Summary
This musical comedy from 1930 – recognised as among the films in which Vlasta Burian, who started off in cabarets and the theatre, began fully exerting his comedic abilities – was inspired by Emil Arthur Longen’s theatrical farce. The story’s protagonist is a former Austro-Hungarian army captain, František Procházka, who pines for the military life even after his early retirement. Whilst visiting his nephew Rudi, stationed at a remote garrison, Procházka is mistaken for a dreaded field marshal who is due to come inspect the troops. He relishes playing the role – the mix-up has come following a series of unfortunate events, including Rudi’s wedding – and sings some bouncy ditties by Jára Beneš, including the title song. Director Karel Lamač, in line with the contemporary practice, formed a production company for the original film and German language version (featuring a German cast, apart from Burian in the leading role) called Ondra-Lamac-Film. A year later, he formed another company, Standard, for the French language version (with a French cast).
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