In the Flames of Passion of Royal Love

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1990

Production year

1990

Premiere

1 May 1991

Runtime

87 min

Director

Jan Němec

Category

film

Genre

comedy, black comedy

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

V žáru královské lásky

Czech title

V žáru královské lásky

English title

In the Flames of Passion of Royal Love

Summary

Ladislav Klíma’s peculiar romanetto Utrpení knížete Sternenhocha (Prince Sternenhoch’s Misery, 1928) served as inspiration for this feature film, directed by Jan Němec in 1990, following his return to Czechoslovakia from exile. The writer-director of such 1960s New Wave classics Démanty noci (Diamonds of the Night, 1964) and O slavnosti a hostech (The Party and the Guests, 1966), creates a poignant post-modern tale about a stormy romantic affair between a decadent prince (played by musician Vilém Čok) and the daughter of a demoted army officer (Ivana Chýlková). Němec sets this colourful tale of irresistible attraction between two contradictory characters in an unspecified near future. Details about the royal family in question are also deliberately vague. Graphic designer Michael Rittstein incorporates elements of contemporary Czechoslovakia into his futuristic aesthetic. Garnering a mixed reception from audiences, the film nonetheless boasts an attractive cast. Pavel Landovský plays the heroine’s father – the actor also having recently returned from exile.

Synopsis

A prince is dying in his residence, in an iron tower rising above Prague. He dictates his last words to the state secretary. – The infantile prince gets ready for a ball where he should choose his bride. He, however, turns down all the present princesses and rather picks a waitress watching the dance. The next day, he sets off to ask for her hand. The girl's boorish father does not conceal his disdain both for his daughter and the prince but he eventually agrees with the wedding. After the wedding night, the girl – now princess – kicks the prince away, claiming that she is not interested in him at all. She delivers a son after some time but the court physician takes the successor to the throne away. A midwife is executed for the child's disappearance. The prince begs his father-in-law to make his daughter be obedient. The father tries to strangle her and she fights back with a dagger. The father later dies as a result of his wounds. The princess escapes from the château and leads protesters against the prince. She drinks, burns people, masturbates, finds a lover who tortures her. The two lovers decide to run away to the Cordillera Mountains. The princess is supposed to kiss her husband for the last time before the escape. But she is incapable of that and the prince kills her with a hammer. Her lover is thrown out of the window and the prince shoots him dead. The ruler cannot forget about his wife whose bloody head keeps appearing to him even during his wild orgies. He becomes insane and is overthrown. All deranged, he sets off to a dungeon where he left the dying princess two years ago. He throws himself on her body and tries to make love to her. His intercourse attempts with the princess's corpse are watched by the entire court and the guards soon force him apart from the putrid remains of her body. After the prince's death, the physician brings back the prince's heir to the deposition of the coffins with the prince's and princess's bodies. The future ruler has two heads: one after his mother, the other after his father.

Cast

Jiří Bartoška

státní tajemník

Josef Abrhám

dvorní lékař

Pavel Landovský

otec kněžny

Kateřina Nohejlová

služka dvojče

Monika Nohejlová

služka dvojče

Emma Letovová

Zuzana Motalová

Alexandra Páclová

Isabela Schenková

Jiří Reichel

Vladimír Merhaut (2)

Jiří Vondráček (3)

Jan Pokorný

Vladimír Hejna

Miroslava Radoušová

Jana Vaněčková

Milena Gabrielová

Monika Iszofová

Květa Jarmarová

Dubbing

Crew and creators

Director

Jan Němec

Second Unit Director

Miloš Kohout

Assistant Director

Renata Čihulková, Daniel Sedláček, Miloš Stránský

Based on

Ladislav Klíma (Utrpení knížete Sternenhocha – román)

Screenplay

Jan Němec

Shooting Script

Jan Němec

Director of Photography

Jiří Macháně

Second Unit Photography

Vladimír Křepelka

Production Designer

Vladimír Labský

Assistent Production Designer

Jan Zázvorka ml.

Set Designer

Michael Rittstein, Jiří Žůček

Assistant Film Editor

Eva Horázná

Stunts

kaskadérská skupina Jaroslava Tomsy, Pavel Cajzl

Unit Production Manager

Petr Moravec, Zuzana Kovaříková, Hana Jarošová

Unit Production Manager

Pavel Píta, Šárka Pechanová, Stanislav Šafr, František Vláčil ml.

Consultant

Jaroslav Tomsa

Cooperation

Karel Ješátko (fotograf), George Výborný, Lenka Ilková, Ľuba Ďurevičová, Ivana Lupačová, Roman Fara, Martina Macháňová, Miroslav Peterka, Ivo Senkievič

Music

Music Composed by

Jan Hammer ml.

Music Performed by

Jan Hammer ml.

Danced by

Taneční skupina Jarky Calábkové

Production info

Original Title

V žáru královské lásky

Czech Title

V žáru královské lásky

English Title

In the Flames of Passion of Royal Love

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

comedy, black comedy

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1990

Production Year

1990

Premiere

premiere 1 May 1991 /unsuitable for youths/

Studio

Hostivař

Creative Group

1. tvůrčí skupina, Jiří Blažek (vedoucí 1. tvůrčí skupiny), Jiří Ulrich ml. (vedoucí produkce 1. tvůrčí skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

87 min

Distribution carrier

16mm, 35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,66

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 5. festival českých a slovenských filmů Finále Plzeň

1991
Plzeň / Czechoslovakia
Michael Rittstein