Kronika králů

A number of parchment pages from a 700-year‑old manuscript were found in Paris in 2005. The fragment with Gothic illuminations contains a Latin translation of the Chronicle of Dalimil. This discovery has stirred up debate among experts concerning the origin of the manuscript and the authorship of the translation. Many have referred to the fragment as greatest finding related to Czech history since the times of Palacky. This film treats the book from several different perspectives. Researchers scrutinize its origin and history and the Frank husband and wife team attempt to reconstruct techniques of medieval book production and binding. Medieval illustrations closely resemble the work of the Italian painter Giotto, thus, the film also explores the setting of an Italian scriptorium. Roman Vavra also provides random passers by, the potential readers of the manuscript, with an opportunity to express their own views on the matter. The content of the Chronicle of Dalimil and its historical passages are then dramatised by actors in a witty and dynamic performance, which is interwoven with animation. (Academia Film Olomouc)