Christian (1939 film)

Christian (Czech: Kristián) is a 1939 Czech comedy film directed by Martin Frič.[1] The film is based on a French play by Yvan Noé.

Christian
Czech poster
Directed byMartin Frič
Produced byJan Sinnreich
Written byEduard Šimáček
Josef Gruss
StarringOldřich Nový
Music bySláva Eman Nováček
CinematographyFerdinand Pečenka
Edited byJan Kohout
Production
company
AB
Distributed byLucernafilm
Release date
  • 8 September 1939 (1939-09-08)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryProtectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
LanguageCzech
Budget675,000 Kčs[1]

On the first of every month, a mysterious guest, who goes by the name Kristián, appears in the fashionable Orient Bar. He tips lavishly, and on every visit, his tales of foreign travels charm a new woman into falling for him. After every conquest, however, he slips away, vanishing poignantly but harmlessly into the night—until a dropped business card betrays his identity. Thanks to the clue, his latest conquest, Zuzana, discovers that by day Kristián is merely Alois Novák, a mousy travel agent with a wife, and Zuzana decides to take humorous revenge. The result is a witty movie that calls to mind American screwball comedies of the same era such as The Lady Eve and The Awful Truth.[2] In real life, the actresses who played Zuzana and Novák's wife were friends, and during World War II they competed for the affections of the producer Willy Söhnel.[1]

Production

The film is based on a play by Yvan Noé.[3] Shooting of the film took 23 days and cost 675,000 Kčs. The film premiered on 8 September 1939.[1]

Plot

Alois Novák is an uninspired clerk married to Marie. He lives a boring life and wants to feel adventure. Once in a month he attends Orient bar disguised as a rich traveller Kristian and seduces beautiful and elegant women and then leaves them broken-hearted. One day he meets Zuzana. She sees through his game and doesn't let herself be fooled. She starts to search for him which leads to many comical situations. She eventually finds him and makes Novák to return to reality. Novák leaves his Kristián persona but becomes a more confident person and more loving husband for his wife.

Cast

Release

The film premiered on 8 September 1939. It remained in cinemas for 5 weeks. The film was re-released in theatres in 1951, but all scenes featuring Jára Kohout were cut from the film, because he emigrated in 1948.[1]

Possible sequel

Oldřich Nový wanted to collaborate with Martin Frič on a sequel called Christian Returns. Nový even wrote a screenplay with his wife.[1]

References
  1. "Kristián". csfd.cz. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  2. "Kristián. 1939. Directed by Martin Fric". Museum of Modern Art. April 20, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  3. "Kristian (1939)". Filmový přehled (in Czech). Retrieved 3 May 2018.


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