Lucernafilm

The doomed love of a city girl caught in the vise of poverty is detailed in Vavra’s fluid, romantic work, one of the most elegant creations of the Czech Modernist era... The film lingers over its characters’ habitats and haunts, finding psychological truths in what each owns or desires, and countering every Hollywood-ready scene of gleaming restaurants and dazzling penthouses with realist moments of employment lines and crammed flats. Vavra’s classical camerawork and aura of romantic defeatism give Virginity a force comparable to the master of this genre, Hollywood’s Frank Borzage. (BAM/PFA)

Filmed during the Nazi occupation, this panoramic drama set in a Prague department store follows the divergent destinies of four female coworkers, each of whom seeks happiness in a different way.

A morally questionable lord comes to the aid of a working class man who is to be executed for speaking out about thieving rich scoundrels sticking it to the poor.

A painting of a girl from another time comes to life for it's buyer in this costume comedy.

The stuffed animal dealer Václav Barvínek spent twenty-four hours in prison for a petty dispute. And that very day, his uncle's will was read, stating that the deceased had hidden a check for a million crowns somewhere. If it was not cashed by the appointed time, the entire amount would go to charity. The other relatives looted all the movable property, and only an abandoned Saint Bernard remained in the uncle's villa, which the kind-hearted Mr. Barvínek took in. The cheated heir continues to lead a simple life and has no idea that wealth is within reach. He has quite different worries - the heart of the elderly fat man has burned with love for a girl whose friendliness he misinterpreted...

A highly romanticized autobiographical novel by a Czech 19th century writer, Bozena Nemcova. It's a classical, compulsory reading in Czech schools, about a wise, working-class woman, happier in her simplicity and good heart than the nobles whom she serves.

A romantic story of a noble lady who wanted to live without the bonds of marriage, but her desire for a child led her - carefully disguised - into the arms of a young nobleman. Only years later did she believe in his love and make herself known.

A comedy about a caring protector of the family who had help, good advice and understanding for everyone. No one in the family calls Anna Svojanovská anything other than Kvočna - everyone is used to running under her protective wings as soon as any problems arise. And what a blessing this mother and grandmother has to deal with!

Mrs. Piskořová, co-owner of a debt-ridden boarding house, forces her daughter Klára to marry a wealthy elderly architect, Kacík, who has recently separated from his wife. However, Klára is in love with the waiter Prokop, who she does not know is actually a mining engineer. No one suspects that Klára's land, considered worthless, contains a coal deposit...

The smooth narration, corresponding to the requirements of a light comedy, develops the smiling and optimistic story of the "one-armed" beggar Dostál, who earned enough money with his excellent begging skills to buy a nice house, become a respectable master of the house, and save the impoverished lawyer Neprosil from poverty, who he contributed regularly to him when he was still well off. He also wanted to get him together with his pretty ward Zorka, for whom he said he would be an ideal husband, but the young people were able to do that by themselves and without his clumsy help, or rather despite his rather ineffective help... The film was shown at the VI. IFF in Venice in 1938.

A young farmer, Jan Aleš, is drafted from his native Pošumaví to join the army. Since he likes his new environment, he stays with the army as a long-term serviceman. He even successfully passes the exams for the military academy. There he becomes friends with his Slovak colleague Milan Jurčík. He studies diligently, but thanks to Milan he sometimes finds time to go out into the city. That is how he meets the factory owner's daughter, Zdenka, with whom he falls in love. However, her father is not very happy about the promising relationship.

Thirteen people have gathered at Mayor Bartoš's. The company is uneasy about this number and therefore warmly welcomes the fourteenth guest, who is the new librarian Pavel Čtrnáctý...

It all begins when Zuzanka, the new young owner, arrives at the dilapidated Blue Star Hotel. Determined to put the declining inheritance back on its feet, she starts chasing three young men, including the composer Jirka, who, dressed in a waiter's tailcoat, is to work off his debt to the new owner. Like his two friends, Jirka succumbs to the charms of his new boss and, with some confidence, hopes that he is the one who has the best chance of becoming her chosen one. At that moment, however, a guest arrives, intent on carrying out the family tradition and throwing an engagement party at the Blue Star Hotel, regardless of his condition. This, however, is not to the liking of his wilful fiancée. Fortunately, there is the sympathetic Zuzanka, who charms the unusual guest so much that he resolutely breaks off his engagement to the rich girl and prefers to marry the cute hotelier.

This romantic story turns on a stirring infatuation that takes hold of three young people under the influence of Simon, a Prague student. After the study year, 18 year-old Julio returns to his parental home, a little chateau on the Otava river. There he converges with his childhood friend Petr and the young boatman's daughter Klárka. Sharing her beguilement with Simon, who has quickly turned a tranquil summer atmosphere into a relationship drama, is Julio's cousin Rosa.

A social comedy about a wealthy man in his prime, for whom marital infidelity is just a pleasant and regular sport. A young flower shop owner, to whom her husband seems to be generally ordinary and overworked, nevertheless manages to resist the advances of an experienced seducer.

The famous operetta singer Jarmila Kšírová tries to hide her marital status from the sensationalist public. The heroine of the story is the star of the big operetta scene Soňa Jansová. For advertising reasons, it is claimed that she is still single and that she even avoids men. In reality, however, the operetta soubrette has been happily married to Dr. Karel Svoboda for several years and even has a four-year-old daughter, Evička. Her husband pretends to be only her legal representative and only sneaks into her apartment secretly...

Mist on the Moors examines fates of just about a few people. Their stories are outlined in a short space of time and are a symbolic representation of the drama of life, struggle for justice, human cognizance and the healing power of love. One of the most important components of the film is the nature, which ceases to be a mere stage for its plot—it serves almost as an autonomous plot agent. The movie landscape is a precisely defined and localized one. Only the South Bohemian ponds can serve as the right environment for development of such earthy and typically human stories as we encounter in the Mist on the Moors.

Theater props maker Karel Vajgant has a young wife, Magda, and two children, seven-year-old Pavlík and eleven-year-old Pepička. Magda is a caring mother, but she feels that her husband prioritizes work and his comfort. In a weak moment, Magda becomes unfaithful. Vajgant receives an anonymous letter that warns him of his wife's infidelity. His friend, the opportunist Tonda, advises him to throw away the letter and instead devote more time to Magda...

Dvořák's well-known composition reappears again and again in the serious moments of the lives of the father and son Hupeks - talented non-professional musicians for whom music gives them the opportunity to rise above difficulties and problems...