Lawyer Věra

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1937

Production year

1937

Premiere

30 April 1937

Runtime

82 min

Director

Martin Frič

Category

film

Genre

comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Advokátka Věra

Czech title

Advokátka Věra

English title

Lawyer Věra

Summary

The year of 1937 brought the penultimate onscreen curtain call for one of the most popular films stars of the First Republic era, namely Truda Grosslichtová. Subsequently, her background as a half-Jew made her a target for the Nazi occupiers of Czechoslovakia, and so voluntary retirement beckoned. Advokátka Věra (Lawyer Věra) is directed by Martin Frič and sees Grosslichtová portraying a freshman lawyer, who has one year to prove the viability and profitability of her new law firm to her father (Theodor Pištěk). Failing that, Věra will have to marry a man selected by her father. Fortunately, Věra undertakes a successful court defence of Petr Kučera, nicknamed “Tiger”, and falls in love with him to boot. Though the depictions of the women in the film are old-fashioned from a contemporary point of view, Oldřich Nový tempers this somewhat with a sensitive performance as Věra’s love interest.

Synopsis

Věra Donátová has finished her law studies and wants to found her own law firm. She is financially dependent, however, on her family. Her emancipated mother supports her endeavors but her father provides her the money with the condition that if her practice does not succeed within a year she will marry Consul Raboch's son. Věra has no clients. Her first case is assigned to her ex officio. Věra visits her client, Petr Kučera, known as Tiger, in his prison cell, and against his will she obtains his release. In an attempt to reform him she offers him a position as a butler in her office. Tiger invites her to the pub to acquaint her with the mentality of the underworld. Věra likes his sovereign behavior. The year deadline passes and father Donát throws a banquet. He wants Věra to choose from several invited suitors. Věra ridicules all the suitors, including Consul Raboch's son. Her father triumphs when he introduces to Věra the eldest son of Consul Raboch, the elegant gentleman Tiger. It is revealed that Věra's first, and for the meantime only, case was staged, to the satisfaction of all participants, by father Donát.

Cast

Truda Grosslichtová

JUDr. Věra Donátová

Růžena Šlemrová

Růžena Donátová, Věřina matka

Theodor Pištěk

Jindřich Donát, Věřin otec

Oldřich Nový

Petr Kučera zvaný Tygr, vlastním jménem Petr Raboch

Bedřich Veverka

Eman Pálený, Petrův společník

L. H. Struna

Dlouhý Gusta, Petrův společník

Bohuš Záhorský

Franta Štístko, Petrův společník

Rudolf Deyl st.

konzul Raboch

Stanislav Neumann

Rabochův syn Richard

Jaroslav Marvan

majitel koloniálu

Darja Hajská

panská u Donátů Marie

Karel Veverka

prezident soudu JUDr. Bašus

Alois Peterka

vyšetřující soudce

Václav Trégl

solicitátor Oktábec

Eman Fiala

skladatel

Čeněk Šlégl

básník Karel Benda

Jiří Hron

malíř Jan Vrzal

Václav Vydra ml.

sportovec Cifra

František Kreuzmann

první klient advokátky Věry

Ferdinand Jarkovský

advokátní solicitátor

Karel Faltys

šéfkuchař

Milka Balek-Brodská

úřednice v redakci

Josef Kotalík

sluha u Donátů

Karel Postranecký

druhý klient advokátky Věry

František Říha

majitel mlékárny

Václav Menger

dozorce vězňů

Fráňa Vajner

žalářník

Bedřich Frank

strážník

Crew and creators

Director

Martin Frič

Assistant Director

Walter Schorsch

Based on

Vlasta Zemanová (Advokátka Věra – povídka)

Director of Photography

Ferdinand Pečenka

Production Designer

Štěpán Kopecký

Set Designer

Arnold Reimann

Sound Designer

Josef Zora

Production Manager

Josef Stein, Antonín Procházka

Cooperation

Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Julius Kalaš

Music Performed by

Orchestr F.O.K. (Music Conducted by Julius Kalaš)

Songs

Já jedu dopředu, jak nejlíp dovedu

Song Composer Julius Kalaš
Writer of Lyrics Karel Hrnčíř
Singer Truda Grosslichtová

Na děvče mi nesahej

Song Composer Julius Kalaš
Writer of Lyrics Karel Hrnčíř
Singer Oldřich Nový

Production info

Original Title

Advokátka Věra

Czech Title

Advokátka Věra

English Title

Lawyer Věra

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1937

Production Year

1937

Production specifications

start of filming 9 March 1937
end of filming 23 March 1937
date of censorship 04/1937
withdrawal from distribution 02/1940
date of censorship 02/1940 (neschváleno do distribuce)

Premiere

premiere 30 April 1937 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Adria /2 týdny/ a Světozor /2 týdny/, Praha)

Production

Ufa

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Ufa

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

82 min

Original length in metres

2 320 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