Summary
Director Otakar Vávra shot this costume comedy in 1938 on a generous budget. Despite its playful tone, the film bolstered the Czechoslovak nation’s self-confidence as it faced the fascist menace. The story’s protagonist is a well-educated, hedonistic nobleman named Mikuláš Dačický, who in the silver mining town of Kutná Hora, in the era of Emperor Rudolf, advocates for the rights of miners and the expulsion from the city of thieves and newcomers. The Kutná Hora aldermen want to unseat Mikuláš over fears their profits will decline and they will lose their positions, but above all because their wives and daughters find the gallant knight irresistible. The lead role was entrusted to experienced actor Zdeněk Štěpánek, who also worked on the script and who, as Mikuláš, portrayed one of Vávra’s liveliest characters. For the supporting roles, Vávra relied on first-rate dramatic actors.
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