His Highness's young Laundress

Country

Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany

Copyright

1930

Production year

1930

Premiere

5 September 1930

Runtime

111 min

Director

Fred Sauer

Category

film

Genre

melodrama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Film state

lost film

Original title

Pradlenka jeho Jasnosti

Czech title

Pradlenka jeho Jasnosti

English title

His Highness's young Laundress

Parallel title

Erzherzog Otto und das Wäschermädel / Wiener Herzen

Synopsis

Prince Otto is forced into a marriage with the comtesse Alžběta Vukovičová. Otto, however, intends finding a bride of his own free will. The comtesse herself is left cold by the proposed union. They have never met before. Otto is given some time to reflect and he leaves to go and visit the estate of his adjutant near the Vukovič castle, dressed as an ordinary lieutenant. He meets a girl who introduces herself as laundry girl Bětuška who works for comtesse Alžběta. Otto falls in love with the girl and wants to marry her. He is then called back by telegraph to the castle for he is to meet with count Vukovič and his daughter Alžběta. Otto discovers that Bětuška is, in fact, the comtesse Alžběta and he readily agrees to become her husband. Alžběta tries to run away from the arranged marriage. She is traced down and, during the enagagement ceremony, she realises that her beloved lieutenant and the prince Otto are one and the same person. (According to promotional material issued at the time the film was made.)

Note

According to a written declaration by film producer Robert Zdráhal, submitted on the 31st of May 1930 to the Ministry of Interior of the CSR – which was in control of film censorship – this is a purely Czech production. In Austrian promotional material about the film, however, it is presented as an Austrian-German co-production. The film materials are believed lost.

Cast

Marta Friedmannová

komtesa Alžběta/pradlenka Bětuška

Werner Fuetterer

princ Otto, v inkognitu jen poručík

Jiří Hron

princův osobní myslivec František

Lilian Ellis

princova snoubenka Liesl

Albert Kersten

dvorní ceremoniář hrabě Prescher

Karl Kneidinger

Ralf Cammée

Emil Guttmann

Crew and creators

Director

Fred Sauer

Screenstory

Toni Dathe-Fabri

Director of Photography

Otto Heller

Production Designer

Stefan Wessely

Production info

Original Title

Pradlenka jeho Jasnosti

Czech Title

Pradlenka jeho Jasnosti

English Title

His Highness's young Laundress

Parallel Title

Erzherzog Otto und das Wäschermädel / Wiener Herzen

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Film state

lost film

Genre

melodrama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany

Copyright

1930

Production Year

1930

Production specifications

date of censorship 22 July 1930

Premiere

premiere 5 September 1930 /unsuitable for youths/ (kino Juliš /2 týdny/, Praha)

Production

Robert Zdráhal

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Degl a spol.

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

111 min

Original length in metres

3 150 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