

přednosta stanice

Milada Smolíková

manželka přednosty stanice

František Kovářík

tulák Povondra/hráč karet na plese

Vladimír Šrámek

účetní sklárny Hradský

Vladimír Řepa

úředník sklárny Pospíšil

Václav Sokolov

řídící učitel

Věra Hlavatá

Lilka, dcera řídícího učitele

Josef Wilmar

huťmistr Seidl

Josef Vošalík

sklářský dělník

Marie Ptáková

leštička skla

Emanuel Havlíček

tlustý dělník

Hanuš Port

lesní

Antonín Friedrich

tavič

Josef Godek

šalíř /topič ve sklářské huti/

Crew and creators

Based on

Jan Bárta (Román hloupého Honzy – román)

Director of Photography

Jindřich Brichta, Karel Smrž

Production Designer

Hanuš Gödert, Josef Hesoun

Production Manager

J. Modl

Production info

Original Title

Román hloupého Honzy

Czech Title

Román hloupého Honzy

English Title

The Story of Simple Simon

Parallel Title

Ředitel sklárny

English Parallel Title

The Director of a Glassworks

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1926

Production Year

1926

Premiere

premiere 15 April 1927 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Na Slovanech, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Pronax-Film

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

133 min

Original length in metres

3 790 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