Miss Golem

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1972

Production year

1972

Premiere

30 March 1973

Runtime

96 min

Director

Jaroslav Balík

Genre

fantastic, comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Slečna Golem

Czech title

Slečna Golem

English title

Miss Golem

Working title

Golemka

Summary

Screenwriter Josef Nesvadba had a penchant for science fiction but involved himself in a variety of film genres, with somewhat mixed results. Perhaps his most famous film is Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové… (I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen!, 1969) but Slečna Golem (Miss Golem, 1972) also merits attention. This story of pretty hostess Věra, whose life is made difficult by her sinister clone, has become more pertinent as genetic science and cloning have gained prominence. Initially intended to look after Věra, “Miss Golem” – a chance creation by the inventor Petr – turns into a manipulating tyrant and as such invokes ultimate destruction, just like any other contrived being revolting against its human creators… Directed by Jaroslav Balík, the film features a talented cast headed by Jana Brejchová in the dual lead role and Jan Tříska as the inventor Petr.

Synopsis

It is the 1920's. The good-looking hostess Věra demonstrates household robots to visitors of the Futurum exhibition. Young inventor Petr comes to rescue of the girl when she tries to flee from two men wanting to take her away. Věra confesses that she has fled from home because her father, a factory owner, wanted to profitably marry her off. Petr is fascinated by the emancipated woman and shows her round his laboratory, where he plans to create a robot of his own - but one that would be far more advanced. Věra cuts herself on a broken test-tube and a drop of her blood gets in the solution. With all due propriety, the two young people spend the night in the laboratory; in the morning, they are taken aback to see Věra's double. This lucky chance has helped Petr create an artificial being, Miss Golem. She has a single motive for her actions: to take care of Věra and allow her to do only what is good for her. She even fills in for Věra at work, so that Věra can help Petr repeat the experiment and find the formula for creating the robot. Indignant, Věra refuses the idea of a life of luxury after the invention is sold, and the couple breaks up. Before long, the pleasant care of the lady robot turns into tyranny. Miss Golem marries Petr instead of Věra and plans to kill him after the marriage once she gets the formula. In front of journalists, she pretends Věra is a robot. From the tears of the tied-up girl, Petr finally understands who is who and, having overcome all intrigues, saves Věra and himself. The greedy Miss Golem destroys herself. The newlyweds then go and burn the formula that could have been so dangerous to mankind.

Photos

Cast

Jana Brejchová

Věra/umělá žena Golemka

Jan Tříska

vynálezce Petr Vondráček

Martin Růžek

továrník Karen, Věřin otec

Josef Somr

sňatkový podvodník Ludvík Přibyl

Antonie Hegerliková

madame Cloche

Marie Rosůlková

Petrova tetička

Luděk Munzar

Ing. Gross, člen správní rady

Svatopluk Beneš

tajemník Herman

Ota Sklenčka

doyen správní rady

Vladimír Hlavatý

profesor Vondřich

Vladimír Leraus

zástupce banky

Robert Vrchota

Pence, člen správní rady

Richard Záhorský

Fára, člen správní rady

Karel Beníško

Bosch, člen správní rady

Bohumil Šmída

dr. Talpe, člen správní rady

Oldřich Velen

Bauer, člen správní rady

Zdeněk Šavrda

Kutschke, člen správní rady

Tereza Brodská

dítě

František Hanus

Riedman

Ljuba Hušková

sekretářka

Jarmila Orlová

sekretářka

Karel Engel

pronásledovatel

Zlatomil Fabinyi

pronásledovatel

František Jákl

pronásledovatel

Miroslav Jíra

pronásledovatel

Jaroslav Klenot

pronásledovatel

Jiří Klenot

pronásledovatel

Stanislav Němec

pronásledovatel

Jindřich Sejk

pronásledovatel

Zdeněk Srstka

pronásledovatel

Jaroslav Tomsa

pronásledovatel

Karel Vítek

pronásledovatel

Ludvík Wolf

pronásledovatel

Ilona Jirotková

pokladní

Jaroslav Kašpar

sluha

Otto Ohnesorg

sluha

Alois Vachek

sluha Robert/svatebčan

Břetislav Tetera

řidič

Ota Filip

nápadník

Jiří Horký

nápadník

Zdeněk Hruška

nápadník

Jiří Flíček

nápadník/fotograf

Oldřich Semerák

nápadník

Petr Skarke

nápadník

Václav Svěrák

nápadník

Miroslav Běloušek

nápadník

Miroslav Abrahám

svatebčan/člen správní rady/fotograf

Jiřina Hautová

svatebčanka

Karel Hovorka

svatebčan

Jiřina Zemanová

svatebčanka

Vít Pešina

robot/nápadník

Stanislav Hájek

fotograf

Antonín Hardt

Hellemeier v divadelním představení R.U.R.

Petr Girza

robot v představení R.U.R.

Jiří Miška

robot v představení R.U.R.