Byl jednou jeden král...
Directed by:
Bořivoj ZemanCinematography:
Jan RothComposer:
Václav TrojanCast:
Jan Werich, Vlasta Burian, Terezie Brzková, Marie Glázrová, Irena Kačírková, Stella Májová, Milena Dvorská, Miroslav Horníček, Lubomír Lipský st. (more)Plots(1)
Once upon a time there was a King and his name was Me I. He had three daughters: Drahomíra, who loved gold and jewels, Zpěvanka, who loved to sing, and Maruška, who looked after the Royal Household. The King wanted to hand over his Kingdom to the daughter who loved him most. Drahomíra loved him as dearly as gold, Zpěvanka as much as a golden voice, and the youngest Maruška as much as salt. The King got very angry with Maruška for giving him such an answer, and expelled her from the castle. He ordered all the salt in his Kingdom to be destroyed as well. Only the smart widow Kubátová defied his orders. After a while, the King realized that it wasn't possible to live without salt, and he also missed Maruška. When he admitted his mistake, he found Maruška at the old herbwoman's place. They reconciled and Maruška brought him the salt shaker in which the salt never ran low. In the meanwhile, the Princes who came to court the King's daughters, left the castle. They realized that the Princesses didn't want them, because they had just found their real husbands - a gardener, a piper and a fisherman. The common weddings were magnificent. The King also realized that he would be happier with a wife and married widow Kubátová. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (3)
First off, I don't know what it is, secondly, it offends me, or the self-indulgent Vlasta, the irresistible Fanda on the edge, a trio of strange princes, and the spicer woman in a fairy tale that wonderfully recycled Werich's previous monster project from Rudolfinum Prague.
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A popular classic, to which I don't have the heart to deduct even one star – and there’s actually no reason for it. The shared scenes with Werich and Burian alone – led by the "appropriate" cooking – banish any thought of a lower rating. So, there are fairytales that I like more, but this one comes closest to the true essence of this beautiful genre. 90%
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One of the most beautiful fairy tales I know, mainly thanks to Mr. Werich, who is simply incredible and carries the film on his own. But only at first glance. There are other great characters here that hold the film together. The characters are great and wonderfully acted, and on top of that, there is a story that is beautifully fairy-tale-like and pleasantly naive in its culinary aspect.
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