The Christmas Dream

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1944

Production year

1944

Runtime

11 min

Director

Bořivoj Zeman (hraná část), Karel Zeman (loutková část)

Category

film

Genre

fairytale

Typology

animatedtheatrical distributionshort

Original title

Vánoční sen

Czech title

Vánoční sen

English title

The Christmas Dream

Parallel title

Ein Weihnachtstraum

Summary

A story about the funny pranks of a rag boy puppet, which came to life in a Christmas-Eve dream of a little girl.

Synopsis

A girl finds new toys under the Christmas tree and loses all interest in her previously favourite rag puppet. She goes to bed in the evening. The boy puppet comes to life in her dream and tries to regain the heart of his friend. He prevents a rag giraffe from toppling the Christmas tree. The giraffe and other new toys want to chase the rag boy away. He successfully escapes them, climbs up on a piano and jiggles on the keys. He then performs an impressive figure-skating show on the polished top of the piano. The girl loves his frolicking. A fan on the shelf accidentally turns on, disturbs the sea waves in the painting on the wall and takes the painted ship to the horizon. The girl cheerily hops on the bed in the wind. But the wind is too strong for the rag boy and he cannot resist it long. Before he falls, he tries to catch at the laced cover on the table. The girl takes the boy puppet to her arms at the last moment. He is saved from falling, but more importantly is again in the arms of his little friend.

Note

Before of the end of the war the film was approved by German censorship on 22 December 1944 and was distributed by the Degeto Film Berlin company. After the war the film was distributed in Czechoslovakia with Czech opening titles. The negative of a film of same name, directed by Hermína Týrlová in the Zlín studios in 1944, was burnt shortly after its completion during the fire in the laboratories. When the negative of the Christmas Dream was destroyed and Hermína Týrlová was ill, the management of the studios asked Karel Zeman to film it again in collaboration with director Bořivoj Zeman (see Marie Benešová: Hermína Týrlová. Praha 1982, p. 39).

Cast

Eduard Dubský

otec holčičky

Crew and creators

Director

Bořivoj Zeman (hraná část), Karel Zeman (loutková část)

Screenplay

Bořivoj Zeman

Director of Photography

Pavel Hrdlička

Second Unit Photography

Josef Míček

Production Designer

Vilém Rittershain

Art Director

Karel Zeman

Film Editor

Zdeněk Stehlík

Sound Designer

František Černý

Production Manager

Ladislav Kolda

Music

Music Composed by

Jiří Šust

Production info

Original Title

Vánoční sen

Czech Title

Vánoční sen

English Title

The Christmas Dream

Parallel Title

Ein Weihnachtstraum

Category

film

Typology

animatedtheatrical distribution

Genre

fairytale

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1944

Production Year

1944

Production specifications

projection approval 07/1945 (konec povolení k promítání červenec 1950)

Premiere

premiere 23 November 1945 /suitable for youths/ (kino Sevastopol /2 týdny/, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

FAB Zlín

Technical info

Duration typology

short film

Duration in minutes

11 min

Original length in metres

300 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Animation technique

cut-out, puppet, combined (technique), feature

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

without dialogue

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Festival: 1. mezinárodní filmový festival Cannes

1946
Cannes / France