The Experiment

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1943

Production year

1943

Premiere

3 September 1943

Runtime

92 min

Director

Martin Frič

Category

film

Genre

drama, psychological

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Experiment

Czech title

Experiment

English title

The Experiment

Parallel title

Experiment

Synopsis

In a mountain lodge two men meet by chance, Doctor Slaba and the artist Chodovský. Both men had been witnesses to the suicide of a young girl many years ago. And now they try to understand how the tragedy actually came about. On a street at night Slaba recognized the girl as Julka, the daughter of his friend. The orphaned girl had just been thrown out by her aunt that evening 'to bring in some income'. The doctor takes in Julka, but he is more interested in attempting to determine whether physical corruption has an effect on the soul, and vice versa. Slaba does not act overly kindly with the girl just because he tries to suppress his growing affection for her. Julka loves him and tries to prove to him that she is not guilty. The doctor would like to subject her to a test and in his sanatorium he employs his nephew Jindřich, an unscrupulous seducer of women. Julka loathes Jindřich and therefore she enthusiastically brings to him in his apartment a dismissal notice from work. Jindřich has his way with her by force and thus the girl poisons herself. Julka's suicide letter was saved at the time by Chodovský. So now Slaba has learned what actual effect his experiment had.

Note

The film shows the opening day of the exhibition of original paintings by Vladimír Sychra and František Tichý.

Cast

Zdeněk Štěpánek

MUDr. Svatopluk Slaba

Vlasta Matulová

Julka Zachová, Slabova schovanka

Vítězslav Vejražka

MUDr. Jindřich Slaba, Slabův synovec

Otomar Korbelář

malíř Karel Chodovský

Ella Nollová

Holovská, Julinčina teta

Anna Vávrová-Hlaváčková

MUDr. Dunovská, asistentka MUDr. Slaby

Marie Blažková

hospodyně u MUDr. Slaby

Věra Hanslíková

Jindřichova milenka

Marie Burešová

ona sama, recitátorka na vernisáži

Olga Augustová

učitelka zpěvu

Vladimír Řepa

host na vernisáži

František Filipovský

host na vernisáži

Bolek Prchal

sluha v Slabově sanatoriu

Bedřich Bozděch

tajný u Holovské

Jan W. Speerger

tajný v sanatoriu

Václav Piskáček

policejní komisař

Sláva Grossmann

vyvolávač na Stěně smrti

Emil Bolek

venkovan

Blažena Slavíčková

divačka na Stěně smrti

Ota Motyčka

návštěvník kavárny

Josef Oliak

návštěvník kavárny

Jiří Fiala

dirigent v Národním divadle

Jaroslav Hladík

návštěvník Národního divadla

Josef Steigl

návštěvník Národního divadla

Vasil Truchlý

barový houslista

Crew and creators

Director

Martin Frič

Screenstory

Karel Steklý

Based on

Karel Matěj Čapek-Chod (Experiment – romaneto)

Screenplay

Karel Steklý

Director of Photography

Jan Roth

Camera Operator

Jaroslav Kníže, Václav Huňka

Production Designer

Ferdinand Fiala

Set Designer

Oldřich Novotný

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Sound Designer

Stanislav Vondraš

Production Manager

Václav Dražil, Karel Feix (ředitel výroby)

Unit Production Manager

Miloš Mastník

Consultant

MUDr. Šimon (lékařství), Miroslav Rutte (jazykový poradce)

Cooperation

Karel Hájek (fotograf), Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Josef Stelibský

Music Performed by

Orchestr Pragfilmu (Music Conducted by Jiří Fiala)

Songs

Bílý jasmín

Song Composer Josef Stelibský
Writer of Lyrics Vítězslav Nezval
Singer Vlasta Matulová

Production info

Original Title

Experiment

Czech Title

Experiment

English Title

The Experiment

Parallel Title

Experiment

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama, psychological

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1943

Production Year

1943

Production specifications

start of filming 22 May 1943
end of filming 22 July 1943
date of censorship 27 August 1943 (predikáty „umělecky hodnotný film“, „uznáníhodný film“ a „film pro Den hrdinů“)
projection approval 19 July 1945 (konec povolení k promítání 19. 7. 1946)
projection approval 26 June 1946 (konec povolení k promítání 31. 12. 1946)
projection approval 04/1969

Premiere

premiere 3 September 1943 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Adria /3 týdny/, Lucerna /3 týdny/ a Phönix /3 týdny/, Praha)
renewed premiere 17 August 1945 /unsuitable for youths/
renewed premiere 1965 /unsuitable for youths/ (Filmové kluby)
renewed premiere 23 May 1969 /unsuitable for youths/

Production

Nationalfilm

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

Nationalfilm (původní 1943), Státní půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1945), Ústřední půjčovna filmů (obnovená 1965 a 1969)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

92 min

Original length in metres

2 630 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, German