The Emperor and the Golem
| The Emperor and the Golem | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | |
| Written by | |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Julius Kalaš |
|
Release date
|
1951 (Czechoslovakia) 1955 (USA) |
|
Running time
|
86 + 69 min or 112 min |
| Country | Czechoslovakia |
| Language | Czech |
The Emperor and the Golem (Czech: Císařův pekař a pekařův císař - "Emperor's baker and baker's emperor" literally) is a two-part Czechoslovakian historical fantasy comedy film produced in 1951. The film shares parts of the plot with the 1936 French film, Le Golem, directed by Julien Duvivier, filmed in Prague and co-written by Jan Werich (this film's star and co-author) and Jiří Voskovec. It was originally directed by Jiří Krejčík, but after disputes with the leading actor Jan Werich, Krejčík was replaced by Martin Frič. In addition to the two-part version, a 112-minute-long one-part international version was prepared, with most propaganda flavoured scenes cut out (e.g., songs). The film was filmed in color (not common for Czechoslovak films in that period) because of the international release.
The film is set during the reign of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor. It is one of the best known films with Jan Werich (performing a dual role of Emperor and baker).
The film first follows the aging and eccentric Rudolf II, who is obsessed with finding the Golem, refuses to hear out ambassadors and falls into destructive fits. The conflict between him and his brother Matthias is also touched upon.
He welcomes Magister Edward Kelley in his palace and shows him around. He keeps an alchemist laboratory in his palace. The alchemists are presented as either charlatans and swindlers, or fools: one desires to materialize darkness; another hits an anvil with a hammer, examines it with a magnifying glass and says he is trying to split the atom. There is also a character who, when the Emperor asks him of his doings, always babbles in a nonsense language (it is later revealed that he has been making "slivovice", a well known Czech plum brandy).
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