Black Flame

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1930

Production year

1929—1930

Premiere

15 May 1931

Runtime

92 min

Category

film

Genre

melodrama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Černý plamen

Czech title

Černý plamen

English title

Black Flame

Synopsis

One day Gypsies arrive in the area and with them comes the beautiful Daniela, whom an old Gypsy woman once had brought to the camp - nobody knew where from. Daniela loves Ondřej, but a deeper love is awoken in her by a chance encounter with Dr. Palm, who has taken to wandering in the woods since the violent death of his beloved. The doctor, too, is quite intrigued by Daniela. Ondřej steals a silver dress for Daniela from the doctor's house but is shot and wounded by a policeman. Daniela, distraught, brings Dr. Palm to Ondřej, but there is nothing he can do and the young lad dies. In Palm's villa Daniela sees that the silver dress once belonged to Palm's late wife. She decides to leave both the doctor and the camp, and departs with the old Gypsy woman. On the way they meet the policeman who recognises the silver dress, takes her for a thief, and leads her back to the doctor. The latter does not condemn Daniela. He has fallen in love with her and wants her to stay with him. She becomes his wife, but no-one ever finds out the secret of her origin. That, the old Gypsy woman takes to her grave.

Note

The film was shot in 1929 as a silent film with a prologue in which Bronislav Livia and Zvonimir Rogoz acted (the prologue was not included in the sound version). The film came out in 1931 with subsequently spoken scenes and music. The sound version is introducted by a film foreword by F. X. Svoboda.

Cast

Jarmila Lhotová

cikánka Daniela

Jan W. Speerger

MUDr. Jiří Palm

Theodor Pištěk

vůdce cikánů

V. Ch. Vladimírov

cikán Franta

Voloďa Novosilev

cikán Ondřej

Marie Fingerová

Palmova hospodyně Marta

Marie Häusslerová

stoletá cikánka

Jindřich Plachta

venkovský krejčí

Karolína Vávrová

žena v hostinci

Bronislava Livia

Palmova žena Olga na fotografii a ve vystřiženém prologu

Zvonimir Rogoz

Olžin dávný nápadník ve vystřiženém prologu

F. X. Svoboda

on sám v prologu

Crew and creators

Based on

F. X. Svoboda (Černý plamen – novela)

Director of Photography

Jan Stallich

Production Designer

Vladimír Líman, Alois Mecera

Film Editor

Marie Bourová

Sound Designer

Bedřich Poledník

Production Manager

Karel Špelina

Cooperation

Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Music

Songs

Píseň o lásce /Černý plamen/

Song Composer Vlastislav Antonín Vipler
Writer of Lyrics Jiří Červený
Singer Jarmila Lhotová

Lásko, bože, lásko

Singer Jarmila Lhotová

Kdo má počernou galánku

Singer Jarmila Lhotová

Kdybych byla ptáčkem

Singer Fanda Mrázek

Zahučaly hory zahučaly lesy

Song Composer lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics lidová píseň
Singer mužský sbor

U panského dvora

Song Composer lidová píseň
Writer of Lyrics František Jaroslav Vacek-Kamenický
Singer mužský sbor

Pod tím naším okénečkem

Singer mužský sbor

Tancuj, tancuj, vykrúcaj

Prijdi ty, šuhajko, ráno k nám

Bodaj by vás, vy mládenci, čerti vzali

Týnom tánom

Vrť sa dievča

Production info

Original Title

Černý plamen

Czech Title

Černý plamen

English Title

Black Flame

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

melodrama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1930

Production Year

1929—1930

Production specifications

date of censorship 03/1931 (kulturně-výchovný)

Premiere

premiere 15 May 1931 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Fénix /1 týden/, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Dafa

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

92 min

Original length in metres

2 600 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,19

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

Tobis – Klang

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Intertitles languages

Czech

Opening/End credits languages

Czech