Marguerites For the Lady of the Castle

Stanislav Rudolf’s novels for girls provided inspiration for a number of Czech films. One of the most popular adaptations of the novelist’s work was 1981’s Kopretiny pro zámeckou paní (Marguerites For the Lady of the Castle).The film was helmed by the capable director Josef Pinkava. The heroine of the story, penned by Pinkava and seasoned scriptwriter Stanislav Petřík, is 15-year-old Katka Krásná. During the summer, she has to sell tickets at the box office at Krabonoš Castle, where her parents both work. Katka falls in love with Petr, a history student from Prague who is also working at the castle for the summer. However, he fails to pick up on her feelings. Lovelorn, Katka gets back at him by stealing two valuable exhibits from the castle museum. In the end she is forced to confess to the police and her parents. Petr begins to reciprocate the girl’s affections… Director Pinkava had considerable experience of stories featuring young protagonists (e.g., Prázdniny s Minkou [Holiday With Minka] /1962/, Kočky neberem [We Don’t Give Chicks a Lift] /1966/, Terezu bych kvůli žádné holce neopustil [I’ll Never Give Up Tereza for a Girlfriend] /1976/). He encountered Rudolf’s work in 1971 when he adapted the rewarding story of Metráček, an overweight schoolgirl. Pinkava conceived of Marguerites For the Lady of the Castle as a breezy summer story with likeable characters. The title role in the likable picture was taken by non-actress Sylva Julinová, with Jan Hartl playing the student Petr. Pavel Kříž, then 12, makes his screen debut in a small role, though his voice was dubbed by Roman Skamene.