Woman below the Cross

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1937

Production year

1937

Premiere

24 September 1937

Runtime

105 min

Category

film

Genre

melodrama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Žena pod křížem

Czech title

Žena pod křížem

English title

Woman below the Cross

Synopsis

Václav Dvořák, the owner of a printing house, has two daughters - Venda and Saša. The father is proud of the charming Venda and jealous of her suitors. Lawyer Hodaň, a widower and father of an adult son, courts Venda with particular persistence. Venda convinces him to marry her inconspicuous sister Saša, who loves him. For Venda herself has fallen in love with Materna, the manly typesetter from her father's printing house. She does not know that he is a course and selfish man who woos her out of self-interest. Her father warns her of this to no avail, and when Venda marries Materna, he disinherits her. Materna and his mother, who have calculated on a large dowry, make life hell for Venda. Materna has lost his job and does not look for a new one. Instead, he has sold Venda's clothes and jewelry and he has given several valuables to his lover Hermína. He does not even shrink from fraud, and in Venda's name he extracts several thousand crowns from Hodaň. When Materna moves Hermína into the apartment, the desperate Venda resolves to commit suicide. She throws herself in front of a train and is severely injured. In the hospital, however, she is surrounded by the love and care of the young doctor Berkovec, her sister, and her father. She gradually recovers with the hope for a new and better life.

Cast

Gustav Hilmar

majitel tiskárny Václav Dvořák

Helena Bušová

Václava Dvořáková zvaná Venda

Věra Ferbasová

Alexandra Dvořákova zvaná Saša

Eva Vrchlická

Maternová

Vilém Pfeiffer

typograf Hynek, syn Maternové

Jan W. Speerger

Hynkův přítel Marek

Zdeněk Hora

JUDr. Petr Hodaň

Herbert Lom

Gustav, Hodaňův syn

Ella Nollová

hospodyně Tekla

Běla Tringlerová

sekretářka Hermína Pakandlová

Raoul Schránil

MUDr. Karel Berkovec

Jan Černý

přítel JUDr. Hodaně

Marie Ježková

květinářka

Alois Peterka

Rudla, host u JUDr. Hodaně

Václav Mlčkovský

host u JUDr. Hodaně

Marie Přikrylová

Lažanská, host u JUDr. Hodaně

Josef Kotalík

host u JUDr. Hodaně

Karel Postranecký

host u JUDr. Hodaně

Fanča Foltová

známá JUDr. Hodaně

Jarmila Zezulková

ošetřující sestra

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Antonín Kubový

Based on

Maryna Radoměrská (Žena pod křížem – román)

Director of Photography

Jan Roth

Camera Operator

Jaromír Holpuch

Production Designer

Štěpán Kopecký

Set Designer

Arnold Reimann

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Sound Designer

Josef Zora

Production Manager

Josef Stein, Jan Sinnreich

Cooperation

Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Zdeněk Moudrý, J. B. Majer

Music Performed by

Orchestr F.O.K. (Music Conducted by Zdeněk Moudrý)

Songs

Neříkej, že jsi můj jediný

Song Composer Zdeněk MoudrýJ. B. Majer
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Mottl
Singer Helena Bušová [dab]

Život je toužení

Song Composer Zdeněk MoudrýJ. B. Majer
Writer of Lyrics Jaroslav Mottl
Singer Věra Ferbasová [dab]

Production info

Original Title

Žena pod křížem

Czech Title

Žena pod křížem

English Title

Woman below the Cross

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

melodrama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1937

Production Year

1937

Production specifications

start of filming 15 June 1937
end of filming 1 July 1937
date of censorship 09/1937

Premiere

premiere 24 September 1937 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Avion /1 týden/, Juliš /1 týden/ a Metro /2 týdny/, Praha)

Production

Slavia-film

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Slavia-film

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

105 min

Original length in metres

2 988 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

Tobis – Klang

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech