The war film Zborov was originally scheduled to premiere in 1937 on the twentieth anniversary of the battle near the Ukrainian village of Zborov, in which the Czechoslovak Legions first intervened on the eastern front of the World War I. For various reasons, however, it was not filmed until a year later and did not appear in cinemas until after the Munich Agreement, which gave the film’s brief release an unexpected patriotic dimension. The film stands out from the usual First Republic film production in terms of genre, magnificence, and state support. The final battle scenes, lasting about eleven minutes, were filmed with the participation of several thousand Czechoslovak Army soldiers. The story takes place from 1914 until the victory in the battle on 2 July 1917. It starts at the ŠKODA factory in Plzeň, where the experienced foreman Kalina is the workshop supervisor. His two sons find themselves on opposite sides after the declaration of war. The two brothers meet on the battlefield after the Battle of Zborov. Apart from them, we follow the fates of other participants in the war events, and the first part of the film also captures life in the rear. – The film, written by the famous legionnaire, General Rudolf Medek, shows explicitly its patriotic intentions, emphasised by the pathetic opening and closing commentary. For its time, it quite successfully depicts life in the trenches at the battlefront and surprises with its management of crowd war scenes. In addition to the large number of extras, many of well-known actors participated in the production, sometimes only in supporting roles. – The film was removed from cinemas during the Protectorate at the end of the summer of 1939. It appeared in cinemas after the war, but only until 1948, as the Communist regime purposefully suppressed the legacy of the Legions. – In November 2018, the National Film Archive, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, presented the title in a digitally restored version as part of the Filmové osmičky series. The official premiere took place on 8 November 2018 at the National Memorial at Vítkov in Prague. The aim of the digital restoration was to make the film available as it could be seen and heard by the audience at the time of its first screening in 1939. Therefore, the film kept some elements that were created during filming or laboratory processing and are therefore evidence of the technologies and creative processes of the time. The source for the digitalisation of the image and sound was a duplication positive (the original negative of the image and sound was not preserved) stored at the National Film Archive. The restoration was carried out in 2018 under the supervision of the National Film Archive at Universal Productions Partners and Soundsquare studios in Prague.
In 1914 in the Škoda factories they hectically manufacture armaments. Also working there are the two Kalina brothers: Pavel, who is a supporter of the monarchy and Jan, who advocates the notion of Pan-Slavism. Just before mobilization Jan manages to flee to Russia. Pavel joins the Austrian Army. Two years of war go by. In Russia a group of volunteers forms a Czech company fighting against the Austrian monarchy. Jan also signs up with this company. Pavel serves in the Austrian military together with Sergeant-Major Rabas. Rabas's son Miloš, who was a volunteer in the Czech company, is taken prisoner by Austrian troops and Rabas wants to solicit leniency for him. But Miloš declares that he consciously fought for the liberation of his homeland, and therefore he is sentenced to death. Rabas is severely shaken by his son's fate and henceforth he tries to run over to the Russians, which he eventually succeeds in doing. After the Russian Revolution erupts the soldiers request, now already the Czechoslovak brigade, that they be stationed at the front. On July 2, 1917 they fight at the side of the Russian Army at Zborov. Despite heavy losses they advance unstoppably forward. Among the wounded Jan finds his brother and transports him to a field hospital. Rabas, also wounded, dies. His last words belong to his free homeland.
dílovedoucí Škodových závodů Kalina
Anna, Kalinova žena
nadporučík Pavel Kalina, starší syn Kalinových
Jeník, mladší syn Kalinových
Hanička Langrová, Jeníkova nevěsta
ptáčník Karel Ledvina
šikovatel Rabas, původně železničář
dobrovolník Miloš, Rabasův syn
jednoročák Zamrazil, původně divadelní herec
ruský hoch Kolja Nikolaj Andrejevič Semjaško, zvaný Mikulka
Karpíšek, rakouský voják, později československý dobrovolník
Halama, rakouskývoják, později československý dobrovolník
profesor Kodeš, rakouský voják, později československý dobrovolník
Hořica, rakouský voják, později československý dobrovolník
Kopecký, rakouský voják, později československý dobrovolník
Zámečník, rakouský voják, později československý dobrovolník
Kolenatý, rakouský voják, později československý dobrovolník
plukovní lékař
ošetřovatelka
náborník České družiny Fišer
náborník České družiny Veselý
nadporučík Hausmacher
dobrovolník
dobrovolník
major, později podplukovník baron von Knoteck
kapitán Scheibe
plukovník Trojanov
dělník Hašek
dělník Homola
dělník Vojtek
dělník Randák
vojín Šindelář
kočí
rakouský četník
divadelní garderobiér Hruška
poručík Voženílek, dobrovolník České družiny
dobrovolník České družiny
dobrovolník České družiny
dobrovolník České družiny
poddůstojník-dobrovolník
ruská spojka
ruský poddůstojník
inženýr v provozní kanceláři Škodovky Skřivan
ředitel Škodovky Skřivan
sborista Plzeňského divadla
sborista Plzeňského divadla
rakouský důstojník
rakouský vojín
rakouský vojín
ruský mužik-zajatec
člen polního soudu
člen polního soudu
člen polního soudu
polní kurát
hostinský Josef Vaněček
listonoš
švadlena
divadelní inspicient
host v hostinci
žena na nádraží
J. A. Holman (interiéry a exteriéry), Jiří Slavíček (interiéry)
Jan Kohout, V. Novotný (montáže), J. Vácha (montáže)
mjr. Emanuel Prüll (vojenství)
Antonín Frič (fotograf)
Bedřich Smetana (Prodaná nevěsta – opera), Johann Strauss (Radeckého pochod /Radetzky-March/)
Orchestr F.O.K. (Music Conducted by Otakar Jeremiáš)
Singer František Kreuzmannmužský sbor
Zborov
Zborov
Zborov
film
featuretheatrical distribution
drama, historical, war
Czechoslovakia
1938
1938
start of filming 9 June 1938
end of filming 22 November 1938
date of censorship 29 December 1938 (kulturně-výchovný)
withdrawal from distribution 08/1939
date of censorship 07/1945 (konec povolení k promítání 31. 12. 1948)
withdrawal from distribution 7 January 1948
gala premiere 5 January 1939 (kino Blesk, Praha)
premiere 6 January 1939 /suitable for youths/ (kina Blaník /2 týdny/ a Světozor /2 týdny/, Praha)
renewed premiere 20 July 1945 /suitable for youths/
renewed premiere 8 November 2018 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Nationalfilm (původní 1939), Státní půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1945), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2018)
feature film
112 min
3 095 meters
35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD
1:1,37
black & white
sound
Tobis – Klang
Czech
Czech, German, Slovak, Russian
without subtitles
Czech
Event: Státní záruky Československé vlády na výrobu filmů
1937
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Nationalfilm, spol. s.r.o.