A Matter of Honour

A deeply disturbed young man arrives at a palace which is lavishly furnished and decorated but full of spider webs. It is Richard, the lover of Countess Laura. The lady of the house is a beautiful woman, a few years older than Richard, and she is not too pleased by the unexpected visit because she is just in the middle of her morning ablutions. But Richard has a sound reason for his visit – he has just challenged Baron Thorn who slandered Laura’s honour claiming at a party that she, after making love, sits by a piano naked and sings. He moreover declared her singing false, which was Richard’s final cause to challenge him. The two lovers talk about their perception of honour. It, however, seems normal to Laura that the Baron was her lover and she knows as well that many others will come after Richard. Another noblewoman sleeps with her coachman, she is always accompanied by an appropriate escort in the public, but the heir of the family will certainly be the child of her low-class lover. Laura offers Richard a farewell night of love. A brougham brings to the palace a coffin containing the body of Thorn, who died of heart failure. Richard faints and the prankish Thorn steps ouf of the coffin, telling Laura that he did not plan to deprive her of such an outstanding young man. Before Richard comes round, Thorn is gone. The young man, relieved, embraces Laura. At that moment, the real director of the film interferes and vigorously reproaches the actors’ imprecisions. An animated debate breaks out. After the clapboard, the director stays out of the shot, his fingers resting in an open piano. The actress Steinmarová winks at the actor Čenský who discreetly releases the strut and the piano cover falls on the director’s fingers.