The Secret of the Gold Buddha
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1973Production year
1972Premiere
1 June 1973Runtime
99 minDirector
Dušan KleinCategory
filmGenre
crimeTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Tajemství zlatého BuddhyCzech title
Tajemství zlatého BuddhyEnglish title
The Secret of the Gold BuddhaSummary
Novelist Josef Nesvadba’s science fiction works have several times been adapted for the big screen. But the book that serves as a template for Tajemství zlatého Buddhy (The Secret of the Gold Buddha) is something of an exception for the author, presenting, as it does, a crime story set during the realities of the 1890s. Directed by Dušan Klein – whose filmography underscores a penchant for the detective genre – this 1973 film tells the story of the family machinations of a wealthy factory owner in north Bohemia. That owner, Riessig, has his rich aunt declared not legally competent. But a gold Buddha statue conceals evidence that the doctors involved in the wrongful diagnosis were bribed. Meanwhile, a group of textile workers, sick of exploitation at the hands of their greedy boss, go on strike. Otakar Brousek takes the lead role as the wicked factory owner, while his unfortunate auntie is played by Blanka Waleská.
Synopsis
The Svahov factory owner Riessig celebrates the engagement with a sugar mill owner's daughter. Due to her dowry he broke away from madam von Waldberg. He let his old aunt baroness declared insane. A clerk of a co-operative Oul, Janata, got secretly a gold statuette of Buddha from her. It is 1871 and Krasl, a teacher, tells his pupils in Prague about the liberal times in which they are lucky to live. The workers working for Riessig work fourteen hours a day for poor wages. Their strike ends up in police shooting after which several people were wounded and shot dead. The political leader Herrmann sends Krasl to Svahov. Janata was shot dead and it seems the bullet came out by mistake during the fights. The teacher Krasl learns, contrary to neglected investigation, that Janata had been killed. The victim's daughter Albína is afraid that her lover Zeman will be accused of the crime and she rather gets in his way. Before his escape, Zeman got money from Riessig for the information about who has got the Buddha statuette. He wants to extort Riessig and Riessig lets him killed by the police. Madam von Waldberg discloses Krasl that the statuette contained documents proving that the psychiatrists having declared the rich baroness insane had been bribed. The factory owner lets Janata's house set on fire. Krasl, however, finds the statuette hidden in a beehive in the garden. He submits the found documents to Herrmann. The corruptible politician gives the only evidence, proving the factory owner's guilt, directly to Riessig. Krasl is transfered to a remote village school where he tells children about the liberal times.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Eduard Cupák
učitel František Krasl
Otakar Brousek
baron Riessig, majitel textilky
Blanka Waleská
baronka, Riessigová teta
Jana Preissová
Albína Janatová
Milena Dvorská
von Waldbergová, baronova milenka
Václav Postránecký
dělník Jarek Zeman, Albínin milý
Josef Mixa
dělník Scheu
Jaroslava Tichá
Scheuova manželka
Stanislav Zindulka
dělník Jouza
Ilja Prachař
starosta Melichar
Antonín Hardt
strážmistr
Bohumil Šmída
četník Šulc
Milan Sandhaus
Janata, činovník družstva Oul
Alena Kreuzmannová
Rieberkreuzerová
Jan Schánilec
Kalenda
Miloš Willig
lékař
Josef Karlík
politický předák JUDr. Herrmann
Jarmila Horská
Duriniová
Bohuslav Čáp
soudce
Oldřich Velen
ředitel školy
Hana Packertová
prostitutka v hotelu
Gustav Opočenský
hostinský
Viktor Očásek
Voice by Vlastimil Brodský
velkoobchodník Artur Schlieffer
Eva Lorenzová
komorná
Stanislav Litera
komorník
Jan Kraus
výrostek
Leoš Kaltofen
recepční
Marie Cingrošová
Melicharová
Emil Rohan
kočí dostavníku
René Přibil
mladík v dostavníku
Pavel Osif
dragoun
Pavel Rusý
dragoun
Hana Merhautová
venkovská žena
Jarmila Nedvídková
venkovská žena
Jiřina Zemanová
venkovská žena
Jan Zetek
četník
Jiří Flíček
dělník
Bohumil Procházka
dělník
František Michálek
dělník
Karel Chromík
dělník
Růžena Novotná
manželka raněného
Libuše Chrastilová
tanečnice
Ivan Martin
tanečník
Dana Špédlová
tanečnice
Václav Brouček
tanečník
Zdeněk Munzar
dirigent orchestru
Josef Krásný
hudebník v kavárně
Pavel Vondruška
hudebník v kavárně
Vladimír Janota
hudebník
Pavel Kandrik
hudebník
Miroslav Odvárko
hudebník
Jiří Schenzer
hudebník
Josef Janoušek (2)
lokaj
Ladislav Schwarz
lokaj
Vlastimila Vlková
starší žena
Miroslav Jíra
dubl za Eduarda Cupáka
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Helena Rohanová
Assistant Director
Continuity
Based on
Josef Nesvadba (Tajemství zlatého Buddhy – román)
Screenplay
Shooting Script
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Jaroslav Chytrý, Jan Hodný, Karel Kočí
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Vlasta Synkulová, Jaroslav Vágner
Unit Production Manager
Cooperation
Jana Vohryzková (klapka), Jaroslav Trousil (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Production info
Original Title
Tajemství zlatého Buddhy
Czech Title
Tajemství zlatého Buddhy
English Title
The Secret of the Gold Buddha
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
crime
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1973
Production Year
1972
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 11 April 1972
start of filming 15 May 1972
technical Screenplay approved 16 June 1972
end of filming 1 December 1972
projection approval 12 April 1973
Premiere
premiere 24 May 1973 /suitable for youths/ (kino Kosmos, Praha)
premiere 1 June 1973 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Creative Group
Dramaturgická skupina Zdeňka Dufka, Zdeněk Dufek (vedoucí dramaturgické skupiny), Výrobní skupina Jiřího Šebora, Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výrobní skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
99 min
Original length in metres
2 520 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,66
Colour
black & white
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
